The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-01
HOT STUFF COMING
CY LELAND THROWS DOWN THE
GAUNTLET TO HIS OPPONENTS.

He Recognizes that Judge j. b. johnson of
Topeka is in the Race Against Him for
DeIegate-at-Large and is Glad to Meet
Him on the Field of Battle-He Criti-
cizes johnson, However, for Being For
Too Many Men-Leland Himself is for
| Mckinley and He Wants Everybody to
Know it and Know it Hard.
Topeka, Kan. Dec. 31.-When the gen.
tlemen who attended the Kansas City
meeting on Friday read Sunday morn
ing an interview with Judge ]. B. John
son, in which he said he would not en-
ten a fight to displace Cy Leland as a
member Of the national Republican com
mittee from Kansas, they emitted far
| reaching and voicferous roar. Such OF
them as are now in Topeka make no
| bones of the admission that the pur-
| pose of that meeting was to select a
man who would make the race against
| Leland, and, having ected Judge
| Johnson, they naturally objected to his
going over TO the enemy in any such
manner as he indicated in his inter-
view.
Some Of this roar must have reached
| the ears of Judge Johnson, for today he
informed a reporter that on Saturday
he had not quite caught the drift of his
statements.
II said" commenced Judge Johnson,
today, that Cy Leland and l had long
been personal friends, and that 1 had
TO fight to make upon him. 1 do not
see how my candidacy for delegate-at-
large can interfere with Mr.. Leland's
candidacy for similar place, for there
are six of them, and we live in different
districts and parts of the state.
RUN FOR COMMITTEEMAN.
1.-THE matter of a national commit
teeman is an after conclusion. When
the delegates from Kansas are all elect
ed they will agree on man for national
committeeman among themselves You
misunderstood me in saying that /
would not become a candidate for COM
mitteeman. What 1 said was" (and
the judges eye twinkled with infectious
merriment), "rhat 1 would enter no
fight against Mr.. Lelenad which would
jeopardize our personal friendship. Has
it never occurred to you that two men
may seek the same Office without be-
coming enemies?"
Then you will become a candidate
for national committeeman? bluntly
queried the reporter.
Il had not intended to make any
such announcement, for j believed L
was a matter unusual to take UP until
the delegates were elected but to relieve
myself from being misunderstood will
frankly tell you that 1 expect to be-
come a candidate for that place
Later in the day a delegation from
the First district, composed of BOP
Robinson, of Jackson county; B. II.
Tracey, of Pottawatomie county; c. c.
Mccarthy of Jefferson county; D. ]. Kel
Ter of Leavenworth county; w. ".
Price of Brown county, and A. ]. White
of Atchison, called upon Judge johnson
and asked him to publicly become a
candidate for national committeeman
from Kansas.
In reply to the delegation, Judge
Johnson made a little speech, as fol-
lows:
JOHNSON DECLARES HIMSELF
L appreciate this compliment more
than words can express, coming, as it
does, from the First congressional dis
trict, where ] resided for more than
twenty years during my stay in Kan
sas. / thinks know pretty well near
ly every man, woman and child in that
congressional district. i thank you
for this expression of your confidence
and esteem, and I cheerfully accept
your support so freely offered to me
for delegate-at-large from this state to
the national Republican convention to
he held in St. Louis. If / am elected,
and / have no doubt that / shall be
with the aid of such men as are before
me. / shall certainly endeavor to repre-
sent the people of this state to the
best of my ability. One thing 1 now
pledge you on my sacred honor: 1 will
help TO nominate a stalwart Republi-
can, who will be the next president Of
the United States. You ask the use or
my name as a candidate for represen-
tative of this state on the national Re-
publican committee. / beg to say that
you are at liberty to use my name in
that connection also and in any way
you choose. Should / be chosen by the
Republican delegates to this position. /
shall not be unmindful of the grave du-
ties it will impose upon me, and will en-
deavor 10 perform them with high
sense of my obligation as a member
of that committee. We will win, my
friends, in this contest, beyond all sort
OF question. There is a well grounded
feeling abroad in the state that ten or
twelve years at the head of the table
ought to satisfy the ordinary appetite.
We ought to demonstrate in some en-
phatic way tina; enough is enough and
that a sucfeit is destructive.
This campaign will be short: let US
make il spirited and earnest and we will
suerly win"
LELAND ON THE. SCENE.
Hon. Cy Leland. who is possibly mora
prominently before TIE people of Kan
sas at present than any other public
man, by reason of the fight which has
beer sprung upon him, arrived in To-
peka today, apparently with the pur-
pose of skirmishing around the edges
= a
reporter, Mr.. Leland said tonight:
Il have just been down to the office
of my old friend Judge Johnson. TO see
If ii was a fact that ne was a candidate
for committeeman from Kansas. The
judge assured me he was in the race,
but also informed me that next TO
himself for that place, he would rather
see me get it. Judge Johnson is all
right He has just as much right 10
run for the office as 1 have. and it suits
me exactly TO have a good fellow for
an opponent.
While l was at Judge Jchnson's Of
fee. / ran square against the seven men
who hold the First congressional dis
trict in the hollow of their hands.
mean those seven gentlemen who had
just extended 10 the judge the unani-
nous nomination Of the First district
not only for delegate-at-large. but also
for national committeeman. and any
thing else he might ask. While these
seven men have signed. sealed and de-
livered the First district 10 a Fourth
district man, the fact still remains that
none OF the First district counties have
Vet held their conventions. and / hope
you viii not write me down as Boosting
II l say that / expect 70 develope a
strength in the showdown which will
make these seven gentlemen display
what we in Doniphan county call bad
case of pop-eye.
MAN WITH A CHOICE.