The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-21


Ready to Take the Stump In His Behalf
But the Politicians, She Says, are for
Harris With the Hope of Slipping
BreidenthaPs Nomination In.
Kansas City, Mo-, April 2o.-Mrs.
Mary Eliza beth Lease, tall and state
y as grenadier of the guard, and al
ways interesting, was in Kasas City
asst evening. Mary is in training, and
looks fine as fiddle. Those who have
iaborede under the delusion that she
IS ont Of politics were never more mis-
taken in their lives. AS long as Mary
lives and sunhowers grow in Kansas
she will be knee deep in politics, and
that is pretty deep. when you are speak
ing Of MARY Elizabeth. When the po-
atical prairie fires roll ever the great
state Of Kansas next fall, it will be
found that Mary has thrown as many
sighted matches among the dry grass
as anybody.
ME out of polftics!" she exclaimed
evening, with that western Kansas
naivette peculiar to her. why, I was
never more N politics in my life
A young man once went out to peddle
soap. He had a long speech committed
TO memory, which he would rattle off
with wonderful rapidity. Just as ne
hearers began to wonder If ne would
ever stop, he would catch his breath
and exclaim: Mother said must talk.
Fl amt talked 'nough, I'm willin' TO
talk more" Mrs. Lease may or may
not be peddling political soap, but be
that as 1t may. she was as willing to
FOL IL 1oe+ L. &c
following mothers instructions.
What Mary desired TO talk about was
Kansas politics. She is standing god
mother for the Lewelling boom, and,
thoroughly convinced that the boom is
q good thing, she does not overlook an
opportunity TO push it along. Let her
lean back in her chair and talk: Il
have just come in from a lectour in
Kansas. I've been TO about twenty
towns and cities, and have been beau
tifully received. / have not been talk
ing politics, and yet have been talk
Ing politics My lectures have been on
literary topics, and have been mostly
delivered before lyceum and church au-
diences. 1 have been taking things
easy, however, resting every other day,
and almost every place 1 have been
rendered a reception by the Populists,
and have heard a great deal of politics.
[ have way Of finding out what is go
ing on politically, anyway. 1 hear all
sides and draw them all out" Right
here it seemed that Mary winked. 1t
might have been that she simply closed
and reopened one eye, but it certainly
seemed that she winked.
'sThe rank and file Of the Populist
party all over the state Of Kansas" she
went on, Strengthening up in her chair,
ARE for Lewelling for governor. The
schemers and the office-seekers-or, /
will say, the politicians-are for Harris.
[ do not believe that Harris is candi-
date. You know the charges that have
been made against him, and what a
fire would be opened on him were he
nominated. Now, Harris is too court
eous and fine feeling a gentlemen to
enter into any campaign of this kind
He thinks too much of his wife and his
lovely family. 1 know it is all scheme
Harris is not going TO make the race.
He is going to step aside at the eleventh
hour and this man Breidenthal is to
step to the front and take up the robe
that falls from Harris shoulders. That's
the plan; I know il"
Breidenthal is a long name and Mrs.
Lease does not speak it quickly; she
lets it glide out slowly, soaking ii with
contempt as it comes. She doesn't like
the chairman of the Populist state CEN
trail committee, and she wants the whole
world 10 know il. "Of course ne is not
a. candidate" she said; mot even can
didate for senator, he says, and any
churnp could be a candidate for senator,
though anyone's house dog would make
as good a senator as Breidenthal. No,
he Is not a candidate, but he expects,
unwilling, with the greatest reluctance
ID step forward at the last moment ana
accept the nomination for the benefit
of the dear people. Harris is simply
being used as a blind. Breidenthal
wishes TO use Harris name TO get the
Democrats in line. People think be-
cause Lewelling tried to put me out Of
Office that l am against him, and they
come to me and tell me what the plot
ters about the Breidenthal den are do
ing. O. the amount of poison these
men are sending out over the state try
ing to Kill Lewelling is awful, yet they
saw he is dead II he is dead what are
they waging such warfare against a
corpse for? Why are they directing all
their fight against him. Lewelling is
not dead. I knew he was strong, but
l had no idea how strong he is among
the masses of the people until recently.
He is the logical candidate of MS party
They say Harris is the strongest man.
How can they prove II? LewelllnS
beat him 400 votes in his own county
and ran 5000 ahead Of his ticket. The
ReputIicans will renominate Morrill,, 1
think. and this is another reason why
I,swelling is the logical candidate
Breidenthal is making the hardest
fight against Lewelling that was ever
MADE against anyone. The men who
wanted Lewelling 10 remove Warden
Case OF the penitentiary, and who make
him because he would not. are travel
ing all over the state upon passes Turn
ished by Breidenthal, doing everything
in their power against LeWelAng. /
could efvA these mems names, but il IS
best not. Breidenthal is no more Mt 10
he chairman of a state committee than
a lO-year-old boy-no not that. I've too
much respec; for a 10-year-old boy 10
say that That mans egotisn is so
great thai * makes him foolish. He
thinks he is wire-puller, but he over
reaches himself-and this man is after
the nomination"
Asked what she would do in case
RreidenthaI was nominated. she said:
AZ would be against him, Of course-a
man who, IS chairman OF the state
committee, would be a Republican tool,
an agent of the enemy. l would be for
anybody against Benedict Arnold Ike
that"
Mrs. Lease announces that she is go
Z ing TO De on thestump all the time dur
ing the comingcampaig but as yet she
) does not know just where she Is at
only she knows that she IS against Brel-
denthal-there her views are hxed-
z-,...ruz..u-.zzz,.