The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1896-05-22
.IfE OF LELMyB 8uGS.
Was 0ratiasd in the SIKH District to the
Ruination Of Harmony.
The Action OF the Hill City Convention
aud the Broken Pledges Creates
Discard Among Republicans.

10 ASso4 uAto4SSS = IaSb IildL through hcOs
of political treachery, the district is al
ready regarded as lost beyond all hope
Of recovery by the republican party.
The men responsible for this are Cy
Leland and Judge A. H. Ellis, of BelOit,
the nominee for congress. All news
sent out from Hill City, and all word
brought to this city till TO- day, went to
show that everything was quiet and
peaceful in the extreme, but to-day the
story came out regarding the true situa-
ton.
The whole trouble comes on account
of the failure Of the convention at Hill
City to send Webb McNall and Jim
Reeder to the st. Louis national con-
ysntion. Up to the very last moment,
it was held out to both McNall and
Jim Reader by Judge Ellis that they
should be chosen to the convention,
and as Ellis had it in his power to
fulfill his promises to this effect, both
gentlemen believed the promise would
be kept to the letter. Then when the
vote came for delegates, Ellis threw
the vote Of Mitchell county, his own
county, as follows: Robinson, 4; Pur-
cell, 4; McNall, 4, and jim Reeder, 4.
instead of doing this, he was expected
to have given NcNall and Reeder each
eight votes, according to agreement.
Then, though Reeder would have still
been out Of the race altogether, McNall
would have been one vote shy, but it
had been arranged that Sherman
county, which was last on the list,
should throw its three votes to McNaIl
the moment ne had 40 votes, it taking
81 to nominate. Had Mitchell given
eight votes to McNall as had been
agreed, Sherman county would have
nominated him.
All the time after his arrival on the
ground at Hill City, jim Reeder insist
ed that if there were no chance for his
nomination as delegate, he wanted to
know it in time to withdraw and let
any other candidate have the place.
Ellis told him there was not the slight
est doubt that he would be chosen and
for him to stay in the race. Reeder
stayed in and now his friends say he
was the victim of treachery second
only to that directed against Webb
McNall.
Cy Leland's hand was in this. For
his position, there are three reasons.
In the first place, all the trouble dates
back to the time when Webb McNall
is said to have participated in the Kan
sas City conference which agreed upon
Judge J. B. johnson of this city to OPP
pose Cy Leland for national commit
teeman and state chairman. Then at
the late Oakley appellate court con-
VentiOn, Webb McNall opposed Joe
Gill, candidate for the nomination for
judge in the western division
northern department. Gill is a mem
Der Of the state central committee and
Cy Leland was "for" him. McNall was
against Gill, and Gill was defeated.
The third reason is that M. A. Low,
general solicitor for the Rock Island at
this city, greatly desired Webb McNalI
to go to the St. Louis national con-
vention. Low, at the Wichita conven-
ton in March, led the forces against
Cy Leland in the fight for the last
named delegate at large to st. Louis.
Cy headed the movement for Marsh
Murdoch and Low tried to break the
slate with State Senator John c. Car
penter of Chanute. Low was almost
in accomplishing his end,
but finally failed.
So it happened that in this three
fold way Leland got back at Webb Nc
Nall and defeated him at the Hill City
AS to Judge Ellis. Ellis
is but putty in the hands of Cy Leland
and there is no doubt that the move
ment TO defeat McNaH, the culmina-
ton of which occurred at Hill City,
started at the BelOit encampment of
the G.. A. R. 1t is no doubt true that
Cy told Ellis to keep McNall and Reed
er on the string, the former especially,
and drop them at the proper time.
this supposition to be true,
and seeing that whether it is or not it
worked all right, the question arises,
what is Ellis to receive from it? Il the
talk of dissatisfied republicans, stauneh
friends of Ellis before this convention,
but not now; if the fighting abilities
and staying qualities of Webb McNall
count for anything, there can be but
one thing in store for Ellis and that is
defeat.
a Sixth district politician said to a
State Journal reporter to-day that if
the populists or democrats nominated
a good man he would defeat a. d. Ellis
as sure as election day came. This
man suggested the name Of ex-Stats
Senator a. B. Montgomery Of Goodland,