The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-04-04
THE DUPERs AND THE PEOPLE.

Next Tuesday Wichita's whole votin
strength Will be demonstrated. Tn
election of EiHlay Ross will be goo
business. His defeat would be a trt
umph for buncombe politics
One cry has been raised against Fin
lay Ross, and only one, to-wit, that h
will be controlled by a political faction
In his party If he is elected That or.
has been raised by the clacquing fol
lowers of the Gone gang. They do no
charge that he is poor business man
for they could not sustain that false
hood; they do not say that he is corrupt
for the courts would hold it libel; theJ
do not say he is Incompetent. becaust
his life here among the people of thi:
city refures the'very thought of such {
thing So they raice the cry that he i:
controlled by one of the two political di
visions III the Republican party in this
city. Nothing is to be gained by tiniC
conceafment, even in a political cam
paign Since the day when Bill Griffen-
stein stuck a stake on the town site tC
the present year, there have been divis
ions in the Republican party in this
county, just as there are in every big
live town in the country, just as there
are not factions in every dead, boss
ridden village that has dropped away
tnro deafness and decay
out for Finlay Ross for mayor He
was the candidate of NO faction Neither
faction loved him in any feverish de-
gree Of Intensity; neither did either fac
ton know anything against him Two
years before. his name without his
knowledge was taken up by all the Re
publicans suddenly, without warning,
without consultation He was unani-
mously nominated for city treasurer and
almost unanimously elected, all parties
supporting him
But no man in Wichita has ever had
an uncbStructed walk to office or to a
nomination So for the mayoralty nom
ination there was contest against Fin
lay Ross The contest was very close
couple of votes carrying the CITY for
him. With that fractional intensity which
is characteristic of all men of all parties
AID races, there was some bitterness
and ill-feeling. But in the convention
that was dropped The men back Of
Ross in the convention were Ross men
and only Ross men They looked for
compromise, found one and accepIrd
IL
The Gone and Aridon crowd, how
ever, began work early and have tried
by every means conceivable 10 keep I'D
the fractional division IN the Republi-
can party There was only one way to
Go this; that was to charge that Ross
belonged to one faction. By dining
this perpetually into the ears of the 9th
er faction they hoped to turn the whole
faction, which was unsuccessful by only
two votes az the primaries, into the
Populist party So they claim, these
honest Cones, these upright Amidons.
these God-fearing HAIRY Stewards, that
Ross is the creature of Clique and
their single, their sole, their only idea
is the political one Of tanning the
flames OF the fractional strife in the Cd
position.
This is the explanation Of the holy
fight the Cone cabal is making. 1t has
not been successful II is true that four or
five headed factionistS IN the Repub-
lcan party, who have had public pie
rammed down their throats for years by
the voters Of this county. who have
not eaten crumb Of bread for years
that was not paid for with money col
lected from the public, il is true that
these men are lighting the Republican
ticket, but the majority of the people
of this city regardless OF what fac
tional cause they may espouse. regard |
less of their partisan differences inside |
and outside Of parties, the majority Of
the people of this city, regardless of |
whether they have hunted for office |
and found it or sought il and been turn |
ed away. know that the declaration that |
Finlay Ross rs mayor will be controll- /
ed by any faction, viii favor or fear |
any one man or set of men. that he /
has promised a single man a single /
place, that he is bound down to any /
clique 10y promise, pledge or secret ur-
Outstanding, majority Of the people I
Of this city know that that declaration |
Is a lie.
The statement is given with conScicu- /
tious assurance because It is given with |
authorty. Ross belongs 70 no gang. He !
has made no promises. He will act
justly and impartially. He is of the I
broad, sensible nature which does not /
permit his mind today 10 hold an emu /
meration Of The men who were against /
him as recently a. two weeks ago He /
has no enemies. He carries no spites 81 |
grievances into the office; he nurses no I
poisonous spirit of revenge. He doesn't 1
spend his time worrying over who CON
trolls the First, the Second, the Third. /
the Fourth, or any other ward No busy
business man does. He does not lie /
awake at nights trying TO figure out !
who wants TO he sheriff next fall and I
who is with the aSpirant and who |
against him.
lie is first Republican, knowing 10 |
factions or favogi,es. and second. a buss- |
ness man. too busy with his business /
duties 10 be mastering al 1Ae subtle |