The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-10-27
IS HARD TO FIGURE UP.
Party Organizations so Disin.
tegrated in Shawnee
In the Sheriff Contest That TT
Is Not Easy
TO Make a Reliable Forecast of the
V0tes-some Country Populists
Will Vote for Cook.

II Is less than a week until the county
election- There is probably not can
oldate on either ticket who will sleep
well until after the ordeal is over.
While there is little said about the
tickets in general and the candidates for
| sherln are claiming all the attention.
! there Is no doubt that a large contingent
OF business men and taxpayers have a
knife up their sleeves for T. p. Rodgers.
the regular Republican nominee for
! county commissioner.
| The people do not like the attitude of
/ that officer on several questions. They
know that he helped vote away 1920 of
county money when disposing of the court
mouse bonds and they know that he has
pursued a liberal policy toward the
| bridge contractors instead of a conserva-
! tive one In short, he does not show the
right kind of spirit in handling county af-
lalrs which pleases the men who pay the
taxes. VIM. Dransfield, his competitor
IS a merchant of fine standing and will
receive large vote among the business
men, He has a good reputation for hon
esty and will make it interesting for Mr..
Rodgers.
But every other candidate has been
submerged in the sheriff tight. Little is
now heard but "Kepley'' or Cook" The
light is growing more bitter day bv dav
and until next Tuesday there will be lit
tie rest for the workers
sheriff Kepley is still keeping I'D the /
semblance of a still hunt" While meet !
lngs are held in all parts of the city every
night little is said about them outside |
the small cOterie of citizens whose votes
are expected to be influenced In some
cases special invitations are issued and
outsiders are carefully turned back byd
the doorkeepers. In this manner Sheriff
Aepley has made some gains during the
past two weeks, but there have also been
losses and some of them are due to the
same causes.
significant fact in connection with |
this contest is that the KepIey men are
not doing much betting CAPTAIN r. NJ
curtis who supported Kepley before. and
VINO Wagered some money in his favor is
a violent Cook partisan and he is taking
all the kepley money he can find. Last
year Curtis, who was a strong Morrill,
man, bet some money on the success OF
-eedy and Bryan in Kansas.
Captain Curtis was standing at the cor
ler of Fifth street and Kansas avenue
yesterday when a man approached and
1ourished a roll of bills Il have $40 !
more Kepley money here" said he.
I viii take it as soon as 1 can get into | 5
he bank" said Curtis. =
Just then J. c. Klingaman came up I
L Will take SIU OF InaC money. If 5
re willing" said he to the stranger Z
The man handed the money over. He &
hen told Curtis that he could be found at
certain blacksmith shop and Curtis went Z
o the bank and got the money, but when J
e went to the shop the man was not to
e found. The stranger with the money
said to be agent of Helms Brewing 4
ompany of Kansas City.
Curtis has probably put UP in the neigh
OrlOOd of S25O hos
Il been even money, but in one case he
ct $50 to $40. Most of the KepIey men
SIX for odds, and when they cannot get C
nat refuse to bet. o
While the betting is usually a pretty o
ood barometer of the situation it is not
ways accurate. Men who bet much V
loney and who are not personally inter- T;
sted in the contest usually make a care C,
Il canvass of the situation before they CT
1T up their money. u
The country vote is one of the uncertain e.
ements- Kepley's friends claim that CO
: will carry the country by at least 200
'tes, while the Cook managers expect to
me into the city with 600 votes to spare
hepley expects to carry the First Sec -
id and Fifth wards ana he claims to h,
I'VE a fighting chance in the Third 1t de
conceded that the Fourth ward will liz
we Cook majority. The Kepley work. or
$ are counting on the large colored vote ~ ~
the Third to help them out. The KEEP =
contingent claim that they will carry
e Second ward by 600 majority and they tt
We made some bets on that basis. But co
E Republicans say that KepIey will not a
rry the ward by more than 200. giving ~
en- everything that is doubtful, and I'M r
s he does carry the ward by much more
an that there is no chance of his cleo
n. Kepley carried the ward two years To-
0 by $50. aG
here is no doubt about Populist de- or
tion in the country. A Dover town fec
p POpulist leader who was in Topeka ! no
5 week said that at least two-thirds I pI
the POpulists in that township would az
vote for Kepley. At the same time
NJ. Lyle, stalwart Republican
rker in that township, is doing all he OF
/ for Kepley- to
'over township is Mr.. Cooks old home. by
there is doubt he will draw many an
es from the POpulist camp in other c
ntry localities. No
here has been a great deal of discus gu
4 about the position of Porter Cook 29t
Republican candidate for sheriff. on
liquor question So much has been
/ both ways that last night Mr.. Cook
de formal statement at a meeting
Pence's school house. 1t is as fol-
have lived in Shawnee county for
years. and no man can
-hfully say that I ever bought a key a
tie or glass of beer for political pur-
es, or for any other purpose.
a candidate for sheriff as the
linee of the Republican party. Il do
believe that prohibition ought to be an
e in this campaign, but the enforce M
1t of law is always a legitimate issue. bu
ry good American citizen ought to st
old the law, whether he believes in CT
r not. "
f elected sheriff shall take an oath M