The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-03-03
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9ai1u Ea9le
NJ. Nj. MURDOCH. Editor.
LET WICHITA ANSWER THIS.

A large majority Of the Republicans
of Wichita desire the nomination and
election of Finlay Ross as mayor this
spring, and large majority of the vot-
ers of the city are Republicans. The
truth of this statement being undenia-
BILE, and this being a country of majOri-
ty rule. it would seem that the people
must inevitably have their Will and way
IN this matter, and that the man in
whose ability and integrity the Repub-
fans of the city have such unbounded
confidence must be nominated and
elected If he is not nominated by the
Republican convention and elected
somebody will be responsible for beat
Inc and defeating the people, them
selves, in matter in which they had
set their hearts upon The question
which naturally arises is. will major
Ity of the people permit their wishes to
be thwarted2 If they are thus check
mated by intrigue and selfish under
hand work. will they tamely submit
and accept some other man for their
COminee, some man whom they did Lot
ask for or want; or will they assert
tbeir mandhood, and by so doing re
buke the spirit which resulted in a
boiling convention last summer and ia
defeat in November:
These are very plain facts and simple
questions, and as such should address
themselves TO every fair-minded man;
and having been weighed and found
truthful, should be followed up by indi-
yidual resolve for action.
The Republican party, or the men
who constitute the party in Wichita,
have no desire to dictate whom the
Democrats or Pops, or both combined.
shall nominate and run for mayor. Re
publicans hope, of course, that the nom
inee of the opposition shall not be the
tool of a clique, but as good a man as
they can find in their ranks, one free
from pledges either made 10 ring-inter-
eStS or other secret combines and ca
balls. The Republican party does not
seek to name the Demo-Pop choice
whether he runs as a Citizens or as 4
Peoples candidate. nor will they at
tempt to defeat at the primaries such
choice, even though Fusion picks ont
the most popular and capable man
among them. But the Republican par
ty, upon the other hand, does not or
snould not permit any interference
with their expressed will and desire
from any city-job combine or secret un-
derground plotting
Finlay Ross is clearly the choice of
not only the Republican party, but Of
the people of Wichita, for mayor. If
he is defeated of nomination it will
be the work Of a clique within clique
and it will be because they have no
strings on him. and because he will not
pledge himself in advance TO carry out
their schemes in Furnishing their partic-
ul2r enemies and in rewarding their
particular friends, and in standing by
their particular jobs in which some of
them are directly interested. For this
very reason. and just because no clique
or interest has any pull on Finlay Ross,
and just because he would 20 into the
office unpledged to anybody or any
thing, save the interests of the city as
a whole, was he selected from among
30 many other good men and asked by
well-nigh unanimous petition of the
business streets to permit the Use of his
oame in such connection.
There are. therefore, just two plain
propositions in this connection confront
ing the Republicans of Wichita, con-
fronting, in fact, all of the men who
signed the petition asking Mr.. Ross to
run for mayor, and the first one is: De
you propose TO be run over at the pri-
mary polls? and if run over there. do
yoC propose to cowardly knock under
andi submit 10 the dictation and the
nominee of a gang of whose machina-
lions and secret interests you know
nothing?
Let every man answer, 10 himself,
for himself, and then let him like a
man stand by his own answer.