Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-08-22
A KNoTTY PROBLEM.
Chairman Riddle Wondering Where
the Pops care At" in Forty
COunffes.

Topeka, Kas., Aug. N-(Special) Taylor
Riddle, chairman of the Populist state COM
mittee, Is now wrestling with a knotty
proposition submitted to him. for solution
by various county committees. According
to the returns in the secretary of states
office forty-six counties in Kansas did not
cast a solitary vote for the Peoples party's
national and state candidates last fall. 1t
will be remembered that the Democrats
and Populists fused. The Democrats took
the presidential electors and the Populists
the state ticket. Although each ticket had
the same names of nominees on 1t, yet the
official ballot contained a Democratic and
Populist ticket. In making the returns
of the election to the secretary of state
the county clerks of those forty-six coun-
ties certified the fusion vote as the DEM
ocratic vote. No vote was certified in those
counties as being cast for the Populist
state or national tickets. On account of this
system of certifying, the Democrats appear
to have cast a total vote in the state Of
10000 and the Populists only 5000. In a
large number of these counties the re-
turns on the county ticket We're made in
the same way. This shows that the Pops
cast no vote whatever. The new state cleo
tion law provides that no party can have
ticket nominated by convention placed
on the official ballot unless it is shown that
it cast at least PEI cent of the total vote
of the county at the previous election. The
records do not show this in a number of
instances So in case the Populists of those
counties proceed to nominate by conven-
ton this fall, protests will be filed and il
the law is good they will be prevented
from placing their tickets on the official
ballot. The only way they can legally get
their tickets on the ballots is by petition
required to do. This will require an end
less amount of work and will prove very
annoying.
The manner in which the returns of the
last state election were certified will also
cause the Populists. trouble at the state
| election next year, In the first place. the
the official ballot.
The new law passed sinced the returns
were made provides that the party receiv-
preceding election shall be entitled to the
first column on the official ballot; the party
receiving the next highest, the second and
| SO on. The Republicans cast the isrSaSf
number of votes in Kansas last fall and
| will get the first, column. Democrats viii viii
| many as the Populists did, according to
| the returns. The Pops will come third ~
| In the torty-six counties certifying the
! fusion vote as Democratic, the PopIIIists
| under the law. will not be entitled to anv
| representation on the election boards al
the election. The boards will be composed
| of Republicans and Democrats.
| 1t is in order to evade the law on these
| points that the various committees have
written to Chairman Riddle. They want II
| arranged, if possible, SO that thev can
nominate a ticket by convention this fall
and next fall get representation on the
legal counsel are trying to find some soius
ton for the difficulty, but SO far have
| failed.
| The counties whose fusion vote was cer-
| titled up to the secretary of state as Dem
ocrauc, and whose. returns show no Pom
G Hnfn "a nj
bon, Butler, Chase, Cherokee. Cloud Cow
ley. Doniphan, Ford, Franklin, Graham.
Hamilton, Haskell. Hodgeman, Jackson
Logan. Lyon, Marion Marshall. McPher.
son, Mitchell, Morris Mo ton N osho. Nor
ton; Otta wa. Pawnce. Pratt. Rice, Riley.
Sa Inc. Sedgwick. Seward, Stanton. Ste.
/ yens,, Trego, Wallace, Washington, Wilson.
Woodson and Wyandotte. -'Soi''