Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-08-22
BELIEVE SILVER REPUBLICANS ARE,
PLAYING A SHREWD GAME.
FUSION DEALS KNOCKED OUT.
SCHEME TO FORCE RECOGNITION ON
STATE TICKET IN 1s9S.
Chairman Riddle Has n Knotty Prob
lem to SOlve-Pop Party Has
Gone Ont of Official Exist
ence in FOrty-six
Counties.

Topeka, Kas., Aug. 2l.-{Special) The
Populist state officials have reached the
conclusion that the leaders of the Repup-
lcan free silverites have concocted a
scheme to force recognition on the state
ticket next year. The way it is to be
done is to show their strength in Popuiist
strongholds at the county elections this
fall and, if possible cause the defeat OF the
Populst county tickets. Then the Popu-
lists next fall with more at stake, Will see
the necessity of obtaining the free silver
Republican votes and will offer the silver
ties a place on the ticket. That there Is
some foundation for the present fears OF
the state officials is evidenced by the re-
ports from various sections of the state.
In no county where there is a silver Re-
publican leader has fusion been effected
with the Populists. In some counties, this
is the first time since 1890 that fusion deals
have not been made. When Dickinson
county siverites Democrats and Popufsts,
refused to fuse those officials VINO don
like E. c. Little claimed that 1t showed
how little influence he had in his own
county. They argued that Little ana
Leedy were deeply interested in fusion and
that Little would have given his rlght
arm to get the 'allied forces" together IN
Dickinson, in order to show his strength
But he could not do it, and it was charged
that he had lost his influence. Recent de-
velopments show that these officials were
off ON their calculations; that Little is very
well satisfied over the result there.
Thursday, Jewell county, the home of r.
W. Turner, held its "allied'' conventions.
The free silverites likewise rejected fu-
sion offer with the Pops, and went out
and fused with the Democrats and placed
a complete ticket in the field. Turner was
there and when he returned to Topeka to-
day he wore smile of satisfaction.
Information comes from Smith county,
Webb McNall's bailiwick, that there is GER
tain to be no fusion in that county. The
conventions have not yet been held, but
those who know the situation say that the
Pops will have to go it alone in Smith.
E. D. Webb, of Larned, is another in
iuential short grass free silver Republican
VINO would not permit a union Of the allied
forces in his county-Pawnee. There are
three straight tickets in the field there.
w. S. Jay. of Lyon county, silver
heavyweight, has notified the Populists
that he will not play in their back yard,
and has contemptuously spurned the NOM
ination for representative on the Popo-
cratic ticket.
In Brown county. W. w. Price, the big
gun of the Northwest, has so fixed things
as completely to dsorganze the popnst
deal by which ticket known as the
Silver ticket is to be placed on the Of
ficial ballot instead of the Populist. This
will leave the Pops without an orgariza-
ton, and next year will make it impos-
sible for them to get Populist county
ticket nominated by convention on the
official ballot. The new law will shut them
out entirely.
Judge Ray until quite recently chair
man of the free. silver Republican state
committee. is doing what he can to knock
fusion In the Nineteenth judicial district
composed of Sumner and Cowley. He has
filed a protest against Mcbride, the fusion
nominee for judge, and the lawyers around
the state house claim that if the facts are
as stated in the protest he will succeed in
keeping McBride's name off the official
ballot. In order to make McBride's de-
feat certain he proposes to run an in
dependent candidate for judge.
These make up the leaders of the silver
Republican party in Kansas. and the
unanimity in their method of action in
their own counties looks very suspicious to
the POpuliSts.