People's voice., 1897-08-05
Turning Down of the "BOss.


If ever politician was disastrouSly
defeated, completely whipped, sat
down upOn and trampIed IN rough
shod by political convention, that
man was A. A. Richards, the self
constituted boss Of the Republican
party of Sumner county. The Repub-
liCan county convention yesterday
Siezed upon the opportunity Of show
ing its contempt for Richards by
relegating to oblivion he and his en-
tire slate of candidates. Not satisfied
with defeating the Richards slate,
the convention reelected strictly
anti-RichardS county central commit
tee and put DR.. F. &. Emerson back
In his old place as chairman aud
elected Harry L. Woods as secretary
and reelected W. R. Spicknall as
treasurer. The Second commissioner
district convention then went utO
session aud nominated d. A. Espy for
reelection over Ed Hayes, Richards
candidate for county commissioner.
1t was apparent yesterday morning
when the convention met to engage
ln the preliminary work that there
would be landslide in favor IF the
candidates who had not submitted to
the dlctatiOnS Of the Republican buSs.
1t has come to pass in Sumner coun-
t. that candidate who allows him.
self to be champOned by Andy Rich.
ards seriously jeOpardizeS his stand.
Ing In the Republican party. The
light between Richards and the Re-
publican party of this county has been
Waglng So long and is becoming So
Ditter as to endanger all future sue
cess OF tie party in Sumner county.
y
Richards, with railroad pass, a 25-
cent weekly newspaper, a ty pewriter
and superabunda1ce OF gall, has sue.
ceeded In raising himself into The
good graces of the state politicians
until his head has become swelled Lo
point where it is absolutely mpossi.
ole for him to show any political sense.
lie has set himself up as the boss and
dictator OF Sumner county Republican
politics and endeavOred to run things
his own way until there is a general
rebellion in the party against him
and everything he does. The Rich.
ards crowd is composed OF no one ex.
cept A. A. Richards, Jim Lawrence
Charlie Bright, the circulator for the
Star, and Justice of the Peace Jim
Ready-the latter a recent recruit.
Ii there is another politician in the
county who is strictly Richards
man. the public has been kept in
0llsSful ignorance Of the fact. The
rebellion yesterday against the Rich.
ards faction widened and Increased
IN strength as it grew.
The Richards ring had picked out
ID. Reeme of Caldwell, for county
clerk; GrinStead of this city, for sher.
iffi BOtkin of Wellington township,
for register of deeds, and Ed Hayes of
ShlS city, for county commissioner.
They are all good men and ordinarily
in Republican convention would
have made good race. But they
were all defeated so badly yesterday
as to leave 40 doubt of the motive of
the convention. In fact it was
openly talked on the street that
everything possible would be done to
defeat any candidate whose nomina.
tlon was champiOned by the boss and
his little cOterie of wire-pullers. ].
Z. Grinstead and F. L. Botkin saw
the turn affairs were taking and
openly declared before the convention
that they had pulled loose from the
Richards support, 1t was no use,
however, for the convention was too
firm in its fight on Richards to give
any quarters to him or show leniency
to any candidate who had bowed TO
his influence. 1t was an open fight in
the convention. In no instance ex-
cept sheriff was there more than two