The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-03-16
CURTIS FUTURE.
Vicious Blow Struck at Him by
POpulist Legislature
By Placing Shawnee County in
First Congressional District.
CAN CURTIS RETAIN
His Seat in COngaess Against
Case BrOderick?
Shawnee Now in Cy Leland's
District and Must Fight.

| the present time in Republican circles,
| is whether Cy Leland will be able to
control the new First congressional dis
trict, as he has done heretofore, since
| Shawnee county has been added to it
On the solution of this question depends
whether or not Charlie Curtis can con-
tinue his congressional career.
Curtis friends and the anti-Leland
| men throughout the district claim that
| there is little doubt of Curtis being the
next congressman from the First dis
/ trict.
The primary object the Populists had
| in view of taking Shawnee county out
| of the Fourth district and placing it in
| the First, was not blow aimed at Cur
| tbs so much, as ii enabled them to put
Potawatomie county in the Fifth dis
| tTict, thereby strengthening Vincent 5
| chances of reelection, and to leave Jno.
Madden comparatively clear field in
| the Fourth.
But this is not the only result the
| change will have. 1t will place Cy Le-
| land in a position where he will have
| to make the fight of his life to even have
a chance to be a factor in ting
| the next congressman from the First
district. AS prominent Republican eX-
pressed it not long ago, ''it is another
| nail in Cy's political coffin
In order to be with the winning side
Leland will probably have to get into
| the Shawnee county band wagon" and
work for Curtis nomination in the new
f1TSI AL least CndC Is what the
leading Republicans all over the district
as it now stands, say.
Leland has claimed that he has a di-
vine right to run the politics of the
northeastern part of the state, for such
| long time that the memory of
man runneth not TO the contrary. By
| the exercise of this right, Mr.. Leland
has from time to time made enemies
No man can be a political boss and have
charge of county, district or state and
not from time to time make enemies, no
matter how shrewd he is or how affable
and agreeable his manner of doing
work. Leland is not affable. He pos
| sesses none of these charming manners
that enable him to control and at the
same time have the good feeling of
those under him or those whom he finds
necessary to defeat occasionally for pO
litical ends. His rule is the rule of
czar His strength lies in his ability to
bluff his opponents and carry conVen-
tions by force, when maneouvers and
strategy fail
He is hateful in his manners and is
hated while he is feared. In his rule
of the First district Leland has come
to- detest Case Broderick, the present
congressman, with the most cordial hat
red. This is because Broderick will not
be used" Leland used every effort to
defeat him at the last convention, and
was nearly successful in accomplishing
his purpose.
The man that Mr. Leland wants to see
go to congress from the First district is
WI. Bailey of Baileyville, ,Nemaha coun-
ty He supported him at the last con-
vention in the First district. 1t is not
likely that Leland can throw the same
strength to Bailey next time that he did
last time, for reasons that have come
up since the last convention, and it is
on this account and for the further rea-
son of Leland's cordial hatred for BrOd-
erck that the Republican politicians
claim that rather than put up candi-
date and have him defeated or run the
chance of having BrOderick go back to
congress at the expiration of his present
term, Cy Leland will come over to the
supporters of Curtis and let him have
the nomination.
Broderick and Curtis are friendly.
Broderick came very nearly being beat
en- for the nomination last time, and
probably would have been had not Cur
tbs lent him aid in arranging matters
before the convention. BrOderick would
rather step down and out of the race
and help Curtis than to see Leland gain
the upper hand in the district again.
OF course a nOminatiO in the district
means an election. The district went
Republican by nearly 5000 last time, and
by the change Shawnee county is add
ed The fight over who will be the next
congressman will occur in the Repubi-
can convention.
The new district is composed of Ne
maha Brown. Doniphan, Jackson, JEFF
ferson Atchison, Leavenworth and
Shawnee counties. The entire RepubI
can vote of the district at the last cleo
tion was for Mckinley 26.784, for Nor
riII q. 800. 1t is not known what the
basis of representation to the nominat-
ing convention will be. but if it should
be a delegate for each 200 votes cast for
Mckinley the convention would be
COMPOSED of 140 delegates, and the sew
eral counties would be entitled to the
following delegates:
Nemaha 10; Brown, Is; DOniphan, 13;
Jackson. IL: jefferson, u; AtchiSOn, II;
Leavenworth, 20, and Shawnee, 80.
OF course this may not be the basis
on which the convention will be called
bv the committee, but any Onler as
signment of delegates based on the vote
of last fall will bring about nearly the
same results
With 14O delegates in the convention
it will take II to nominate
Nemaha county can be counted as
giving her votes to Bailey. 1t is Bail
ev's own county. Nemaha will support
Leland. provided Leland will support
Bailey At the county convention to Sc
lect delegates to the Wichita convention
last spring the delegates voted to turn
Leland down when it came to the ques-
tion of instructing them to support Le-
land for national committeeman. Bailey
was at the convention and made
speech that turned the convention, and
it instructed for Leland If Leland will
come out and support Bailey, he can
count on controlling the 13 votes of Ne
maha county in the convention.
Brown county is doubtful Leland
had always been able to control il.
There has been strong and respecta-
BILE opposition though and when Leland
forced the nomination of Fulton on
Brown county for state senator and
turned down John Schilling one of the
leaders of the county it is said that
Leland committed the last act of a ser
les of political crimes against Brown
county which will take it out from un-