Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1897-02-04
KANSAS POPS WILL HAVE TROUBLE
WITH THEIR GERRYMANDER.
ASPIRANTS HARD TO PLEASE.
EACH WANTS HIS DISTRICT AR
RANGED FOR HIS BENEFIT.
Much Pulling and Hauling Between
Counties and between WOuId-be
CongresSmcn for Political
AdvantaEe-BotI&in to
Fight II.

Topeka, Kas.. Feb. 3.-(SpecialD Some
doubt is expressed in POpulist circles to-
night of the passage of congressional re-
apportionment bill at this session. The
members of both houses. in their efforts to
frame a satisfactory bill, are running up
against obstacles that will be difficult to
surmount. Each member is demanding
that his county be placed in this or that
district. or that the dividing lines be fixed
lust so. under threats to vote against the
bill when it comes up. for final passage.
Added to this is the hand being taken by
the various congressional aspirants from
different sections of the state, each of
whom wants his district arranged for his
| especial benefit.
There is a fight in every section. To be-
gin with the Leavenworth county Popu-
list members will vote against any bill
which throws them in the proposed First
district. for they would never stand any
show of electtng their man. They want to
he thrown with Wyandotte in the Second
district, and have Shawnee and Douglas
placed in the First. Their plan is to throw
Bourbon and Allen into the Third. This
would put the Fort Scott statesmen out of
their way, and then they think they would
have clear sailing TO land Atwood in con-
greSS.
Wyandotte county Populists do not care
particularly where they go. They realize
that with the present GiSSensonS they
will not again be able TO secure congress
sional nominee until after the party is
dead and gone. But the Bourbon county
outfit will bitterly oppose any scheme to
tack them on to the Third district or to
put Leavenworth county in the same dis
trict with them. There are too many, Pop
uists down there with lightning rods up.
Either Boyle. billiard or Sheppard would
accept Il nomination.
Crossen. of Miami, will insist on Bourbon
being thrown into the Third. He believes
it would better his chances. He would
rather be at the south end of the district
and fight Leavenworth and Wyandotte
than to he sandwiched in so as to be COM
PEELED TO fight Bourbon. too.
The new Eighth district. if one is formed.
will be composed of territory taken from
the Third. Fourth, Fifth and Seventh. and
Wichita will he its seat of government so
to speak; This opens the field for Il scrap
gressman-at-Large-ele Botkin. The lat
ter moved out of the Third recently, pre-
ferrins to take his chances for another
term against Lewelling. King and Forney
than to remain in the Third and buck Ridg
ley.
jerry Simpson will still remain in the
difficult to win again over w. f. Brown,
who hopes to ride into congress on his
railroad bill, which he is now nursing.
With all these various things entering
into the deal, some of the Populist mem
hers are inclined to believe that there will
be no redistricting bill passed.
night, lit will be late in the session. and
we will have to brush the congressional
asrirants. aside, ignore their claims and
fierce bill through. But there are so
many Populists in this legislature who
worship this or that particular candidate
that this will be hard to do"
The subcommittee of the senate Populist
caucus met tonight. but got tangled up
on the very first section of Il bill, and ad-
journed without doing anything;
Congressman-at-large-e Botkin came
I'm tonight and his mission here, so it is
said, Is to- encourage the defeat of re-
districting bill. He has become shaky al
ready over his outlook for nomination in
the proposed new district, and hopes, by
defeating such Il measure, TO be returned
from the state at large.