The Topeka state journal., 1897-11-03
First Test Vote on the Subject
in 10 Years.
KEPLEY GETS TOPEKA.
He Carries the City by a Ma
jOrity of 122.
Other Republican Candidates
Get Good MajOrities
Showing That Shawnee is Still
Reliably Republican.

The State Journal for months
has stated that the contest between
Cook and Kepley for sheriff would be
close, despite the wild claims of parti-
sans.
The official returns from every pre-
cinct in the county show that Cook,
the Republican nominee, is elected by
110 majority. Sheriff Kepley will con-
test the election on the grounds that
ballots were thrown out as defective
which should have been counted.
Kepley carried the city OF Topeka by
122 majority. He carried Rossville
township by 106 majority, but lost Sill
yer Lake which he had claimed by 40
He carried Tecumseh township, but
lost every other township south of the
river including Topeka township.
The most surprising thing about the
vote is that it shows a heavy falling off
in the Kepley vote as compared with
tnat cast for him two years ago and at
the same time shows a large gain in
the country Two years ago he lost
Rossville township by over so votes.
Two years ago kepley went out of
the city with a majority of nearly 800
and he faced a majority for his Oppon-
ent of nearly 500 which whitfield his
majority in the whole county down to
$50. This year he left the city with
but 120 votes in his favor and the coun-
try had less than $50 for his opponent
Chairman Capper of the Republican
committee offers no explanation of the
increased Kepley vote in the country
I am at a loss to understand it, said
he today. We had counted on carry
ing the country by a large majority
than two years ago and I thought we
were sure of our ground. KepIey must
have had his workers busy in the
country this year"
The election this fall was unlike that
of two years ago in many particulars
The fight was then made along person
al lines Kepley's popularity was pit
ted against the prejudice against Sher-
III Burdge and kepley won. This year
personal interests were FORGOTTEN and
the fight for sheriff was made purely
on resubmisSiOn and prohibition lines
1here was no question about where
either of the candidates stood on this
question. The vote in the city shows
that the people are pretty nearly even
ly divided on the liquor question The
prom b1t1OniStS worked hard to poll all
their votes for Cook and the resubmis-
sionists labOred just as hard to poll
their ful! strength for KepIey. The
big prohibition majority that Topeka
used to have years ago is gone
Frank Stevens, the candidate for
treasurer, led the Republican ticket
and Chairman Capper says that his
majority will be in the neighborhood of
A,5O0 There are two precincts from
which complete returns have not vet
been received. The returns will show
that Wright, the candidate on the Re
publican ticket for county clerk is
and 700.
This enormous falling off in Renub-
Hcan majorities is little less than start
ling One year ago Judge Hazen, the
republican nominee for district Judge.
was elected by a majority of 2.24O over
the fusion candidate. The lowest can
didate on the ticket was Mckinley and
he received a majority of 400
Last year there were u, ,564 votes cast
in the county, and this year there were
1864, almost 5000 less than were cast
last year. 1t may be that these sat
at nome voters are all Republicans but
it is not likely that they are. This
amazing slump in the Republican ma
JOrity almost places Shawnee in the
list of doubtful counties. Chairman
Capper of the Republican committee
says that the fight on sheriff is largely
responsible for the reduced maiorities
on the other candidates. but two years
ago when Kepley was elected by $50
majority, the Republican candidates
for the other county offices We're elect
ed by majorities ranging from $500 to
$500. The total vote then was but g.
700, so that those who look for causes.
will have to go deeper.
Frank Stevens. who is the 'thigh
man on the Republican ticket works
in the Santa Fe shops, and he led the
ticket every where. He is popular
wherever he is known, and the fact
that he is a wOrkingman and not a pol
itician in any sense of the word, un-
dOubtedly is responsible for the fact
that he leads the ticket with a majority
of 800.
A comparison of the vote this year
with that of two years ago is fairwhen
considering the change. The conditions
then were much the same as now on the
ticket in general and so far as the can
didates besides sheriff are concerned.
the campaigns were similar, and this
year the Republican vote in every pre-
ci4lct in the city was smaller and the
opposition vote larger than then
While the face of the returns show
the election of Porter S. Cook for sher-
iff by a majority of 10, Sheriff KepIey
is not disposed to cOncede the election
He will today give notice of contest
and when the county commissioners
meet next Friday to canvass the vote
Sheriff Kepley will demand recount
Sheriff Kepley said today that he
would base the contest upon the action
of the judges in throwing out ballots
as mutilated on which the voter had
placed a cross mark after his name on
all three of the tickets on which it ap-
peared. He was the nominee of the
Democrats. Populists and free silver
Republicans. and his name was printed
on each of the tickets. In nearly every