The Topeka state journal., 1897-11-08
BITTERNESS AT TROY
Said to Be Due to CY Leila n d
Schemes.
The@"Great Leader''Takes Time
From National Affairs
To Dabble in Petty Township Politics
in Doniphan County.

II. c. Solomon of Atchison. attorney for
the Populist central committee of Doniphan
county, is now at work. it is said, on a
suit which he will file in the supreme
court charging Harry Briggs. trustee of
Center township. with contempt of an
order of the supreme court in refusing
to place the names OF Populists on cleo
tion boards for last weeks election.
1t will be alleged that when the court
made the order Cy Leland telegraphed
Briggs of the decision and Briggs went to
Missouri and remained until election day,
preventing the officers from serving the
papers on him. The suit is also likely
to be extended to Leland, who is to be
charged with connivance to obstruct the
process Of the court
On the morning of election day Troy,
being the only voting precinct in Center
township, the representatives of the vari-
Gus parties assembled at the polling place
for the purpose of making up the cleo
tion board The Populists were there
demanding that their representatives be
given recognition in accordance with the
order of the supreme court.
Cy Leland was also there as were a
crowd of negroes, so the story goes, who
were AuIIaIlL5 IOL the 1A0puD1lCeil9-
Frank Elliott exhibited a copy of the or
der of the court and again demanded the
election of u Popuist judge and clerk.
Leland paid no attention to Elliott, but
nominated VIII Stuart. who was a mem
Der of the last legislature, for the posi-
tion of clerk.
Elliott says: 4 called attention to the
order of the supreme court again, but one
of the negroes yelled, - - the su-
how Leland and his crowd then pro-
ceded to organize the board in violation
of the order of the court and ignored the |
Populists entirely
The fight in Doniphan county was over |
the election of a cOunty commissioner,
and the Populists claim that Joe Symmes, /
their candidate, was counted out in the |
interests of Perry, Cy Leland's nephew, |
who was by the Republican election board |
declared elected.
The fight against Symmes is perhaps |
the most peculiar in the history of Kan |
sas politics. a few years ago he bought |
a farm some distance from Troy. 1t was |
raw land and cost him $1,000. Cy Le- |
land, who was bossing the board of coun- |
ty commissioners, it is charged, SO ar /
ranged matters that Symmes' farm was |
assessed a s., go. the price which he paid /
for it. Symmes appeared before the
board and complained, showing that
farms worth from 5000 to $4,000 between
his place and Troy were assessed at half
Their valuation, while his was assessed at
fun valuation. After Symmes complain
ed the assessed valuation of his farm
was raised. He complained again, and
the valuation was again increased In
the years which followed Symmes' farm
was increased in value until he was cons
PEELED to pay three or four times the
amount of taxes which others paid. The
more Symmes complained the higher was
fixed the valuation of his property.
With this condition confronting them
the Populists went into the last cam
paign to wrest from Leland and his fol-
lowers the control of the board of county
1t is alleged that Le-
land told a Topeka newspaper man that
the issue in Doniphan county was
Whether or not Joe Symmes should pay
as much taxes as other people"
The Populists claim that their candi- {
date was defeated by but twenty votes, |
and that these votes existed only in the |
minds of the Republican election board /
which counted the Republican candidate
into office.
on the day of the election Frank FL +
lott telegraphed to the Populist state
headquarters: I'VE have elected our
,ounty commissioner, but Leland and his r
gang are stealing the election to put their
.andidate into the office" i
subsequent developments. says Mr.. Ell
lott, indicate the Leland accomplished c
lis purpose" +
A contest will be made in addition to e
he contempt proceedings.