Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-03
KEPT LON STEPHENS BUSY.
THE GOVERNOR-ELECT SURROUND
ED BY PIE HUNTERS YESTERDAY.
Men Whose Wards Gave Big MaiorI-
ties Against ImpOrtuned Him for
Offices and FavOrs for
Themselves or Friends.

| Inc coates house SWaTTneu all Gay yes
terday with Democratic bosses, assistant
bosses and pie hunters and their friends,
| each one anxious to get the exclusive at
| tention of Goyernor-elect Lon Stephens.
The siege of the pie hunters was carried
on to the point where even Louis Robi-
doux, boss of the First ward, demurred.
He said, after waiting for three hours to
get chance to shake hands with the gov
| ernor:
Cit on to the game. Look at the fell
lows who are from wards that were lost
to Stephens. They take all of his time and
worry the man to death, while the only rep
resentative from the First ward, which was
the only one Stephens carried, can't even
get to shake hands with him. 1 think the
minority wards ought TO get off the earth
a short time and let me present my compli
ments. There's Tom Crittenden. Now. he
has had his arms around Stephens neck
| for four hours, and he can't tell what he
is doing all that loving for. Where were
some of these fellows when Stephens was
| a candidate and needed votes? What was
the matter with their wards? I have Gre
dentials to show what my ward did,
He looked the crowd over again and then
! remarked: Say, If Stephens had been as
| popular before the election as he is now
with them fellows he ought to have held
| his own in the wards they claim to carry
| about in their pockets.
81 wonder if these fellows think they can
| fool him? Wonder if they think he doesn't
| know his friends. the fellows who were for
| him in the convention and at the election?
| You can just bet your life some of the fel
lows are wasting whole lot of smiles and
taffy on him. He's dead next. He knows
| who whooped it up for him when he need
| ed it, and who let the opportunity go by.
There hasn't been man from the First
| ward here to-day asking for anything,
| while every ward where he run behind has
a dozen pie hunters. We're silver men
| down in the First ward because We be-
| lieve in it, not for the pie we may get out
of it. These fellows ought to catch on"
The minority wards" however, enjoyed
| monopoly of several hours with the gov
| ernor and some of the leaders of that
| wing of the party hovered rear the eXecu-
| tive closely for hours. 1t was apparent
| that Mr.. Stephens was bewildered at the
| retinue of fawning admirers that hung
| about him. 1t was equally apparent that
| he was dsm6yed at the constant 'ham-
mering" against certain aspirants and was
| disappointed that the factional fight had
| not been quieted, but that effort was
| being made to force him to take sides in it.
| The whole day was spent by the govern
| or-elect in receiving men who had favors
| to ask or advice to give gratuitously. 1t
must have tired him beyond expression
and made him heartily sick of the visit to
| Kansas City. AT various times, although
| he tried hard to preserve a pleasant eX-
| terror, it did not take skilled eyes to detect
| his apparent disgust. There was one long,
| loud chorus Of protests made to him yes
terday about the visit of the "goldbug''
Ifrnn ffNorn hno I'd Of tn OH
| favors of him in appointments. That men
| who fought him. in the election should
| come to him to ask for one of the best
! pieces of patronage at his disposal or even
| presume to mingle in the pie distribution
| in any way something for which the
silver contingent was not at all prepared.
'Goldbugs are lost in this adnlinistra-
| ton" said. one of the friends who was
| close to Stephens. land that visit would
| not have been made at any other point in
| the state. Stephens ought to turn them
| down and remember the boys who voted
| for him."
One of the revelations of the visit of Mr..
Stephens was not pleasant to him. for in
| the knocking of the aspirants for pie it
was frequently stated to him that
| Democrats here had fought him openly. He
was annoyed at this information and said
! he wondered why the Democrats who had
| indorsed him as treasurer had seen proper
| to fight him when he wanted to be gov
| ernor. The gang and party bosses pursued
him up to the supper hour and would have
continued 1t had it been possible to get at
| him.
1t has been plainly shown by Mr.. Steph-
| ems in numerous instances that he was eX-
ceedingly friendly to Chief of Police Julian
| and the men who went to him yesterday
to knock against that official came away
| sad and mad. Chief Julian, according to
reliable indications, stands high with the
new governor and enjoys his marked favor.
In the crowd about the hotel were Joe
Shannon. John P. O'Neill, ]. w. McCurdy.
E. W. Hayes, William Draffen Smith
Moses Ford, Hugh MCGOWAN. DIR. Brady.
James Pryor and about a hundred others.
Mr.. and Mrs. Stephens left for jefferson
| City last night.