The Topeka state journal., 1897-08-09
HIS HAND BLlCHTS ALL.
Whom Leland"Supports"is For
ever Doomed to Defeat.
"Jack" Harris Now the Victim
of His UnIucky "Help."
Leland's Influence at Wyandotte Com
pletely Dissipated by the Repub-
lican Leaders There.

Chester I. Long has retired from the
race for governor. He took this step be-
cause he could discover no prospect fol-
success. In fact the uprising of his own
supposed friends in the Seventh district
against such candidacy Influenced Mr..
Longs decision. Instead of being able to
line the Seventh district counties up to
back his boom, he found a majority of
them opposing him. While favorable to
Long for congressman as against Jerry
Simpson, the Republicans of the district
were against him for governor. After
visiting Hutchinson, Newton, Wichita,
Winfield. Wellington and number of
the remaining towns in the district Mr..
Long decided to withdraw from the gub-
ernatorial race and enter the one for
congress. But there he will not have
clear field. Senator Royal Matthews has
announced his candidacy for the place
and ]. w. Brinkerhoff of Lyons also
seeks the nomination.
Mr.. Longs absolute refusal to run for
governor caused the followers of Mr.. Le-
land as well as that gentleman himself to
seek new Richmond upon whom they
could unite and at the same time organ
ize fight against Billy Sterne's condi-
date for governor, John E. Hessin of
Manhattan. The Leland coterie was not
long in discovering their candidate and
he is J. P. Harris of Ottawa, popularity
called Jack Harris.
Mr.. Leland visited Lyon county Friday
and instructed Ike Lambert to begin the
campaign for Mr.. Harris there. Then Mr..
Leland betook himself to Kansas City to
dabble in the convention held there Satur-
day to elect a chairman of the county
committee.
The plan was to elect P. J. Snyder, a
brother-in-law of Nat Barnes, postmas-
ter, to the position of chairman. This ac-
complished the convention was to declare
for Harris for governor.
Mr.. Lelands plan was beaten two to
one and T. ]. Enright, representing the
so-called anti-gang politicians of Wyan>
dotte county was elected chairman. In
this the Republicans of the county and
city registered their disapprova1 of the
appointment of Barnes as postmaster in
Kansas City.
The convention did not go on record as
to its choice for governor, because it
would have shown an overwhelming de-
feat for Mr.. Leland. After a canvass of
the situation it is said that Leland found
the sentiment largely in favor of Mr..
Hessin and he was very glad to escape
having the wagon run over him and he
did not attempt to secure an expression
of the sentiment of the convention.
The opposition to Lelands' plan, strange
to say, was managed by ex-Congressman
o. L. Miller to succeed whom Jack Harris
was nominated but defeated by a Popu-
list Mason S. Peters.
Should the remaining Kansas counties
initiate the example of Wyandotte county
Mr.. Leland, as boss, will be overthrown
in the next campaign. He has always
welded considerable power in that coun-
ty and was mainly responsible for the
appointment of Mr.. Barnes as postmas-
ter in Kansas City, Kan, even over the
protests of a majority of the people in
town. 1t seems, viewing things in the
light of Saturdays action of the Repub-
licans, that the party members are dis
posed to resent Mr.. Leland's interference
in no uncertain manner, the result being
defeat for him in the first county in
which he attempted to outline the policy
and name the candidate for governor in
the next state campaign.