Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-03-09
A SWEET MESS.
Patriotic Republicans Do Not
Want Office.
'.Our "" Still i'm Control. Isa Truly
Representative Republican Leader.

alton in its issue of Friday evening so
accurately that its statement should
demand the confidence of the people
The Journal says:
Kansas Republicans are thoroughly
Disguised at the action of Cy Leland
and his 1ieutenants In opening head
quarters in Topeka for the coming
campaign, for the alleged purpose of
helping the party but in reality to ad-
vance the interest of himself and to
help only those who are standing by
the boss and the men he has selected
to put forward for the various Offices.
Jim Simpson and Frank Brown who
have been selected" to manage the
headquarters are not members of the
state central committee. They be
came members of the executive COM
mittee through trickery. Simpsons
election as chairman of the state COM
mittee was accomplished by the same
means. The gentlemen represent Mr..
Leland and the ideas he intends to
have carried out in the campaign
which is now on.
The opening of headquarters in To
peka at this time finds the most pecu-
liar state of affairs which has existed
in all the years of the political history
of Kansas.
When he was a member of the state
board of railroad commissioners, po-
sition he is very anxious to regain,
Simpsons home county refused to
send him as delegate to the state
convention. He was turned down;
badly defeated and consoled himself
with being admitted to the convention
as spectator.
The state convention elected safe
central committee but Leland's princi-
pal men, Nat Barnes, Frank Brown,
Lit Crum and c. S. Jobes were not
given places thereon. BY some man.
ipulation the chairman who was to be
selected by the candidates was author
lied to name an executive committee
and the practice of all parties in the
history of politics in Kansas has been
to select such committee from the
members of the state committee. But
this was not done.
Leland, who with Joe Bristow, die
tated Governor Morrill's action, de-
manded that Simpson be named as
chairman of the state committee. Nor
rill demurred, saying that Simpson
had lost one campaign by bad man.
| h
suit, which was altogether a pleasing
prospect when he headed the ticket.
Leland and Bristow insisted and the
governor consented. This was the
first step in the proceeding to thwart
the will of1the convention.
Chairman Simpson then named the
following executive committee: Nat
Barnes, Kansas City; F. L. Brown,
Garnet; L. S. Crum, Oswego; c. S.
Jobes, Attica; r. Vincent, Washing
ton; J. A. Kimbal1, Salina; K. E. Will
cockson, Oakley; M. A1baugh, King
man; ]. M. Chisman, Atchison; Cyrus
Leland, Troy. 1t will be observed that
the committee was composed of eleven
members. Six being necessary for a
ma jority. Mr.. Vincent and Mr.. AL
baugh, two gentlemen who could be
relied upon to do Mr.. Le1and's bidding,
+ were members of the state committee
F elected by the state convention. 1t
was absolutely necessary to have four
, others. Among the remaining thirty
three members of the committee Mr..
Leland could not find four men suited
to his purpose, consequently Chair
man Simpson, after "being SEEM
gravely announced that he had select
ed Barnes, Crum, Brown and Jobes.
These four with Leland, Vincent and
, Albaugh gave the boss good ma jor-
. ity of the executive committee.
The executive committee then "held
meeting" and Joe Bristow was elect
, ed secretary over the protest of some
of the state officers. But Bristow got
, a job at Washington and was compe1l-
ed to leave the state. The committee
, then held another session and Frank
, Brown was elected secretary.
This gave the Republicans of Kan
sas chairman and secretary of their
, state committee who were unable to
hold sufficient influence at home to get
on the state convention delegations or
. on the state committee.
The indignation among Republicans
first arose when it became known that
, Leland's majority of the executive
, com mittee had held meeting at the
Copeland and decided to open state
headquarters for the campaign of 1898.
"Why was not the state committee
called together to decide upon this?'
was question which suggested itself
in various parts of the state.
| Because the executive committee
has got the brains and the central
committee has the MEMBERS Mr.. Lee
land is quoted as having said in reply
. to the question asked by an inquiring
brother from the short-grass country.
Already the charge is being made
that the headquarters are to be con-
Quoted in the interest of certain can
didates for state. offices. 1t is also
hunted that this headquarters crowd
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