The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-28
On THE ANXIOUS SEAT
Keaton Fears for Three of His
safe" Counties.
HE is BEING TRADED OFF
All Trades Being to Flynn's
Advantage.
He is BEING TRADED OFF

| getic and effective Republican workers in
| Oklahoma county, was a caller at Repu D.
lean headquarters today and confirmed the
story sent from this place and published
| in yesterdays Eagle In which 1t was pre-
dicted that Keaton stands in imminent
danger OF losing his home county, despite
the majority of 264 for Callahan two years
ago. He asserts that the half has not been
! told concerning the Generalization and
| lack of harmony in the fusion ranks, and
| goes still further than the claim set forth
in the Eagle dispatch, by contending that
! Flynn will also carry Cleveland and Pot
! tawatou1ie counties. In the face of the big
majorities that these two counties gave
| Callahan two years ago, this seems an
audacious claim to make, but according to
De Ford's reasoning it does not appear
such difficult matter after all. In Cleve-
and county, where the Populists actually
outnumber the Democrats, and the middle
| of-the-road feeling is deep-seated, there is
no pretense if fusion each of thr the three
parties having placed straight county
ticket in the field. 1t was the Cleveland
county Populist delegation, it will be re-
membered, that refused to take part in the
joint convention at Oklahoma City, and the
Voice, edited by Senator John Allen, and
the Populist organ Of Cleveland county. is
covertly advising its readers not to throw
away their votes on Hankins, but to cast
their votes for Flynn as the most effective
method of showing their condemnation Of
fusion. That this advice meets with the
approval of the Populist organization is
Shown by the conduct of the county cam
didates, notably that of Andy Hutchins,
candidate for county attorney, who De
Ford says. on the stump openly advises
his Populist hearers to vote for Flynn.
Granting that one-half of the Populists
hearken to this advice from their leaders
and either vote for Flynn or stay away
from the polls on election day, it will be
seen that De Fords claim is OF so vi
sionary after all. In Pottawatomie county
also Keaton is not so strongas the average
person, unacquainted with the political
conditions in that county would naturally
suppose. In the oounty-seat fight which
aff1cts that county, Judge Keaton had the
misfortune to get tangled up after man
ner not tat all satisfactory to either of the
contending factions, and in county-seat
fights, as in the game of draw poker, polit-
ical as well as social friendship ceases
when either of the factions considers itself
getting the worst of the deal. and, right
fully or wrongfully, Judge Keaton was
denounced by both the towns of Shawnee
and Tecumseh for what they considered his
biased decisions. This is the unpopularty
bat Of 10 in
letter describing the political conditions in
Pottawatomie county. In that county also
the Populists have placed astraight county
ticket in the field, and the feeling between
the candidates of that party and the
southern Democrats grows more bitter as
the campaign wakes mire intense. The
Populist candidates, at no time tenamored
with fusion, are openly soliciting Republic
an support in exchange for Populist votes
for Flynn, and the Democrats, in agony of
fear for the defeat Of their county ticket,
are proposing a similar swap or the basis
Of throwing the Democratic vote to Flynn
That these conditions exist, everybody
knows that is familiar with political af-
fairs in Pottawatomie county, hence the
assertion that Keaton is not occupying the
Among the causes responsible for the
remarkable apathy of Keatons campaign
is the growing recognition OF the utter IN
capacity of the committee that is mag
nifcently posing and drawing big salaries
az Oklahoma City as his active managers.
In selecting this committee Keaton gave
the old Democratic wheel-horses the mar
bleIheart and chose his political advisers
for the most part from the ranks Of the
Populists. It is possible that this commit
tee is concerning itself principally in maxi
ing sure the election OF the Populist legis-
lative and county tickets as an excuse for
their apparent neglect Of Keaton's inter-
ests. It is certain, though. that there IS
a Niger in the wood-pile. and the Daily
Leader Of this city grows FESTIVE under
belief Of that sort and hints its suspicious
in editorial paragraphs. such as the fol-
lowing:
"A little over a month 10 the election.
and the Leader has not received a single
campaign document from the campaign
committee. Does anybody know where they
are?"
The Leader has done more hard work IN
exposing the Republican territorial admin
istration. and Dennis F1ynn's doub,e-deal-
ing on the free home subject, than any one
paper in the territory. and yet so fra as II
knows there is no campaign committee in
existence
True It might be urged by apologtsts FOR
the committee that the Daily Leader IS
not recognized as a Democratic organ IN
good standing. but there Is also Colonel