The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-11-10
CAUSE OF IT.
John Breidenthal and Webb
McNaII Discuss Reasons
Why the POpulist Party Was
Defeated.
Breidenthal Wants to Make
Sure Whether
1T WAS STAY-AT-HOME
Or Whether POpulists Have
Gone Back to Republicans.
Webb McNall Quite Sure 1t
Was the Stay-at-HOmes.

The fusion leaders say that the result
on election day was brought
about by the stayat-home vote
in the country precincts, rather
than by any radical change
in the sentiment of the people.
One Populist expresses a doubt if the
Republicans can show an increase in
the number of the votes they had in
1896 in precincts where there was no
factional fight of a local nature. On
the other hand, he says, the POpulist
vote shows a great falling off.
John w. Breidenthal will not express
a positive opinion on the subject until
he sees the complete vote. L can not
tell what brought about the result he
said, until I have a chance to analyze
the figures. 1t was caused by one of
two things-either a change in senti-
ment or a large stay-at-hOme vote
that is self-evident. If I were to make
a guess I should say that it was caused
by a falling off in the vote. The full
returns will probably show that there
were less than SOOOOO votes cast. I
have contended all along that if the
vote fell below 800, 900 the Populists
were beaten. Two out of three of the
stay -at-homes below that number I be-
lieved would be Populists, and with a
vote of 285,000 the Republicans will
have about 1900 majority. The Re
publicans were better organized than
we were and therefore succeeded in get
ting their vote out better. notice that
some of the Republicans are claiming
a landslide. but do not believe that
there was one. A landslide, as 1 under
stand it, is where a large number Of
fellows slide from one party over into
another. If the returns will show that
the Republicans increased their vote
over that of two years ago will con-
cede a landslide, but if the figures show
that the Republicans had fewer votes
than they did two years ago it would
indicate that nobody, practically speak
ing, voted their ticket who did not vote
it in 1896. If the total vote is $4,000 less
than it was two years ago I think that
more than 10000 Of them were Popu-
lists.
LAS to what the influence will be on
the party, that will depend entirely on
what the returns show. If they prove
positively that a lot of fellows voted the
Republican ticket this year who have
not been voting it before, it will mean
that they have lost faith in the POpu-
list party carrying out their principles.
If, on the other hand, it shows that a.
lot of POpulists just stayed at home, it
means that we will have to stir them
UP and get them out in two years.
LAS to fusion, that is a hard question
to discuss. I do not anticipate that it
will be possible to run a three-ring cir
Gus all the time, but what name the
allied forces will unite under do not
know.
"I hope that the Republicans have
full control of the next congress. If they
have perhaps we can tell what kind of
policy they intend to have. We will
find out what they will do on the money
question. Thus far they have not at
tempted anything because they said
the senate was against them. We want
to know too what sort of a revenue
policy they intend to fOrmulate-hoW
they expect to raise money to run this
expanded country. If they have full
control in congress they will be forced
to take some sort of a stand and do
something
views as to the cause of the POpulist
defeat. 1T was clearly the stay-at-
home vote in the country precincts that
caused the mischief he said. There
state, and the most of the falling off
was in the Populist party. There has
been no change Of sentiment among the
people. One can go anywhere in the
state and he will find that people talk
just the same as they did two years ago
but they failed to vote. We could not
help being defeated when the vote fell
$1,000 short of what it was two years
ago.
1.-The result will be that people will
wake up in 1900 and that the allied re-
A national election will be here, there
will be a school house campaign, every
body Will be interested, and we will
poll our full strength. do not antici-
pate that there will be any change in
sentiment against US"
Governor Leedy was at his home in
| Lawrence this morning, and cOnse-
quently was not taking part in the gen.
eraI discussions. He is expected to ar
| rive some time this afternoon.
Private Secretary Lewis said: 1--WE
70 Fan cfsa f-11
vote until we find out if there was stay
at-homevote to blame it on tO.When we
| find out how many votes were cast, we
can tell more about il"
David Overmyer holds an opinion sim
| liar to other fuSiOniStS. 'The result
| doesn't evince, to my judgment, any
| change of sentiment among the peO-
| ple,'' he said to a Journal reporter. t'It
| is attribute bic to what many fOresaW,
simply a failure of a considera BILE num-
Der of voters in the country to go to the
polls The returns indicate that the
Democrats voted the ticket with re-
markable unanimity. Ellis county, the
only county which carried when was
| a candidate for governor, gives Leedy
400 majority. The vote in Leavenworth
and other Democratic strOnghOlds shows
up we'll for the loyalty of the Democrats
to the ticket The same will be found
to be the case all over the state.
when we remember that a few years
ago the Republicans carried the state
by $4,000. and that they will have on
the official count, perhaps, less than TO-
900 plurality, now, L don't think we need
cause of the people must be served by
he al in