The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-11
9ai1u = Eagle
W. VI. lubbock. Editor.
GOVERNOR LEEDY,s PLURALITY.

For the sake Of a maintenance o.
party order and discipline. a Kansas
Populist leader has political right Il
insist that Governor Leedy will be
elected governor in November.
However, no man has a right to de-
ceive himself, and no Populist should
run blind after the illusion which he
himself has created. The deception OF
others is common practice. No man
who understands himself and IS re-
sponsible will deceive himself.
Governor Leedy cannot be elected. If
the aforementioned party discipline and
necessity of party fidelity were absent,
and the whole thing was reduced to the
cold, prejudice basis Of business
transaction, no informed man in all the
length and breadth of the state would
say Leedy could succeed.
The time Leedy was elected he was
elected on the heels of an unsatisfac-
tory Republican state administration.
He was elected with a compact and
effective fusion.
He was elected with a tremendous
free silver disaffection in the Republic
an party in Kansas.
He was elected with the state hero
mad over a presidential candidate-W.
]. Bryan.
He was elected by conditions which
favored him and his candidacy.
And he went into the governors Of
fee by the tremendous plurality Of T.
511 And this out of a total vote of
272,37S.
A matter Of 1000 votes in mercurial
Kansas is an exceedingly slippery and
intangible thing. The Republican $1,000
majority is ample evidence of that.
The nation is going to uphold a war
president. It has never done anything
else. 1t never will. The exigencies and
necessities Of state politics cannot pre-
vent it Leedy's 1000 is fading away.
Governor Leedy is not supported with
compact and effective fusion. Witness
Moonlight, Sheridan, McIntire. Love,
Tomlinson. That 1000 is still going.
Governor Leedy is opposed by ex-
Senator PETER, who two years ago, was
a greater power in the Populist party
than Leedy ever dreamed of being. He,
as a Prohibition candidate for governor,
will poll a vote in increase over the
normal Prohibition vote, and that in
crease will come from Leedy. More of
the 1000 plurality is gone.
Good times have dissipated the in
tensity of the free silver disaffection 50
vital in boosting Leedy into office two
years ago. More of the 1000 plurality
up the fume.
Governor Leedy is not on the offensive
against a Morrill, administration. He
is on the defensive with a very, very
bad legislature to answer for, with
great many broken promises to explain,
with a score Of executive acts to smooth
over That 1000 plurality is in a very
bad way.
Governor Leedy has the conditions
against him and he cannot be elected.
He is shrewd enough to know it and is
only making the race with the blind, |
cropping hope that something extraor-
binary and unprecedented may happen
before this and election day to favor
his candidacy.
But neither he nor any Of his follow
ers can say to themselves today that |
the Republican party is no stronger all |
over the nation because Of McKinley's
conduct OF the war; they cannot say to |
themselves that all the free silver Re
publicans who voted for Leedy two |
years ago viii vote for him today; they |
cannot say to themselves that PETER |
Will not take some votes away from |
Leedy; they cannot say to themselves |
that Leedy's executive acts (the treat |
ment of the militia, for instance,) will |
not lose him votes; they cannot say to
themselves that the defeat of maxi !
mum freight rate law has strengthened !
Leedy with his own party; they can
not say that Stanley is not elementarily |
a stronger candidate in every way than !
Morrill,; they cannot say to themselves /
that fusion this year is as strong and |
binding and effective as it was two |
years ago; they cannot say to them
selves, knowing and realizing the con-
ditions, that Leedy will be reelected.
They can say it to others and will
but 20 themselves. never.
THE WOMAN QUESTION.
Who is to blame FOR the more promi-