The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-12-01
NEW FUSION DEAL
Whisperings of a Strange and
Unusual binatiOn.
Anti-Lelandites and POpulist
Committee Implicated.
WOULD BE FUNNY.
People May See Leedy and HOr-
ton Lock Arms.
Talk With One of the POpulist
Workers.
WOULD BE FUNNY.

1t is rumOred-perhaps that is too
loud a word to precisely express the
fact; but it is whispered-that coai-
ton has been formed between the Pop
ulist state committee and the anti-Le-
land league, and that part at least of
the leagues ten thousand dollars is to
be used for the purposes of a fusion
campaign. It is not a case of Ten
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, but
of ten thousand dollars from under the
league, 50 to speak. The persons who
take one aside, pull him behind a door
and with a preliminary ON the dead,
you know tell of this confederation,
point to certain circumstances which it
must be confessed are rather cOnfus-
ing unless explained by some such
hypothesis.
The meeting of the Populist state
committee was mysteriOusly called.
The talk was that the meeting was run
by u-Breidenthal men, and that the
secretary was fired because of his 10y
atty to BreidenthaI; but this won't do,
for Hoffman, one of BreidenthaIs clos
est friends, was made treasurer and
the new secretary was proposed by
Carl VrOOman another of Breidenthal's s
friends. If BreidenthaTs enemies real
ly controlled the reorganization pro-
ceedings they made a sorry mess of it.
but Riddle. who had but recently de-
clared for Breidenthal, was reelected
chairman; Clarke refused to serve long
er as treasurer, and Upton, the Secre-
taTy was the only officer turned down.
1t looks as if the only object was TO
get rid of Upton. The Whisperers say
that Upton was deemed too indiscreet
to be trusted with so important a secret
as the alleged union of the anti-Leland
Republican with the reform forces. 1t is
unusual to reOrganiZe state COM
POpulists have not been in The habit of
doing it; an3 it seems from the out
come that the only object of doing it
in this instance was to get rid of Tip
ton Cold not Breidenthal have saved
Upton had he wished to? Livery other
officer was chosen by his friends.
The POpulist leaders and the anti
Leland leaders have been quite Chum-
my of late-fOr several weeks, in fact.
The anti-Lelandites took quite an in
terest in the FallOOn-Stuart case and
in the DOniphan county libel suits; and
Frank Elliott of the Troy Times, a fu-
sion paper is openly supporting Mr. Cur
tbs for congress The POpullsts don't
like the supposed arrangement They
say that if the anti-Leland Republicans
help elect a fusion administration they
will insist upon being allies in dis
tributing patronage and in controlling
the policy of the administration.
One of them said to a Journal re-
porter: I think a POpulist anti-rail-
road administration with the Missouri
PacInc and M, X. q L railroad law
yers as allies would be an interesting
study in politics. The new secretary
comes from the NJ, X. & L. offices, and
the mi~ers may not feel very good over
this-the M, K. & T being part of the
combination the miners are fighting.
Where is the new secretary to get
his pay? He is to have S75 a month. Is
he to give up good job and come here
for few months to rely upon BOtkins 5
collections from people VINO have hith-
erto refused to put up? Or is he to
retain his position after the war is
oVer-the NJ. K. & T. holding it for
( him as jobs We're held for the Twen-
| tieth Kansas boys. while they were
serving their cOuntTy2 Headquarters
are to be opened next month and the
state is to be flooded with literatur
Such dOings require cash, and the state
committee went about the business as
if cash We're not in doubt. Did the COM
mittee rely upon BOtkin's collections? d?
/ Thus reason some POpuists, who think
the committee knew where to get cash
in Topeka, and that BOtkin'S collecting
efforts would be only to make the Pop
ulists in the ranks think the cash was
coming from the POpUlists themselves
If these suspicious. and they are
only suspicious, should be well found
ed. we shall have an interesting spec
tacIe. Governor Leedy and ex-
Chief Justice Horton of the Missouri
Pacific marching side by side in a
torchlight procession and holding alOft
a transparency reading: Down with
the railroads. would inspire confidence
in a wooden man