Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-02
IN KANSAS
Indications That the State Will Go
for Mckinley.
MAY ELECT 4 FUSION GOVERNOR
Close Fight in the Third Congress
sionaI District.
DID POLITICAL INCIDENT

ODD POLITICAL INCIDENT
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
INDEPENDENCE, Kan, October 81. 1900
AS the cool weather of autumn increases
the animation of the campaign in Kansas
grows apace Both sides claim the state,
as has been the case for several past cleo
lions. The gubernatorial race will be close.
Any serving in a public office must
necessarily make enemies, and Governor
Stanley has these to contend with, while
Bridenthal, the fusion candidate is more
fortunate. He has served the people OF
Kansas in the capacity of state bank ex-
aminer, and, of course. had very little of
the political pie to distribute. The fusion
lists are making their fight against Stanley
on his enforcement of the prohibtory law.
They say that while he was elected as
prohibitionists, he has the influence of
that element by not stringently enforcing
the liquor law and has also managed to ar
ray the whisky element against him more
strongly than ever. These appear to be
merely assumptions which they cannot sub
stantiate, although there may be some truth
in them. Stanley seems to have better
chance of occupying the guberna torial chair
than his opponent, according to present in
dications. 1t is a fact, however, that since
serving two terms. no governor has been
reelected. The past few years of unusual
prosperity, the abundance of work for the
laboring men, the good crops and the high
prices that have prevailed will go far in
carrying this state for Mckinley, and he
will receive the Kansas electoral vote.
| Four years ago the republicans elected
seven of the eight congressman. This third
district, in the southeastern corner of the
state, was the only one that elected fusion
, candidate. The natural result is that this
, is being made the battle ground this year.
The republicans are leaving stone
turned to redeem it, and the populists are
determined not to give up here. Southeast
ern Kansas is being overrun by both forces.
, The energy that is usually expended on the
; state at large is being focused on the
; suit in the third district. Almost every
spellbinder of both parties that has been
, in Kansas during this campaign has made
one or more speeches in the third congress
siOnal district
Big Miners Vote There.
AS is usually tn case here, the large body
} of miners in Cherokee and Crawford coun-
ties holds the balance of power. In Chero-
kee county the lead and zinc miners,
} and in Crawford county the coal Iminers.
The miners vote is very unstable. One
, year it will go almost unanimously for
candidate and the next election without
any apparent reason shift over to the OPP
position. This makes the result in this dis
) trict almost impossible to estimate with
any degree of certainty. George w. Wheat
|
vantage over Judge A. NJ. Jackson, the
fusion candidate, in that Wheatley has
lived in Gaena, in the heart of the lead
and zinc mines. for several years, while
Judge Jackson halls from Cowley county,
at the other extreme of the district.
Wheatley is undoubtedly popular among
, the miners In 1896 he was elected repre-
sentative from the twenty-sixth legislative
district, which is composed of the eastern
half of Cherokee county, and includes all
, the mining towns. This district had been
represented by fusionist for several years.
In 1896 the fusion candidate was elected by
about 500 votes, and in 1898 Wheatley over
came the fusion strength and was elected
|, by nearly 300. He ran ahead of his ticket.
Wheatley, however, is making uphill
fight, for, during the past ten years the
publican candidate in this congressional
district has been defeated by the fusion
candidate every time. In 1884 s. S. Kirk
patrick elected on the republican
ticket but that year the populists and dem
ocrats could not get together on fusion
deal, and three-cOrnered fight resulted
Wheatley gets the miners vote he can in
all probability overcome the fusion ma
jority of two years ago, but if not then
Jackson will occupy a seat in Congress 1t
is undoubtedly true that there are many
persons who will vote the republican ma
tional and congressional tickets this year
because they indorse the present admins
trations foreign policy, but there are not
enough of these to figure conspicuousiy in
electing Wheatley, and he must get the
miners vote or lose.
NnnsanS Are independent.
The unexpected happens oftener in Kan
Sas than elsewhere. Kansas people are free
thinkers and free actors. They have no
ironclad principles or ancient customs to
bind them down, and they do as they
please in any and all events. They are
genuine icOnoclaStS This makes the result
of an election more difficult to foretell in
Kansas than elsewhere, but unless present
indications change radically in the next
complete victory in the sunfiower state
this fall. Kansas is normally a republican
state, but she has been at sea for several
years past. The populist squall that swept
over this country in 1889 rent her anchor
age and set her drifting. But gradually
Kansas has been coming back, and it is
generally believed that on November
she will anchor again in the republican
harbor.
OF course, there are the usual number of
sdeshows in the campaign here this year.
campaign would not be complete in this
state without some peculiar feature, and
there are innumerable ones this fall. Prob
ably the oldest is the campaign that
is being waged in Providence township in
Sumner county, west of here. There the
result of the election does not hinge
Imperialism militarism, free silver or
any of the issues that will decide the con-
} test in other parts of the country. 1t is as
odd a contest as ever occurred anywhere
and novel as it is strange Heretofore
Providence has gone republican. In 1896
there We're thirty-five voters in the town.
ship and the result was: Mckinley, 24
} Bryan, IL. This year there are the same
} number of voters as there were four years
ago, but the result of the contest is in
doubt The trouble comes from a stub
born populist father who has seven daugh-
ters ranging in age. from eighteen to thirty
The hands of these daughters have been
sought by seven young men of the neigh
borhood The daughters are as radical
populists as their father and the seven
young men are equally as strong in the
| republican faith.
Relatives of Jerry Simpson.
The father of the daughters is ]. r.