The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-05-14


from the last meeting of the conference |
committee the Democratic chairman
asked the members of his committee to |
remain. This was within a few minutes
OF midnight. AS the writer was leaving
the room another member of the POpu-
list committee, suggested that they
might be getting ready to do something
and advised that the report be withheld
for short time. Willing and anxious
10 90 anything which would bring about
an agreement the report was delayed
until the clanor of delegates for it be-
came so great that it was submitted.
1t would have been delayed even longer
had not the Decatur county delegate,
who named Tully Scott, joined in the
demand for the report. Believing that
he knew whereof he spoke when he Wig
orously asserted that there was no fur
ther hope Of an agreement the report
was made.
"A short discussion of the work of the
committee followed but no action was
taken on the propositions contained IN
1t. Some minutes later NJ. J. Wells, a
Rocks county delegate who had sup
ported Mr.. Scott and who had been the
candidate of his friends for temporary
chairman, moved that the rules be SuS-
pended and the nomination of Dykes be
made unanimous and that he be declar-
ed the nominee of the convention. The
action contemplated by this motion was
properly and regularly taken. This was
followed by a motion to adjourn sine
die by the Decatur county delegate who
had made Mr.. Scotts nominating
speech.
There was no proposition or sugges-
ton made to either the conference COM
mittee or the convention that Mr.. Scott
would withdraw his name under any
circumstances. The first mention of
such withdrawal and of the substitu-
ton of some other name came to DR.
Dykes and his friends through the me-
dium of those stalwart friends of the
cause of reform. the Kansas City Jour
nal and the Kansas City Star.
Much stress is placed on the failure
or the PopullSt convention to agree to
submit the matter to a joint convention
of the two parties. People outside of the
district may be interested in the fact
that the Populist convention of 12O dele
gates represented IA. 700 votes at the last
election while the Democratic conven-
ton of SO delegates represented a little
more than 1900 votes. In other words
delegate in the Democratic convention
| had q voters behind him while one In
our convention had 1872. 1t is natural
that our people should object to putting
delegates with that sort of representa-
ton behind them on an equality. There
were a number of counties, whose rep
resentatives in the Democratic conven-
ton were not favorable to Scott and If
DR.. Dykes had chosen to make a fight
in the Democratic convention he would
have secured more than one-fourth of
| the delegates therein.
DIR. Dykes was regularly and honest
ly nominated by delegates representing
large majority of the anti-Republican
| voters of the district and will make the
race unless in referring the matter to
/ the people Mr.. Scott should receive a
majority of the fusion votes of the dis
! trict. That is the only fair way to set
| tie the matter. The only objection of
/ fered to it is that it would cost too
| much. Is there a voting precinct in the
| district where three men cannot be
! found who will serve as judges at a pri-
mary for three or four hours on GER
| tain day without pay in order to aid in
/ getting together against the Republi-
cans? do not believe that there is such
/ a district.
'"The writer has been authorized by
DR.. Dykes to state that he will pay out
| OF his own pocket all printing expenses
and there should be no other expense
than that of the committeeman to meet
to canvass the vote. DR.. Dykes friends
are anxious to see this matter settled
| soon and hope that it may yet be re-
ferred to the people.
! Certain interested Democratic lead
ers have stated repeatedly that they
| have helped elect Populist congressman
from this district for years. The record
| shows that every year since 1890 there
has been d Democratic candidate in the
field on election day and that these can
| 1idates have received from 300 to 2 900
| votes Reference to the secretary OF
| states report will show the absolute
| truth of this statement. AS to Mr. Scott s
withdrawal in 1890, it is a fact that he
| Withdrew just prior to election, that in
many precincts his withdrawal was not
known and in others it was mentioned
| with the result that he received votes
in 10 of the % counties in the district
If the Democrats had invariably en-
dorsed the Populist nominee in the past
and all of them had diligently worked
for his election the Populists of this dis
tricu might look at the matter different
~ even though they have never heard
OF case where the Democrats have
given the Populists the nominee where
their vote was greatly in excess of ours
There are many Democrats in the dis
trict who have loyalty supported Popu-
lists nominees in the past and if the
Populist convention had them to dea
with the result would probably have
been different.
In conclusion desire to say that il
the convention the five large counties il
the northeast part of this district. which
had "a delegates gave SO of them to DR.
Dykes. 1t is pretty good showing a,
to his standing at home It is ais
worthy of note that almost half of tn,
Populist vote in the % counties of tn,
district is in these five countless