The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-11-03
Their LAST WORD
Anti Nichols Republicans Issue
an Address.
Explain In Detail Why They
Are Supporting Clark.
FIND ILLEGAL VOTERS
Say They Found 80 In One Pre-
cinct Who Lived Elsewhere.
Influences Which Are Now at
Work to Elect Nichols.

The citizens committee in charge of
the anti-Nichols campaign for county
attorney has issued the final address. 1t
is as follows:
To the Republican Voters:
Six months ago overwhelming evil
dence was produced proving that the
pretended nomination of Galen Nichols
was accomplished by fraud. Excluding
the First and Second wards, G. f. Spen-
Ger received a majority of 400 over Mich
OILS, but in the two precincts of the First
ward and the west precinct of the Sec
ond ward, through the votes of Demo-
Gratis Populists and repeaterS, the
wishes of the Republican voters of the
county were thWarted and Nichols was
returned as the nominee. Some of the
proofs OF these assertions are as fol-
lows:
The number of votes cast at the 1900
primary in the two wards was more
than so per cent greater than the num-
ber Of votes cast in the 1898 primary,
and about 500 greater than was ever
cast at any previO1-S primary. Since the
Crawford system as been in vogue the
vote in the two ards at Republican
primaries for county attorney has been
as follows:
In 1894 the vote was ], 1897.
In 1896 the vote was 1,429.
In 1898 the vote was ,229.
In 1900 the vote was 1906.
A careful scrutiny of the poll books
since the previous address of this COM
mlttee reveals the fact that 1879 Demo-
Gratis or F'usiOnistS voted at the primar-
les in the First ward and in the west
precinct of the Second ward
In the west precinct of the Second
ward alone there were found the names
of thirty voters who We're residents in
other wards Of the city and registered
in other wards of the city This makes
229 ascertained illegal votes in the three
precincts In addition to this, there are
in the three precincts several hundred on
the primary poll books that are not re-
corded in the city directory and not reg
tstered for 1900 and not known in these
precincts. AS Nichols only claims to
have received a plurality of 152 votes.
1t is absolutely certain that he failed
by several hundred to receive a plurality
of the Republican votes cast. He is,
therefore, not the Republican nominee.
A careful comparison of all previous
primary votes with the Republican gen
eral election vote shows that the Re
publican election vote has always been
from a third to a half greater than the
primary vote. The average primary
vote of the First ward has been 569. The
vote at the last primary was 1885, The
average primary vote in the Second
ward has been 1872. The vote at the last
primary was 1870 If the Republican
election vote next Tuesday should ex-
ceed the primary vote by the usual pro-
portion the Republican vote in the two
wards will be practically equal to the
combined vote for Stanley and Leedy in
1895
At the so-caHed Republican primaries
of 1900 in these two wards the vote for
county attorney was 1872 greater than the
vote in the hOtly contested repreSen-
tative fight in which the shopmen were
so much interested. The total number
of illegal votes in the First ward and
in the west precinct of the Second ward,
including Democrats, fusionists, repeat
ers from the city and outside, is esti-
mated at about 800 votes. All the joint
lists and other crooks and plug -uglies of
the town were at work in the First ward
and the west precinct of the Second,
and they were at work for Nichols.
Beer and whisky were abundant, and
beer and whisky are always for fraud
The brewery agents. the jointists and
all the laWless elements of the city who
succeeded in stealing the nomination at
the primaries are now at work to secure
the election Of Nichols. These elements
are unanimous for Nichols
In an address recently issued to the
German voters of the county and pub
lished in the German paper, we find the
following statements:
ssWhv has the prohibition element of
the Republican party nominated for
candidate George w. Clark for county
attorney? Answer: Because he has
solen1nly pledged himself to the strict
execution of the fanaticat plans of this
hypocritical rabble. In the Sleeps garb
of personal liberty represented by the
Democracy, shall you allow yourselves
to be misled by these prohibition sharp
ers into voting for their tool, Clark 2?
The chairman and secretary of the
Republican county central committee,
acting without authority so to do by a
full meeting have issued a long address
full of erroneous statements in the name
of the committee in a lame and late at
tempt to answer the charges which were
publicly made and have remained unan-
sWered and practically admitted for six
months. In this remarka Bile address they
say: 'sIt is false that friends Of Mr..
GaIen Nichols StrenuOuSly resisted an
investigation of the primary election by
the central committee, and
the only contest over the returns was
that the committee should recount the
ballots" The facts are that Messrs. J.
F. Carver, ]. w. Gleed, F. p. Lindsay
and H G. Larfmer each asked, not only
for a recount of the ballots. but for an
investigation of the practices resorted to
in the west precincts of the First and
Second wards which they recited in de-
tall Each of these gentlemen and the
200 earnest Republicans attending them
of Mr.. Nichols who sat with the COM
rnittee while the charges We're being
presented. The committee took no notice
of these charges and refused to recount
the ballots and to go into an investiga-
ton.
Proceeding further in this address,
these two gentlemen tacitly admit that
gross frauds were committed because
they say, There should be a law pro-
viding for registration of party voters
preceding each primary, excluding all
UNREGISTERED persons and Furnishing il
Mr. Nichols is not responsible for the
system and ought not to be made to
shoulder all its defects Whether Mr.
Nichols is alone responsible or whether
the responsibility should be partly
borne by all the brewery agents and
iOinfisfS who S1pDOrted him then and