Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-07
CONDITIONS IN KANSAS
PRESENT SITUATION INDICATES RE-
PUBLICANS WILL WIN.
Ex-GOv. Click a Fusion Nominee TO,
COnEress-A Socialist Ticket
Nominated.


Special Correspondence OF The Evening Star
TOPEKA. Kansas. June >. 1900
The congressional situation in Kansas is
very much in doubt Chas Curtis has been
renominated in the first district and ex-
Representative ]. h. Botkin. was nominated
FOR representative at large by the fusion
forces. and Chas. f. Scott by the republic
cans. Chas. Curtis has for an opponent ex-
Governor G. w. Click who Is the fusion
nominee. Governor Click is now a man
| nearly seventy years of age. but still an ac-
tive and influential democratic politician.
lie was elected governor of Kansas in 1852,
defeating John T. St. John on the prohibi-
ton issue. Representative Curtis has made
himself very prominent in Washington and
very useful to his constituents In addition
to this the first district is looked upon as
hopeiessly republican and Curtis will he re-
turned.
In the second district the republican rem
resentative. J. d. Bowersock has been re-
nominated, and while no nomination has
yet been made by the fusionists they are
talking of putting up Ex-Governor John p
ST John to run against him. In the third
district Representative Ridgely has retired
from the race He was a populist. and A.
II: jackson. democrat. has been nominate
ed to succeed him as the fusion candidate
g: w. Wheatley is the republican nominee
This district Is looked upon as hopelessly
t fusion IN the same way that the first dis
trlct Is hopelessly republican. These are
the only two districts in which the results
are considered certain. In the fourth dis
.rae, representative Miller has been re-
nominated and the fusion forces have as
yet made no choice of an opponent
Fusionists Fail to Agree.
In the fifth district Representative Calder
head Is renominated and w. d. Vincent, the
fusion candidate in 1898. will try conclu-
sions with him once more In the sixth
Representative Reeder has been renominated
by the republicans. and it is in this district
that the fusion forces have been unable So
far, to agree. Dr. ]. B. bikes has been
nominated by the populists and Tulv Scott
by the democrats. 1t is not believed by the
fusion managers that these conditions will
remain, however, for some Arrangement
will be made whereby the fusion forces will
nave put one candidate in each district
In the seventh district Representative
chester l. Long has been renominated nv
the republicans, Isaac P. Campbell by tho
populists and Claude Duval by the demo-
Gratis A proposition is now being consider
ed whereby Campbell will withdraw leav.
ing Duval as the sole candidate of thu
fusion forces against the republican nomi-
nee. one thing is very noticeable in the
fusion deals which have already been made
and the propositions now being considered
and that Is the much larger slice of the
spolls which is going to the democrats than
heretofore. In the fusion deals of the past
rev years the populiSts have secured nearly
everything except the national ticket. The
democrats have supplied the presidential
electors and given the state to the popu-
lists. This year there will be large num-
Der of democrats on the various fusion
tickets. state. local and congressional,
which is a result of the fusion trades made
by those who held the balance of power
in each locality.
One feature of the legislative situation,
upon which depends. of course, the out
come of the senatorial fight, is the fact that
the republican majorities are punched in
the northeastern part of the state. Owing
to this condition it would be possible for
the republican state ticket to be elected.
and yet fusion have a majority in the legis-
lature. Another interesting point in this
distribution of majorties is the possibility
of w. ]. Bryan carrying the state for Pres
ident and yet the republican state ticket
being retained in office.
Socialist Ticket.
The socialists of Kansas have nominated
state ticket of their own. with G. c.
Clemens al its head candidate for gov
ernor. They claim that they already have
5000 registered votes in the state, and they
promise active campaign. To that end
they will bring many speakers into the
state like Eugene " Debs, who will talk
for the socialist state ticket. If it is true
that these socialists will cast so consider
able number of votes they may hold the
balance of power in the coming cleo
ton. This vote would. all be drawn from
the fusion strength. and might assist mate
rally in bringing about a republican VIC
tory.
The prohibition vote of Kansas is small
and probably without much effect. There
will be no gold democratic ticket in the
field. and nearly all of the 1000 and more
who voted that ticket in 1895 will vote the
republican ticket this year. A few of the
gold democrats who voted for Mckinley in
1896 have used the Porto Rico tariff as an
democratic rf
few of the popuists of 1896 who were
republicans prior to that time have gone
back to the republican party. as being
strongly in favor of expansion. Nearly
all of these changes however, have been
made by men who had merely slipped their
political mornings for very brief time.
Regarded az n Dangerous Man.
J. w. Breidenthal, who will be the fu-
sion nominee for governor, is looked upon
by the republicans as the most dangerous
man in the state. Breidenthal is a very
positive. energetic man of rather a quar-
relsome disposition, who makes warm
friends and bitter enemies. He Is a social
ist and greenbacker. He is of those
populists who have accepted the free silver
idea as being the nearest thing they could
get to fiat money. He is not opposed to
corporations per Sc. and he rather favors
their growth in the hope that the people
will become aroused to the advantages or
necessity of public ownership Of public util-
tiles.
If the Kansas legislature is fusion Jerry
Simpson will very probably be elected sem
ator to succeed Baker There is also con-
siderable talk of David Overmeyer. 1t IS
claimed by the democrats that Kansas has
already one populist senator in Harris, and
that as the democrats are equally reSpon-
sible for fusion victory with the populsts
that the other senator should be an avowed
democrat. David Overmeyer hurt himself
politically. however. in a recent campaign
by making fusion impossible. and he would
be apt to reap the harvest of his opposition
il he should become senatorial candidate.
Briefly summarized, the republican claims
in Kansas are that the prevailing prosper
ity, satisfaction with the Mckinley admin
istration. and an awakening to the futility
of the Bryan remedies for obnoxious condi-
tons will bring about a republican maJori-
ty in the state almost sufficient to be called
a landslide in the opposite direction from
that which swept the state in 1896.
Prediction as to the outcome of the cleo
tions in Kansas this year Is impossible, but
at this stage of the proceedings there is a
feeling among the conservative elements
in this state regardless of party affiliations
to the effect that the republicans will win.
J. D. WHELPLEY.
Democratic Ticket in Missouri.