The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-12-12
THEY FIXED IT.
Democrats Arranged TO Give
Populists Their Chance.
Under Plan Adopted Can Get
Democratic Machinery.
CHANGE is MADE.
Large PopnIist Counties Will
Have Most Delegates.
Cherokee County Would Lead
With SO Representatives.

If the Democratic state central COM
mittee had offered prize by which it
could surely turn the control of the
Democratic party over to the Populists,
it could not have secured better plan
than the one it decided upon at the
meeting in Topeka last Saturday. The
committee has made it possible for the
Populists to capture the entire Demo-
cratic machinery and nominate ticket
composed entirely of Populists under a
Democratic name, if they see fit to do
so.
This action was probably taken un-
conscious of it's real import. The COM
mittee decided to call the next Demo-
cratic state convention upon en-
tirely new basis-a basis made up on
the com bined fusion vote of 1900, and
then it invited the Populists and silver
Republicans to participate in the Dem
Ocratic primaries.
The apportionment for the Democratic
state convention of last wear was on a
cast for secretary of state in 1894, the
last election in which the Democrats
had a separate ticket in the field, and
one delegate for each county, which
made a convention of less than 500 DEL
egates. On the same basis next years s
convention would be composed of over
2.200 delegates. This would be too large
a convention to handle, but as it is
wished to have a big convention it is
probable that the basis will be one del
egate for every $50 votes cast for
for each county besides, which will
make a convention of about 1,200 dele
gates.
In the Democratic convention last
year Leavenworth, Wyandotte, Sedg-
wick, Atchison and a few other coun-
ties had the big delegations and prac-
tically controlled the convention. Ac-
cording to the schedule proposed by the
Democratic committee, none of these
counties except Wyandotte and Sedg-
wick will retain their relative standing
in next years convention, while L4eav
enworth, the leading Democratic coun-
ty in the state, will be far down the
list
Last year Leavenworth county had
27 delegates in the state convention,
more than twice as many as any other
county except Wyandotte, which came
second with 49, On basis of one dele
gate for each $50 votes, Leavenworth
would only get 28 delegates, while
Cherokee county, which had only about
five delegates last year, Will come up
with SO next year. Cherokee is a great
Populist county 1t is in instances like
this that the regular Democrats will
lose control of their convention
Cowley county, which had only three
or four delegates in last years con-
ventiOn, would have representation
of "a next year, aim ost equal to that
of Leavenworth. Labette county would
have 25 delegates, where it had only
of Ellis county, which is about the only
sure Democratic county in the state,
where the Republicans and Populists
have been known to fuse against the
Democrats, would be reduced from 10
delegates last year to next year.
1t makes no difference what basis of
representation is used, the ratio will
be the same. The basis which will give
LeavenwOrth county the same repreSen-
tation as last year will increase Wyan-
dotte from Is to 81; Sedgwick from II to
"a; Atchison from II to 10; Marshall
from II to 10: Nemaha from IL to 10:
Ellis, decrease from 10 to 8; Bourbon,
increase from to 20; Washington to
49, Barton from to 13: Brown. from s
to II; Crawford from to 33; Dickinson
from 8 to IL: Douglas from to Ii;
johnson from to 16: Shawnee from
to 81; PottaWatomie from to Ia.
These are the counties that practically
controlled the Democratic convention
last year In addition to these there are
a great many more counties in which
the Populists are strong and the Demo-
Gratis weak which would place the
Democrats at a great disadvantage If
the Populists should accept the Demo-
cratic invita- tion and go into the Demo-
cratic primaries. the chances are that
most of the above counties, except Ellis
and Leavenworth, would send delega-
tions with the Populists slightly in the
ma jority. Ellis and Leavenworth coun-