The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-12-14
POLITICAL GOSSIP
Burton Men Formulate a New
Rule For Candidates.
Fear That Old Plan Would Shut
Out Richter.
MILLER LEADS HIM.
Therefore There Must Be Re-
forming of Plan.
Items of Interest About the
Wire Workers.

The Burton leaders have promulgated
| new rule in Kansas politics. 1t has
| always been an unwritten law that
whenever a candidate for congress can
not secure the delegation from his own
county, or when candidate for a state
office can not have the backing of his
own congressional district, ne snail step
down and out.
| This was the rule adopted by the Bur-
ton faction several months ago when
for governor. They thought that Mr..
| Richter would walk away with the
Fourth district delegation. But since
| then Senator H. B. Miller has gone into
! the race and he has developed such an
alarming degree of strength in the
Fourth district that the Burton people
have repudiated the rule and promul-
| gated another. The new rule is: The
candidate who can develop the strong
est support outside of his own district
shall stay in anyway.
A great many politicians tnlnk tnat
Senator Miller has already won the
fight for the control of the Fourth dis
trict by a big N ajority before the con-
test has really commenced. Under the
rule which has always prevailed this
would put Mr.. Richter out of the race,
but instead of that the rule has to go,
and Mr.. Richter stays in the race, de-
pending upon his outside strength to
make up what he lacks in his own dis
trict.
In connection with Mr. Richter's can
didacy attention is called to the fact
that Morris county, Mr.. Richter's home,
is already we'll supplied with office
holders. In the first place 1T has the
state senator from that senatorial dis
trict, Senator MorehouSe. Then it has
the congressman from the Fourth dis
trict, J. NJ. Miller. 1t has the lieutenant
governor, Mr.. Richter himself And it
also has the recently appointed consul
to Cape Colony, South Africa, w. R.
Bigham, who has represented Morris
county in the last two sessions of the
legislature.
The Ellsworth Reporter this week
brings out Hill P. Wilson, of Hays
City, at present assistant secretary of
state, as a new candidate to succeed
Secretary of State Clark 1t says a lot
of nice things about Mr.. Wilson which
those who know him know are
deserved. But there is a suspicion that
something more than friendship of Mr.
Wilson underlieS the boom that is
sprung for him for secretary of state.
The Ellsworth Reporter is the personal
organ of E. w. Wellington who is max
ing a fight for the Sixth district con-
gressional nomination. J. r. Burrow,
of Smith Center, has been candidate
The Goodland News, which is friendly
to Congressman Reeder, has brought
out E. S. Knight, also of the secretary
of states office. as a candidate for
secretary of state, and 1t is in a position
to say to Mr.. Burrow that if he doesn't
tote fair with Mr.. Reeder it will push
Mr.. Knights candidacy and shut Bur
row out from getting the full support
of the Sixth district Now comes Mr.
Wellington'S organ with a move to
check that of Goodland News, and
springs Mr.. Wilson as a candidate, and
it is In a position to tell Mr. Burrow
that he must do as Mr.. Wellington says
or it will push Wilson's. candidacy. AL
together it is liable to place Mr.. Burrow
in precarious predicament.
The friends of the candidates who are
not represented on the programme of
the Kansas Day banquet do not like the
programme. For instance, they claim
that Secretary Valentine worked in the
candidate for attorney general from his
town, c. c. Coleman, thereby giving
him a chance to make little hay. But
at the same time another candidate for
the same office appears from Harper
county, Mccullough of Anthony. Harry
Bones friends do not like this, because
Mccullough and Bone are both from
the same locality and are candidates
for the same office. and they think it
gives Mccullough an advantage over
Bone. Then Clyde Miller, son of Sena-
tor Miller, is on the programme and will
doubtless help along his fathers boom
candidates for governor have sons to
speak for them. Another son of his
father from whom is expected a bril-
liant speech is Homer Hoch, of Marion.
whose father is a candidate for state
printer.
s. J. Osborn, of Salina, has made up
his mind to go into the race for super
intendent of insurance and make a fight
for it. Other candidates who are men,
toned for the same place are c. H
Ridgeway, of Ottawa, who was assist
ant superintendent under w. ". Church
until he resigned, and Charles Luling,
of Wichita. Osborne will probably get
the Burton support He was speaker of
the house of 1899 and has been a Bur-
ton supporter from the beginning.
Dr. c. w. Brandenburg, one of the
leading Democrats of the Fifth district
is grooming Andrew Shearer of Mar
shall county, for the Democratic nomi-
nation for congress in the Fifth district
A peculiar feature is that Shearer is a
Populist and member of the Populist
state central committee, while the only
other candidate who has been talked of
to any extent is Senator Mcmillan of
Ottawa county. Democrat The Dem
ocrats generally seem to be rallyins
around Shearer, notwithstanding the
fact that he is a Populist-
that E s. Ellis, a brother of Justice Ell
lis. of the Kansas supreme court, is
putting up a vigorous fight for the Re
publican nomination for mayor of Kan
sas City, and stands an exceedingly
good chance of winning it. Ellis form
erly came from Kansas. He practiced
law for some time at Concordia. where
he was in partnership with w. W. Cald-
well, now candidate for attorney gen
eraL
The Holton Recorder says a great
many nice things about George A. Coles
candidacy for governor this week.
Among its comments it says: ''Of late
the comments of the press and inform
alton we have gathered from other re-
liable sources, point to George E. Cole
state auditor, as very strong candi-
date for nomination for governor of the
state of Kansas at the next state Re
publican convention The only objec-
ton raised against Mr.. Cole is that he
has had enough Tt is true that he has
Jared well at the hands of the Republi-
cans of this state having been three
times elected to the Office of state audi