The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-12-28

gress over Charles Curtis. BY this re-
verse Leland lost prestige, and succeed
ing district conventions and finally the
state convention to choose delegates to
the national convention took his feet
from under him, and D.. w. Mulvane,
whose star had been rising for some
years, deprived him of the position OF
national committeeman.
THE MACHINE OUT OF HIS HANDS.
Now the party machine was in the
hands of the enemy Leland had left
only the pension office and Doniphan
county A few politicians for whom he
had formerly fought began to desert his
and give their allegiance to
the new Warwick. Wise men freely
predicted that Leland had come to his
end. But Leland kept on fighting. He
got behind Lucien Baker again, but J..
r. Burton, his worst enemy, won the
prize Still Leland fought. The new
office of pension agent, but so long as
William Mckinley was president Lee
land was not afraid. Leland was so sure
that he could afford to be
imous. Before you issue my new
commission, announce one of Burton's
appointments he said to the president.
Burton wants it that way. and it will
be all right" President Mckinley con-
sented to the delay, and in a few days
an assassin's bullet put it in the power
of the new senator to turn Leland out
of office. Still Leland fights.
A singular fatality has followed LIE
lands faith in men, For instance. in
1894 he persuaded NJ. M. Murdoch to
withdraw from the contest for governor
would permit him to name the police
commission of Wichita. Murdoch want
ed a liberal board, one hat would
license the saloons, but when the time
came for Morrill, to act, he gave Wich-
tia Tiger Bill' and a disastrous pro-
hibition crusade. Murdoch had Leland's
promise in writing. and held Leland re-
sponsfble. So in 1896 Leland. in re-
membranes of his promise, sent Muir
dock to the ST. Louis convention. To
do this, he had to deprive the Third dis
trict of one of it's delegates, and so was
compelled to go up against M. A Low,
with whom he had been on friendly
terms. and Low never forgot it. Low
Wanted John Carpenter sent to the ma
tional convention, and Leland beat him
with Murdoch. Again. in 1898, he accepted
in good faith the written agreement of
the friends of Charles Curtis that Cur
tits would not be a candidate in the First
When the time came for Curtis to full
fill, he7repudiated the agreement of his
friends and overcame Leland So many
powerful influences were behind Curtis
that discretion babe Leland to take
Bailey out of the fight. but Leland
stood by his friend and lost Following
this came his loss or the national COM
mittee position Last summer, when
President Mckinley gave notice that he
would retain Leland in the pension Of
flee, followed by Senator Burton's re-
quest for Leland not to ask for his con-
mission until the senator might an
nounce an appointment of his own, Le-
land accepted it to mean that the fight
on him was not only ended, but acqui-
esced in by Burton But the
ed happened; President Mckinley was
killed and Leland lost.
1t is Lelandss disposition to take a
rosy view Of things and to believe in
the promises of men. and in all the
forty years he has been dealing with
politicians he never has learned to be
his guard. His successes have been
due to his excellent Judgment of men,
and so the broken promises that rave
embarrassed him have been |
lively few. But although few, they
been disastrous
HE DEMANDS FULL ALLEGIANCE
Another weakness of Leland's char
acter is to demand anall0yed allegiance
has no patience with a man who
will go only part way with him. For |