The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-24
.BABB SPEAKS up.
POpulist Chairman Issues Ad-
dress to His Party.
Justifies Action of Peoples
Party Convention.
BLAMES FUSION LAW.
Explains Advantages Of Hav-
ing Only One Ticket.

Explains Advantages Of Hav-
ing Only One Ticket.
Under the head, 1.-THE Plan of CO.
Operation-Why Adopted, Chairman
Babb and Secretary Curran. of the Pop
ulfst state central committee, today ls-
sued an address to the Populists of Kan
sas explaining why the fusion ticket
was nominated as it was. Many a
man has fallen into the pit he digged
| for another. Haman was hanged upon
| his own gallows," concludes the ADDRESS;
| indicating that the Republicans Will
! fusion election law passed by the last
! legislature. The address is as follows:
| "As you are we'll aware the last Re-
| publican legislature enacted what Is
! known as the anti-fusiOn law.
! THE purpose of the statute was to
| prevent the union of the Populist ana
( Democratic vote upon the same candi-
| dates for office.
| saThe statute. therefore, first forbade
| any candidate for office to accept the
nomination of more than one political
| party, and thus it was hoped to pre-
| vent the nomination of the same cand1-
| dates by more than one party.
In order to make sure of this it was
! further provided that in case person
| should be nominated by more than one
| party, he should at least thirty days be-
| fore the election designate which party's
| nomination he would accept; thus COM
| pelling the nominee OF two or more
| parties to insult one or more OF them Dy
/ refusing to accept such party or par
ties nomination. This it was supposd
| would effectually prevent the Populfsts
/ and Democrats of the state from ever
again attempting to unite upon the
same candidates, seeing that the NOM
| inees must reject the one nomination
/! or the other and thus ALLEVIATE the vote
of one or the other of the parties.
THE ZIG-ZAG PLAN.
"At first it was supposed by some
that the evil effect of the law might be
best avoided by one of the parties NOM
mating a portion of the ticket and the
other nominating the rest of the ticket,
and have each party simply endorse the
action of the other, and each party COM
mend the candidates of the other to its
voters; and thus have the Democratic
| voter vote his own ticket and the Popu-
list ticket, and the Populist vote his own
ticket and the Democratic ticket. This
would have been a difficult programme
to carry out under any circumstances,
| and the Republican leaders and consplr-
ators took pains to make 1t as difficult
as possible by changing the manner of
marking the ballot under the Australian
ballot law. Formerly the voter made ms
of every candidate for whom he wished
| to vote.
"This Republican statute provides
| that if the voter desires to vote
| straight ticket he shall put his cross in
| the party circle at the head of the ticket
and also that If he puts his mark In
the party circle he shall put no mark
upon any other ticket on his ballot;
| and if he does SO it shall vitiate his bal
! lot.''
i This was to prevent the Populist vot-
er after having first put his cross in his
| own party circle from passing over ana
| putting his cross in the Democratic
party circle, or opposite the names of
Democratic candidates; and to prevent
the Democratic voter after putting his
cross in his own party circle from put
ting his cross in the POpulist party cir
cle or opposite the names of Populist
; candidates.; as might but for this pro-
vision have been done If each of these
parties should have nominated por-
ton of the ticket.
MORE LEGAL PITFALLS"
ssThus having in effect forbidden ir
the first instance the nomination b5
the two parties of the same men by
forbidding the candidates to accept
? more than one nomination, this law
goes further and attempts by pitfalls
: to prevent the voter from voting two
parts of tickets which taken together
; would make a complete ticket; thai
| | is to say, the law forbids the Populis
and the Democrat from voting for eacl
: Others candidates IN the same mannel l:l
: that the Republican can vote for his
candidate. by putting his mark in thu
. circle at the head of the ticket.
: Those who favored two parts o
| tickets TO De supported Dy Tie IOpuilSti
and Democrats therefore saw that th'
only way in which the voters coult
! vote for the candidates on such ticker
| would be for all the Populists and al
| the Democrats to put their cross mark
+! opposite every name on each of suci
tickets and absolutely refrain from
| marking the ballot elsewhere Al
saw at a glance that such an attemp
would inevitably result in the loss of
| large per cent of the Populist ant
| Democratic vote through confusion
e misunderstanding and carelessness II
e voting. Thousands of Populists woult
: in such case undertake to vote first il
G the party circle and then pass over ant
attempt to vote for the Democratic can
didates, in either of which case the bal
: lot would be thrown out and the vot
L lost.
n Thousands Of Democratic voter
n would make the same sort of attemp
ii to vote both tickets. while many Q
:, both parties would mark only in thei
!, own party circle, and thus the loss Q
votes in the state would inevitably b
2 so great it was believed by a grea
: majority of the two conventions Of Jun
!. "a as to doom the allied forces to de
q feat in advance of the election.
e THE ONE TICKET PLAN.
iI Thus believing there remained bu
e one method by which the Populists an
d Democrats might safely unite upon
y ties, and that was the method adoptet
e viz: one of the parties to nominate a
d the candidates for a complete ticket
r. advance of their nomination by tn
l. other party and then let the other part
~ nominate the same candidates and fl
= both tickets with the secretary of stat
n This done the law provides that:
l. Whenever any person shall receiy
lie two or more nominations for the sam
j office, he shall be deemed to have az
i, cepted the nomination first made and I
d have declined the others, unless with
i, the time limited for filing certificate
q, of nomination he shall file in the of11s
h where such certificates of nominatio
81 are required to be fled. written stats
10 ment signed and sworn to by hi
l. designating which one of such nonfns
IN tions he desires to accept and upon II
fling thereof he shall be deemed