The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-22
Now Working Among His DEM
0cratic Friends.
Would Prevent Anti ReSOlu-
tiOns in Convention.
STAMPEDE KEEPS UP.
Republicans Continue to With
draw Their Support.
H. N. Gaines Won't Be Fusion
Official Organ.

The action of the Miami county Re
publican convention last Saturday with
reference to Thomas t. Kelly, Repubh-
can nominee for state treasurer, and his
embezzlements while county clerk of
Miami county, is bringing out a demand
from Republicans all over the state that
something be done with reference to the
Kelly matter. Unless something Is
speedily done it is probable that a large
number of Republican papers over the
state, whose editors believe in honesty
in public officials, will take down Kelly's
name from the Republican ticket ana
refuse to give him even a passive sup
port. The following is a comment by
the Holtcn Recorder this week:
1T strikes US the Topeka Capital
would be serving the interests of the
Republican party better by making some
satisfactory explanation of Mr.. kellys
alleged defalcation of county FUNDS,
provided satisfactory explanation can
be made, than by criticizing the state
Journals fight against the Republican
nominee for state treasurer The Re
corder has waited long and patiently
for something on which to base de-
fense of Mr.. Kelly and some of these
Gays we may be forced to the conclus-
ion that there is no defense to be made
and we will have to substitute blank
for Mr.. Kelly's name on the state
ticket"
Some of the Democrats of Miami
county have been as active in the de-
fense of Mr.. Kelly as the leading Re-
pnOl1CanS nave De6n III QuSSlHS up LIE
official misdoings, but the rank and file
of the Democrats now seem to have re-
volteG against such action. a dispatch
from Paola to the State Journal today
says:
ct. T. Kelly, Republican nominee for
state treasurer. came down from Kan
sas City yesterday, presumably for the
purpose of having his attorneys prepare
the statement he has promised should
be forthcoming, and incidentally to dr
little missionary work among his
Democratic followers. SCne of the
Democrats have concluded that it would
be good thing to follow the example
set by the Republican convention held
last Saturday and adopt resolutions
similar to those passed by the Repub-
leans, condemning Kelly and his meth
DDS.
THE chairman of the Democratic
county central CON mittee, Henry Allen,
who attended the Republican conven-
ton at Wichita in the capacity of a
Kelly rooter, was defeated in his own
ward for committeeman by an anti
Kelly man, the vote standing II to g.
Allen was an open and avowed candi-
date for reelection to the office of
chairman of the Democratic county CEN
trail committee. but this decisive vote
eliminates him a future factor in
local Democratic politics.
Prominent Democrats say that if he
desired to go to Wichita in Kelly's in
terest, after being thoroughly acquaint-
ed with Kelly's record, the least he could
have done was to resign his position as
chairman and go in the capacity of
private citizen. They say that by pur
suing the course he did he proved him
self wholly unworthy of the trust re-
posed in him. and they took this. their
first opportunity, to turn him down."
1t is stated that Mr.. Kelly will pre-
pare statement which will be ''satis-
factory to his friends" Isn't it rather
peculiar that candidate for the most
responsible position of trust in the
state should find it necessary to satisfy
those who are friendly to him with re-
gard to his honesty as an official The
Leavenworth Times puts it this way:
TON Kelly writes to Frank Grimes
from Kansas City that he will make
statement of the Miami county trouble
which will be satisfactory to his friends.
That is not the point. Tom should try
to satisfy his enemies. His friends are
not making any fight on him. it is his
enemies"
H N Gaines, editor of the Farmers
Advocate, has withdrawn his support
from the fusion ticket and the Popu-
lists are now without a state organ. The
action of Gaines is seemingly the out
come of his trouble with John Curran.
secretary of the Populist state central
committee, which eliminated in Curran
thrashing Gaines. Gaines was a candi-
date for secretary of the committee in
opposition to Curran but was defeated.
He says that henceforth he will publish
farm paper instead of political one.
The Advocate was started with the
Farmers Alliance more than ten years
ago as the official organ of 6tat organi
Zation, and when the alliance became
the Populist party it naturally became
the official party organ. 1t gained an
extremely large circulation all over the
country, and was at one time edited by
Senator Peffer. During the Leedy ad-
ministration it was the official state pa
per and was quite prosperous. 1t was
then owned by George b. Harrison. but
after 1t lost its official patronage it
went down. A year ago it was purchas-
ed by Mr.. Gaines who revived 1t some
what but now he declares that he has
cut loose from politics and will build up
an independent farm paper. He says
edttorially:
with this issue this paper ceases to
be political and the Democratic ticket
IS removed from the head of our edito-
? rial page 1t has long been the desire Of
the publisher to build up in Kansas a
agricultural and stock interests of the
state. Our present decision has been
FASTENED by reason of the action of the
recent Peoples party convention in this
stare, which, through the efforts of n err
cenary leaders. decided that the Peoples
party should no longer be factor in
the state and that it's adherents should
be carried en- masse into the Demo-
cratic party This paper has stood res
piutely against fusion. 1t has stood par
tfcularly against Democracy of the kind
that is now in control of that party in
the state. 1t can see no difference. as
far as the interests of the agricultural
classes are concerned, whether the Re
publicans or the Democrats triumph
Neither will further the principles of
true PoDulism. This paper declines to
further stultify itself by even an ac-
qufescent support of that in which il
does not really believe, and every act
of the present Democratic committee
since its organization has been upon
the theory that Populists can be brow