Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1902-10-31
A STARTLING SIMILARITY
A Comparison of Republican Claims Past and
Present

J. M. Senter, manager of the fusion speak
ers' bureau, in discussing the claims made by
the Republican state committee, said
The stories given out by Chairman Mort AL.
baugh, predicting Republican success next
Tuesday, sound strangely like those Jim Smp-
son used to give out when he was running the
machine. In 1892 Jim was chairman of the
Republican state committee. On the 9th of
November, the Capital came out with Simp-
son interview 1t said, among other things:
Chairman Simpson and Secretary Brown,
and everyone around Republican headquarters
who has anything to do with the management
of it, say there can be no possible question as
to the result 1t will be magnificent Repub.
lican victory from one end OF the state to the
other. They know what they are talking about.
They have INDUCED in no boastng or blufing
of any kind. The Republican managers have
good reasons for being confident. The good
reports began coming in more than month ago,
and every day they have teen growing brighter
and more satisfactory. There is no county in
Kansas that has not sent in encouraging news
III the past ten days, and there is not county
that has not made report of positive gains on
the part of the Republicans, and il some coun-
ties and gains are wonderful The reports are
not of the bluff kind, but show actual Republi-
can gains, and cannot be questioned. Accord
ing to these reports, there is not county in
the state where the Peoples party has not lost
in numbers. From every section comes the
report this is Republican year, and that VIC
tory is in the air. and that the Republican ticket
will sweep the state. There is not Republican
connected with the management who believes
the Republican majority will go below twenty
thousand, while Judge Ben Simpson, and many
Others who are familiar with the situation,
believe it will be as high as forty thousand"
Sounds funny now doesn't it, in view of the
election returns, which showed that the Peoples
party had made clean sweep, elected their
state ticket and carried the state fer Weaver for
president?
Four years went by and again Jim Simpson
was filled with the spirit of prophecy. Jim
was again chairman of the state central COM
mittee, and Joe Bristow was secretary. On
NOVSulOcl III, tlucy SuuS tulS sweet SOuS lnCO
the ears of Capital reporter:
"We have been in constant communication
with county and precinct committeeman, and,
from information gathered from these and other
sources, we are enabled to say to the people
that on next Tuesday, Kansas will cast her
electoral vote for Mckinley and Hobart and re-
eject the Republican state ticket. The major
ity for the state ticket will not be less than
ten thousand, and the indications are that the
majority for the state ticket will be considerably
greater"
AS usual, Jim bad his wires crossed, and
when the votes were counted out they disclosed
the fact that Bryan had carried the state, and
that the fusionists had elected the state ticket
and both branches of the legislature.
Abaugh received his political training in the
Jim Simpson school, and his hot.ar talks will
look decidedly like Simpsons predictions of
1892 and 1896, when the votes are counted out
next week.