Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-10
FIVE IN THE FIELD
INTERESTING FIGHT FOR THE
KANSAS sENAToRsHIP.
Representative Curtis Leaves for
Topeka Expressing Confidence
in His Election.

Politicians in Washington who are taking
an Interest in the senatorial contest in Kan
sas predict that the fight for Senator Will
liam A. Harris seat will be one of the most
interesting senatorial struggles the sun
flower state has ever known. w. j. Bailey.
the new governor and a former member of
Congress, will be inaugurated In January
and the balloting for senator will begin
week later. There are five candidates, four
of whom are members of the Kansas dele
cation In Congress. Representatives Curtis,
Long, Bowersock and Calderhead Governor
Stanley is the other candidate. The lead
ing candidates are Curtis. Long and Stan
ley. The hopes Of Bowersock and Calder
head rest entirely upon the belief that the
bitterness of the contes. will develop sit
nation that will demand the selection of a
dark horse Representative Curtis left for
Topeka Sunday and Representative Long
will leave in day or two. Both will open
Headquarters at the Kansas capital and per-
sonally direct their forces.
sixty-Five Necessary to Elect.
1t will take sixty-five members of the
legislature to elect and as the contest now
stands none of the candidates will have
within ten votes of the majority on the first
ballot Curtis friends predict that he will
have nearly sixty votes to start with and
that the balance will be made up by de-
sertions from Long and additions from the
scattering few instructed for Bowersock
and Calderhead. The friends of Long re-
fuse to give out any estimates but content
themselves with the somewhat general
statement that he will have strong follow
ing from the beginning and that ne Will
wind up winner SANKEY'S friends also
express confidence in the success OF his can
didacy, while the supporters of Bowersock
and Calderhead say that all the indications
point to the election of dark horse.
Contest for Speaker.
AS usually happens in senatorial con-
tests the first test of strength will come
with the election of a speaker Of the house
The contest for speaker has developed an
interesting phase. Following the Novem-
her election, the partisans of Long got be-
hind former Representative Kirkpatrick for
speaker. and the partisans of Curtis got
behind George j. Barker. This made the
contest for speaker an incident Of the tight
for United States senator. and the politi-
clans settled down to watch Its progress
along that line when suddenly Governor
Stanley brought out ]. T. Pringle. The
gossips have it that the friends OF Long
and secretly put his boom where Governor
Stanley could find it, but be that as 1t may,
the fact remains that Stanley was the first
to spring the new candidate. When this
was done Kirkpatrick withdrew and the
fight narrowed down to Barker and Prfn-
gle. The superior advantage claimed for
Pringle in the contest for speaker Is that
his election would not give any OF the can
didates for senator the advantage. He is
instructed for Curtis, but has trained in
politics with Cyrus Leland and Long, and
he promises not to give any candidate the
best of 1t in the selection of his commit
tees. On the surface this seems to be fair to
Curtis but really it embarrasses him, for
Barker has claim on his support by rea-
son of their political relations. The scheme
puts 1t up to Curtis to make choice be-
tween two friends, and this has caused him
much annoyance.
Mr. Curtis Confident.
Before he left Washington Representative
Curtis said to Star reporter: "All of the
reports I have received from Kansas dur
ing the past week are encouraging. have
not the slightest doubt that I shall be
elected. / conducted what / considered an
honorable campaign for control OF the legis-
lature and have nothing to apologize for.
This is more than some of the other can
didates can truthfully say. l do not think
the contest will be a prolonged one. as
have an Idea that a few ballots will bring
about an election"
Politicians at the capitol are taking an
especial interest in the election, from the
fact that w. J. Bailey was a member of
the Fifty-siXth Congress. He served on
the committee on agriculture and took a.
prominent part in the deliberations Of the
committee on the oleomargarine bill. He
one of the most popular members of
the Kansas delegation in that Congress.
He was the Kansas congressman at large.
He was candidate against Representative
Curtis for the republican congressional
nomination in the Topeka district two years
ago. Curtis won by a large majority in the
convention. Following his defeat, Bailey
announced himself as candidate for gov
ernor. and after a sharp contest was NOM
mated. He was elected by one Of the
largest majorities ever given a candidate
in Kansas. He is counted among the sup
porters of Representative Long, but in some
quarters 1t Is believed that his chief aim is
to bring about the defeat of Representa- tive
Curtis.