The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-10-19
THREAT OF
THE P0PULESTS
Cause a Furry by Attitude en-
State Ticket.
SLAM AT THE DEMOCRATS
Say They Never Voted Demo-
cratic Ticket and Never Will,
SLAM AT THE DEMOCRATS

The fact that lot Of Populists in sedg-
wick county are talking Of Aniang the
state ticket because it Is headed Demo
cratic" and on the grounds that they
never voted the Democratic ticket in their
lives. has caused furry in local political
circles.
There are hundreds upon hundreds Of
Populists in sedgwick county who never
voted a Democratic ticket This year
they have no state ticket of their own on
the ballot and this threat to pass the
Democratic ticket by is apparently made
as slam at the local Democrats who
the Populists have claimed for years,
have had a way Of scratching Populist
nominees in fusion deals
Whatever the situation II the rest Of
Kansas. the Pobulists here insist on call
ing themselves Populists still. and deny
that they have been gobbled by the Demo-
cratic party.
The fusion workers in going over the
county and in canvassing in the city have
found that the accentlation between
Democrats and Populists has grown
stronger in the matter Of names. The
Democrat who has always been a Demo
crat resents being called a Populist more
this year than ever before, for some rea-
son. And the Populist who is stn
Populist will not stand being designated
g Democrat.
Many Of the Democrats in both the city
and county say that there is no longer
any excuse for the Populist partys insist
ence on the name Peoples party on the
ballot; that the national organization Of
the Peoples party has ceased 10 exist;
that IN the state the Peoples party has
surrendered its name and is supporting
the state Democratic ticket, and that the
action of the Populist leaders in Sedg-
wick county in keeping the county ticket
out OF the Democratic column was mighty
small politics. Some of the local Demo-
Gratis go SO far as to declare openly that
the leading Populists here are getting in
shape and keeping their name and or
gsnization alive for the express purpose
OF making q bitter fight against Demo-
cratic reorganization in Kansas next year,
preparatory TO the national campaign.
In this connection it Is developing that
a large number of P0pulists are not go
ing to vote the state ticket headed
Democratic" They say that they are
not Democrats; that they have not gone
into the Democratic party; that they have
never voted the Democratic ticket and
never will. Naturally utterances likS
there. and they can be heard from Popu-
lists on every hand. lead Democrats to
believe that these Populists will refuse
TO veto the state ticket headed Demo
cratic"
The matter of the new ballots has been
the subject of a good deal of discussion
during the last week. The feeling pre-
walls that it is going to be a straight
ticket year" that is that larger per
cent of straight tickets than usual viii
be cast. The information that a cross
mark in the circle at the top of the ticket
votes a straight ticket; that for straight
ticket this mark and this mark only is
necessary is supposed to be in the hands
Of every voter in the county by this time.
1t Is maintained by some that the pre-
vailing opinion that the ballot will be
difficult to vote is an error the argument
being made that the ballot is practically
the same as that used IN New York, and
that Kansas people in education and gen.
eral intelligence rank far above the people
Of the big eastern state.
All workers agree that the new ballot
means rapid voting and an early count.
Under the old system voter who wanted
70 vote straight ticket had 20 mark a
cross in front of each candidates name,
which took time. Now the single cross
mark In the circle will DO the same thing. /
The new plan viii be a great relief to /
the judges and clerks election night and /
WIN facilitate a work that has always /
been tedious.