The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-02-04
BurtOn-Leland Forces Divide on
Local Candida ates.
WEIGH OR TROUTMAN.
Claimed That Leland's Friends
Will Support Former.
Burton Machine Will Be Behind
the Latter.


center in Shawnee county with National
Committeeman Dave Mulvane, Senator
j. r. Burton and Congressman Charles
Curtis on one side supporting James A.
Troutman in his fight for the Shawnee
delegation at the state convention and
Cyrus Leland, Jr., Morton Albaugh,
chairman of the Republican state COM
mittee, Congressman Chester I. Long on
the other side behind the candidacy of
r. B. Welch for associate justice Of the
supreme court, that is if outsiders take
any hand whatever.
From all appearances Shawnee will be
the pivotal county in the state cam
paign. At least until the county conven-
tion has been held and the delegation
has been delivered to some candidate or
is sent to Wichita uninstructed the fight
will be in Shawnee. In the coming cam
paign before the meeting of the state
convention the fight will be Leland
BY a combination of circumstances an
unusual condition has been brought
about. The fight will be between the
Leland forces and the anti-Ieland
forces and by the strange combination
the anti-Leland forces are forced to get
behind Troutman'S boom While the Le-
land forces will have to look after the
candidacy of Welch. Dave Mulvane is
out for Troutman for governor. That Is
we'll understood among the local polite
ians and although it has not been offi-
cially given out even to the 1nnermOSt
few it is apparent that the Leland forces
will be for Welch.
The situation can be figured out in
this manner. The Leland candidate for
governor is w. ]. Bailey. The anti-Le-
land candidate will be the one who has
the most strength against Bailey, and
that man seems to be TrOutman- Le-
land will not want the Shawnee delega-
tion to be for Troutman as in that event
Bailey will not have that support while
If the Shawnee county delegation IS for
Welch it will at least not be opposed to
Bailey. With the exception OF Trout
man there is no candidate who can car
ry the counties in the First district
against Bailey. If Troutman can secure
the Shawnee delegation the anti-Leland
forces figure that he can also secure the
delegations from Jackson and Jefferson
counties and have showing of strength
in Jackson, Franklin, Allen, Reno, Linn,
Rice, Mcpherson, and Pottawatomte,
where no other candidate except Bailey
has any following.
The combination of circumstances
does not mean that the anti-Leland
forces are fighting Richter or Miller. All
are working for the defeat of the Lee
land candidate and it may result in
combina ton, so they say. Troutman
has taken no part in the factional fight
1t is conceded that unless Troutman
can secure the Shawnee delegation that
he will have no strength in the state
convention nor in the First district for
that matter but that if he secures his
home county delegation there Will be
other delega tionS instructed for him and
that with the scattering strength that
he has over the state that he will go into
the state convention at least as strong
as any other candidate
v Troutman is said to be stronger in |
other parts of the state than in Shaw |
nee county, and that if he secures the |
Shawnee delegation he will be able to /
break Bailey's strength in the First dis /
trict and by the time he goes into the
he will have good follow
ing. The anti-Leland crowd is not get
ting behind Troutman for the purpose
of delivering the organization to some /
one else, so it seems, but to stay with
the boom for the defeat of Leland and
Bailey The place to break Leland's
is in the first district, and the
way to do it, as it seems to the anti
Leland forces. is to defeat Bailey.
Congressman Curtis will also be
forced to work for the interests of Trout
man, as Leland is his most bitter po-
litica1 enemy, and if Leland gets in |
the saddle by nominating his man for
governor it will mean that Leland will |
be the power in the state and that he
will defeat Curtis If he comes before
the legislature as a candidate for SEN
tor. For the same reason Congress-
man Long will be in the Leland camp
and will work for the interests of Bailey
IN the First district
Many anti-Leland politicians would
ike to support Welch, but they see that
It means no blow to Leland for Welch
to win in Shawnee county. 1t is un-
lerstood that Welch did not particu-
arly desire to train with the Leland
forces, but he sees that he will be
'orced to take the opposite side to
rroutman, and that is with the Leland
orces.
AS the Burton and anti-Leland forces |
ire for the most part considered in pol
tics as "the liberal element" it seems |
hat Troutman, the ayowed prohibition |
ST. will be supported by that element. |
An early county convention will be
leld in Shawnee as both sides are anx-
Gus to have the fight over. 1t may be |
hat two sets of delegates to the county
may be voted for, one in
tructed for Troutman and the other for |
Velch, or a ticket with one set of dele |
-oter to express his choice whether the |
delegates shall be instructed for Trout
nan or Welch may be used.