The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-04
H. N. Gaines Ready to Fire on
Fusion Committee.
Advocate Editor Threatens to
Tell Some Things.
WORKING FOR A TRUCE
Leaders Are Trying to Smooth
Out Things.
Chairman Babb, Treas. Harvey
and Sec'y Curran Involved.

There is an eruption liable to take
place in the Populist party at any mo-
ment. H. N. Gaines seems to be the
crater which the other members of the
party fear will become active at any
time.
At present the party workers are on
the anxious seat fearing that the erup-
ton will take place. So far the leaders
have succeeded in pacifying Gaines but
he has delivered his ultimatum and un-
less it is complied with he threatens to
turn loose what he knows about the diff
ferent leaders and put it in cold type.
The trouble began when the state COM
mittee was organized.
H. N. Gaines announced himself as
candidate for secretary against John
Curran who was a candidate for re-
election. There was some heavy but
tonholing and some strenuous talking
done in the lobby of the Throop hotel
by the two candidates before the COM
mittee was organized. Many of Curran's
friends went to him with the story that
Gaines was telling all sorts of things
about him which Curran would not like
to hear. The vote was taken and Cur
ran won with 13 votes to 8 for Gaines.
Gaines heard that Curran was angry
with him, SO the story goes, and Gaines
wished to patch up a truce with Cur
ran. In front of crowd of politicians
he offered to shake hands with the win
ner. Curran turned on his heel with a
remark to the effect that he knew who
his friends were and were not and walk
ed away, leaving Gaines with his out
stretched hand unshaken, and the echo
of some bitter words. The politicians
were alarmed as the incident might
mean an estrangement between more
than Curran and Gaines. The politic-
ians found, however. that a reconcilia-
ton seemed impossible. Gaines had his
ire up. He would not be Gained.
The next chapter was that Gaines
went to his office and wrote an editorial
which was expected, if printed, to ruin
had it written he called Jerry Botkin to
his office and read it to him. Botkin
thought it was pretty hot and that it
might blister if it was printed. Gaines
gave him to understand that if certain
things happened it would not be neces-
sary to print it. Botkn rushed down
to the Throop and told Hugh F'arrelly.
the Democratic chairma" about it.
Gaines seemed to want something.
Ma jor A. NJ. Harvey, treasurer of the
state central committee, had also been
made a member of the bureau of infor-
nation. He was asked if he cared any
| thing for the place on the committee.
+, He said he did not and SO place was
| made for Gaines, who was determined
| that he should have a hand somewhere
| in the management of the state cam
paign.
The other members of the committee
are Grant Harrington &c Hiawatha and
JOln Currdn. harrington announced
! to Farrelly that he would not have
! Gaines on a committee with him. He
positively refused to serve with him.
| The matter was patched up, however,
and Gines is a member of the commit
, tee.
| Gaines has notified the Democratic
! and Populist state central committees
! that he wished to print the biographies
of the six officers of the two committees.
f, The officers of the Populist committee
are w. J. Babb, chairman; A M. Har-
] vey, treasurer; John Curran, secretary
! The officers of the Democratic state
chairman; Frank Thomas, treasurer.
4 and Charles McCrum, secretary. These
men declined to pay $25 for their
I biographies. Then Gaines notified the
| committees to aid his paper and pay
! $3.50 for the six biographies and that X
! his request was not complied with that
he would turn loose on some of the
! members of the committee. He threat
ened to print some things he knew
/ which would s'blister'' Harvey and Babb
and others. The central committees
have the matter under advisement and
for the present there is a cessation in
hostilities. The committeeman feel that
! the treasury is too short of funds to
| stand any such lavish expenditures for
| biographies but they do not like Gaines
| threat to give the opposition a chance
! to browse upon the fact that he is fight
ing his party
The Populists who opposed the plan
of allowing the Democrats to swallow
up the party, say that the difficulties
= all occurred becuse of the division in
the party and that Gaines is taking the
! brunt of the fight. Gaines was one of
the leaders who opposed the plan of al
, lowing the Democrats to swallow the
Populists. He was for W. j. Babb for
/ chairman and in order to make an or
| ganization he entered the race for secre-
| tary with the intention of withdrawing
! o1 1,1, q
Populists who stood with Ines work.
ed for Babb for chairman and the op-
position fiuctuated between Harrington
and Harvey, intending to go to the one
claims that both Harrington and Har-
| vey were in the deal with the Demo-
| Gratis to swallow the party. When the
time came for the committee to be or
ganized an executive session was called
and Gaines was among those who was
| excluded from the room at the Hotel
! Throop- He was a member of the old
committee which went out of business
Ex-Chairman E. E. Ridgeley and John
Curran remained in the room during the
I executive session. This reused Gaines
and his friends Babb was elected, the
Gaines crowd maintains, through thef
efforts. Immediately after the election
the opposition crowded around Babt
and induced him to name his executivs
committee
This seems to be where the trouble
| commenced for Babb named five out o.
the seven from the faction which favor
ed being swallowed by the Democrats
Only two of the Gaines crowd, Chris
Reeder and S. p. GeDhart were named
for the committee This brought
Gaines and Babb into a clash which
| was smootkered over but not until the
fact had developed that the Gaines fac
ton was bitter toward Curran on tbs
ground that he knew the complexion Of
the different members of the committee
and that he had failed to notify sew.
eral members who were opposed
to the Democratic assimilation
when the meeting for the purpose Of or