The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-13

ing all their efforts and money on car
rying the close legislative districts so
as to get a majority in the house. This
is shown by the fact that Harris. At
wood and their other big guns, instead
of putting in their time in the big coun
ties where votes gained would only
count for the state ticket are speaking
in the smaller towns. in the western,
sparsely settled counties. where the vote
is close and a few votes determine the
result where factional differences
among the Republicans give the opposi-
ton a chance to win.
Two years ago the Republicans had a
majority Of 81 in the house A Change
of Is in favor of the fusionists would
give them the house. There are over so
legislative districts where the majority
for the successful candidate was less
than a hundred votes. Over half these
went Republican. In many of the
smaller western counties the majorities
were very small, and a change of
dozen votes would turn the election the
other way. If the fusionists carry the
1ouSe 1T is nearly a certainty that out
OF revenge for the unseating of Hopkins
and Ross in the senate two years ago
tney VIII contest and unSeat enough
Republicans to more than offset the Re
publican majority in the senate. Such
a proceeding would be monstrous, but
not more so than their attempt to or
ganize the house under Lewelling when
the Republicans had a clear majority.
The one danger of such thing is found
LII QlNlSlOlS luaI exist IN the HGDuO1cal
party.
There are leaders in the Republican
party who hate other Republican lead
ers more bitterly than they hate the op-
position. While it is doubtful if any
Republican leader would deliberately
lend himself to his party's defeat yet it
Is true that their continual quarreling
and pickering tend to the same end as
surely as if they were open boilers.
The Kansas City Journal, a Republi-
can paper, last week charged that Nor
ton Albaugh and Cyrus Leland had sent
money belonging to the Republican
committee to Leavenworth to defeat
Curtis. OF course the charge was not
true but that Republican paper should
make such charge illustrates to what
length the factional feeling has gone.
Republican paper in Topeka is fight
ing some OF the Republicans much more
bitterly and effectively than it is fight
ing fusionists and this applies to many
other Republican papers in the state.
The bitter feeling between the factional
leaders extends in leSsening degree to
their following and into many close
counties where it hampers the party
work and cripples the party.
1t is becoming a case of the MontagCs
and the Capulets. The question in any
party nomination is not, is the man fit
can he be elected, but is he for our crowd j?
Win he help us whip, not the Populsts,
but the Republicans of the other faction.
Every man in politics must wear the collar
| of one faction or the other or be ground
between the millstones of the two. To be
Independent, to be merely a Republican is
to be an outcast, pariah, without stand
ing, friends influence He must align
himself with one or the other or he is
Fowerless to accomplish anything. Hav-
| ing so aligned himself he must take his
orders. and vote with his crowd.
Possibly this is unavoidable in politics.
| Possibly this little preachment, wait or
whatever you choose to call it, is unavaiI-
ing. probably it is. But it is a sure thing
that few more years of present condi-
tIons will end Republican supremacy No
party can stand for long the factionaI Dr.
Visions that are already endengering sui
cess in this our most prosperous and 9TH
/ erwise hopeful hour.
There is only one way to prevent it
and that is for the rank and file, the party
workers in the counties to refuse to tie
| themselves to either faction. To refuse
to fight Republicans or encourage fac
tional division or become the followers Of
! factional leaders. The party should be
! first instead of second. In the close coun-
ties every Republican should think first
! of party success and not at all of which
crowd the nominee is for. The fusonists
are steadily counting upon this factional
division. They are all for Harris and they
count that fact as the great reason why
| he will win 1t constitutes a real danger
| that should be minimized by the devotion
of every Republican to his party nominee
| regardless of which crowd he belongs to.
It is doubtless useless to preach to the
! leaders of these factions, but they should
be warned that if they continue to endan-
ger party success by their personal squa b.
bes, leaders can be found who will not
Senator Burton passed through To-
peka late Saturday afternoon en- route
| for Chicago. He will return shortly and
then enter the campaign.
James Wilson. secretary of the United
4 fcc don nrfr1> 141f
make several speeches for the Repub-
licans before the election. His dates
have not been determind upon. but his
opening speech will probably be at
Columbus on October 25.
In 1874 Jeff" Hudson was a Populist
congressman from the Third district. s.
s. Kirkpatrick was nominated by the
Republicans against him and defeated
him. Now the same pair are again run
ming against one another, this time for
member of the legislature from Wilson
county.