The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-25
SCENE kI
TIE CLIMAX
Of the Senatorial Battle in
Topeka " edneSday.
IN A CARPETED HALL
Figures That Moved About
I and Told the Story.

the United states senate, and the latter
part Of the week he will leave Kansas
for Washington. He will take his seat
March 4, next
Today the lobby has been deserted for
the first time, all the details of the bat
tie lave been threshed out. Some of the
features of the contest have come out
since the end, which are extremely inter-
esting. One of the features was this:
that the best-informed man in the situa-
ton won. With three leading men in
the race ond the breakup Of one force
necessary to consummate the victory
1t was essential for every candidate to
know first, his own force; second, the
forces of his opponents. Long is the
only man Of the three who sailed his
ship on this tack. Longs list of mem
Ders was never a possession; it was an
actual working force. 1t did not have
second choice; il never permitted it
self the weakness of believing that any
body else but Long could win And 1t in
formed itself. by going after the second
choice Of the opponents lists. It worked
In perfect accord and with system. All
reports on second choice in the other
camps were compared. They didn't al
ways jibe. Efforts were then conferred on
the man who had given two second
choices to determine just exactly where
he stood in the matter. This effort very
rarely failed. Long also, through hic
forces, kept account of the tenor OF Cur
tisy support; he found, with much COM
TORT, that Curtis had inspired his sup
port with much of Curtis own obduracy;
that Curtis was never in mood to
make anybody but himself senator and
that he was hanging on to the impossible
lily of Stanley bringing his forces to him
and making Curtis senator Long also
found that Stanley had a few Curtis men
In his camp, and that Curtis was count
Ing On these bringing the Stanley forces
into the Curtis camp. The Long work.
ers discovered that the second choice of
majority of Stanley's forces was Long;
that in so far as the Curtis men had Sec
ono choice it was divided between Long,
Calderhead and a dark horse. but that
the second choice in the Curtis camp
was weaker than in Stanley's camp. Day
after day was used up in acquiring the
facts in the case. They were TO prove
very valuable material At no time.
these details being true did the situation
offer anything more than Long or a dark
one of the most vital elements in the
proposition, but no one breathed the
breath of life into it, just at the mo-
ment when opportunity knocked, and
knocked for the one time. This golden
moment was at 4:30 o'clock Wednesday
afternoon, by far the most intense hour
in the entire battle. No man knows all
that happened in that hour. and only a
few know parts of the events which
transpired. The stage setting was the
long. dark, carpeted hall on the second
floor of the Copeland. into which open
the doors of the rooms used by the can
didates for headquarters. AT the head Of
this ball Is hgh-backed lounge of com
Portable dimensions which gives a view
Of THE halls length. During the day
this hall had been alive with workers
rassilng quickly up and down from the
crowded lobby below. 1t was dark
day {and the hall had grown murky early.
and had suddenly and without particular
cause. emptied and was silent. 4 Stan
ley man came out Of the room and walk
ed SLOWLY from one end of the hall to the
other.
fin the climax of the battle the air had
belcome instinct with a quality.
rIen's faculties had quickened as their
G heeks became chalky. and their eyes
The inference which at the |
beginning of the battle spreng up in |
the mind when two men were seen con- /
FIRING secretly. now became 4 sort of |
clairvoyance that plunged boldly to a |
conclusion In the intensity Of the issue. !
clothes. gait, eyes. face. manner n
their several languages. The droop OF
mans coat seems TO enter into his air |
OF detection. his gait to reveal more Of /
his suffering than his burned-out eyes, |
and his whole manner to be vocal in the /
confession of defeat. The Stanley man
walked slowly from one end Of the hall |
TO the other. an unmistakable advertise
ment of surrender Senator Kelly OF the
Third district. sat on the lounge. ST
lent Some wanderer from below came
up and ambled over 20 Senator Kelly. /
The Stanley man had disappeared Sud
denly a door opened and 4 Calderhead
leader came excitedly down the hall,
OF fright in his movement. He
disappeared in Stanley's headquarters.
Again like a ghost the Stanley man
emerged from somewhere and slowly
dragged himself up and down the hall.
The wanderer from below. not concerned
enough 10 forget humor. looked down the
dark hall and responding 10 the mind
ouickening quality Of the atmosphere.
said: -Helrs a-popping.
A Curtis man emerged from out OF the
darkness. walked a few feet. paused.
turned about. started somewhere,
changed his mind and stopped again. IN
certain. The Stanley man slowly walked
up and down the halls length. The Cur
lis man addressed him. but he did not
pause and continued on his beat The
Curtis man turned about and went
DOWN stairs. Then several Curtis men
ootned into the hail. conferred. disa agreed.
cakme together again and conferred some
More, and disappeared. The Long head
quarters. usually the scene OF much door
opening activity, lay dead No one came
or went Thor, had been no noise in ali
this time II was a complete pantomiEne-
This was its Interpretation. Word had
been received by Governor Stanley that
five OF his supporters would at the night
caueus go over TO Long. Governor Stan
ley believed this would be fatal to him
The Calderhead and Curtis leaders knew
that they must keep him in the race X
n said they assured him that If he would