The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-25
POLITICAL GOSSIP
" Anti Machine . Movement and
What It Means.
Part of the Plan to Throw Bur-
ton Over.
RALLY ROUND CURTIS,
That Is the Purpose of the Or
ganizatiOn.
AfPhiSnu Chau,uiou ni1oovov.e
lALLY ROUND CURTIS.
Atchison Champion Discovers
Deep Dark Plot.

The organization of the "anti-faction
machine. which was accomplished at
the National hotel by a number o.
anti-Leland politicians last Monday af-
ternoon. turns out to be another step
in the movement on the part of a ma
jority of the Burton faction to dump
Senator Burton and rally around some
new man as a leader. probably Con-
gresham Charles Curtis.
On March q the state Journal pub
lished the details Of a secret meeting
held by a number of members of the
legislature shortly before the legislature
adjourned, in which it was agreed to
leave Senator Burton. Mr.. Curtis was
not in that meeting, and neither was hN
in the one last Monday, because he was
in Washington. but it is stated on good
authority that the call for Mondays
meeting was issued by J. G. Slonecker.
Mr.. Curtis manager. At the time of
the meeting the authorship of the call
for the meeting was carefully kept a
secret but it has now leaked out
In the report published on March p
the State Journal said: THE plans have
been made and the work of strineing
the wires for fight on Cyrus Leland by
large wing of the Burton crowd anG
the 'anti-Leland' forces is on. A meet
ing was held last week before the legls-
lators went home. The scheme was in
stlgdted by some politicians in the ole
Fourth district and the first meeting
was REID IN committee room at the
state house"
Mondays meeting. too, was made up
largely of members of the LEGISLATURE
The Fourth district, also contributed
more to II than any other part of the
state Among the Fourth district poll
tlclans IN Mondays meeting were Con-
gresham Miller, Senator II. B. Miller
Representatives Tucker and DOlley. E.
". Hoch of Marion and DR.. Kemper of
Wabaunsee county
The plan as outlined by the meeting
in March was to desert Burton and
when the proper time comes. TO line up
behind Mr.. Curtis as d senatorial can
dldate to succeed Burton in 1906. 1t
was also planned to attack Leland's rec
ord In the legislature.
In the meantime, however. it was pro-
posed to keep Mr.. Curtis name out of
the new organization in order to get il
started along 'ilnpersonal'' lines. but
the fact that ]. G. Sfonecker called the
recent meeting necessarily connects Mr..
Curtis name with The movement.
The senatorial campaign or 1906 is
still some attnze OFT The hgst thing win
be to capture the Kansas delegation to
the Republican Fationals convention
next year and 70 control tfftsD Republican
state convention in the nominafion of a
state ticket. Ed Hoeh's popufaFitv will
be used to help this along. if Mr.. Hoch
viii stand for it--as a candidate, for
governor He Will Of course, aid it with
his influence but ft>Ten1ains to be seen
whether he will become a candidate for
the gubernatorial nomination against
Governor Bailey next year. Mr. Hoch
says nothing about Mondays meeting in
his paper this week.
The Atehison Champion has found
rafrT oil
cyrus Leland is going to elect Bale
Waggener governor of Kansas next
year. In a double column editorial this
week the Champion says:
There is a plan on foot, 50 it is ru-
mored, to turn the state of Kansas over
to the Democrats. lock. stock and bar
rel The scheme originated with the
Hon. Cyrus Leland. If the Tumor is
well founded, it will mako 3. P Wag-
gerer governor two years hence. The
plan was formulated before the corn
carnival in Aichison last fall Leland
never did like Seaton. nor did Seatoa
love the versatile statesman from Troy
1t seems thai he did not need Mr.. Sea-
ton IN his business The result was,
SeatOnS defeat. However Leland had
10 make q deal first with the RepubIi-
can central committee of Atohison in
order TO accomplish his aims Before he
could carry out his plans he had to ar
range certain matters the publication
the people of the whole state It shows
that our political methods are rotten.
Leland'S is a strong combination, and
includes some OF the shrewdest polite
ians of the state. One of the plans is
to elect Leland United States senator.
and B. P Waggener governor. But the
best laid schemes of mice or men may
turn on what I might have been e.
lands success depends entirely whether
he can control his constituency against
Curtis. 1t Is a big job to defeat a man
of the congressman's national reputa-
ton. It requires ADLER men to beat a
man of his calibre. Leland and Wag-
gener must understand the character of
the man they are trying to snow under.
The way this thing looks to us Mr.. Lee
land is up against a hard proposition
Counting chickens before the eggs
are Matched is a puerile amusement and
belongs to children in Easter time.
Waggener is too shrewd to let a man
of Leland's calibre control him. or
stand sponsor for his political opinions.
Mr.. Seaton. in the meantime. can not
hope to control the men that Leland
took away from him last fall and put
them at work for Wsaggener-a Demo-
crat. He lost his last charm in the
mayoralty election-sO it is thought
when he failed to rally his forces for
the Lincoln party. The question now is
asked, Where was Seaton's influence
on April Twas 1t with the Democrats
Mr.. Seaton has said within a brief
period that he is out of politics, ex-
cepting that he viii try and help the
nation to get a good president. How
he can expect to accomplish such
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