The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-17
POLITICAL GOSSIP
Populists Make a Poor Showing
This Year.
Stand Fifth in the Number of
Votes.
SOCIALISTS Do WELL.
Debs VIII Be Third in Kansas
Lineup.
OCIALISTS Do WELL.
Peoples Party Members Divided
Between Roosevelt and Debs.

What became of the old-time Popu-
list in the recent election? He does not
seem to have shown up by himself any
where at ALL 1t was expected that
Watson would get a pretty fair vote
for president from the oldtime Populist
who would have nothing to do with the
Republican party and who refused to
go into the Democratic party, but it
looks as though Watson will be fifth
man in the presidential race in Kan
sas.
The official figures from twenty aver
age Kansas counties give Swallow, the
Prohibition candidate for president,
1,945 votes; Debs, Socialist, S,S41; and
Watson, Populist, only 1.19O
In nearly every county Swallow and
Debs ran ahead of Watson. Saline is
one of the very few counties that
showed more Populists than Prohibi-
tionists or Socialists. Saline gave
Swallow 43 and Debs 139, but it gave
Watson 199.
The indications are that most of the
Populists voted for Roosevelt this year.
The speeches and writings of Thomas
E. Watson did more to keep votes away
from Parker and turn them to RooSe-
welt than they did to make votes for
Watson.
Bryan took a considerable number of
Populists to Parker this year, but not
L.
is a popular idol with most Populists
and some of them were even willing to
vote for Parker when he advised.
! Other Populists went to the Social
lists. The Socialist vote was largely in
creased this year, particularly in the
southeastern part of the state. The
large increase in the Socialist vote was
largely responsible for the big Repub-
lican plurality in counties that here
tofore have been close.
Even the Populists of the Sixth dis
trict, who have heretofore fought both
the Republicans and the Democrats,
fell by the wayside this year. The re-
turns do not show that the Watson
electors received any more votes pro-
anywhere else. Three Sixth district
counties give Swallow n, Debs "a, and
Watson only A. These same counties
four years ago gave the Populist cleo
nered congressional fight that year
they gave the straight Populist can
didate 791 votes in opposition to both
Republican and Democratic.
Saline county, which this year gave
the Populist electoral ticket only 199
votes, four years ago gave it 1,4S7, and
the Democratic electoral ticket 712 |
Two years ago Bryan came within 46
votes of carrying Saline county, while |
this year Roosevelt carried it by 1,999 !
That shows pretty well where the old |
time PopuliStS in that part of the state |
have gone
Senator H. B. Miller, of Usage county. |
wants to be chairman of the ways and |
means committee in the senate This is |
the most important Craftsmanship in i
the senate. Every appropriation or bill |
involving the expenditure of money /
must run the gauntlet of this commit |
tee, and its chairman wields a tremend- |
Gus power. This is the Craftsmanship |
held during the last two legislatures by |
Senator John Cheney of Topeka. Lieu |
tenant Governor Hanna names the COM |
mittees and their chairmen
1t is said that Senator Fred Dumont |
Smith wants to be chairman of the SEN
ate judiciary committee again, which is |
the second best Craftsmanship.
Two years ago Lieutenant Governor |
Hanna left the committees practically |
as they had been in the legislature of |
1901 The coming winter most of the |
members will be new, so readjustment |
of committees will be necessary.
E. w. Hoch, governor-elect, denies
that he will come to Topeka in the near |
future and open headquarters here. He |
says he proposes to stay with the peo-
pie of Marion. They put up the money |
for his personal campaign, he says, and |
he proposes to stay there instead of |
coming to Topeka for a while at least |
He has rented headquarters in a local |
hotel in Marion and off1ce-seekers will |
have to go there to see him. He will |
probably make occasional trips to To-
peka, however, when occasion requires
The election of road overseers made
a great deal of trouble with the town
ship ballots in the last election the |
same as in preceding ones. 1t is stated |
that in some townships SO per cent /
of the township ballots were invali-
dated because of mistakes, and the
mistakes were nearly all technicali-
ties in voting for road overseers There
are two or more road districts in most
townships, and the names of all can
didates for road overseers in all dis
tricts are on the ballot, but the voter
cannot vote for any except one can
didate in his own district. The nu. -
ber of the district is printed in the
corner of the township ballot, but |
some voters do not known what dis
trict they live in and they vote for the
Many voters vote for one candidate
in each district, believing that they
are entitled to do SO because the
names are on the ballot. Either of |
ballot law, invalidates the entire bal
lot. In the latter case the intention
of the voter is clearly expressed, and {
there is no good reason why his vote
date for whom he votes in his own
district, leaving out the others for
whom he is not entitled to vote; but
that is not the way the ballot is treat /
ed under the present Kansas law
L H. Cole, chief clerk in the office
of State Auditor Wells, has resigned /
and will go into the mercantile busi-
ness with his brother-in-law at Lib
eraI, Mo-, southeast of Fort Scott. His
resignation becomes effective at once
but he win assist to clear up the work |
in the auditors Office for a few davs
the auditors office for the last six
years. He is thoroughly acquainted /
with the business OF the Office and his I