The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-26
MIAMI TO FRONT.
Republican County Committee
on the Kelly Fight.
Issue Statement Showing Why
He Shouldn't Be Nominated.
HIS RECENT BOLT.
Call 1t Plan to Steal the
Delegation.
Statement Will Be Sent to All
Delegates.

one which was referred to in the recent
letter of George Robinson, the Miami
county chairman, to State Chairman
Albaugh, which was stolen from Mr..
Albaugh's office, was printed today and
will be sent out to those who will be
present at the Wichita convention.
The reason for this is that the dele
gates may know the real situation in
Miami county. The "anti-machine'
machine will do everything in it's power
to force a caucus action which it can
control before the convention, and that
caucus will try to seat the Kelly dele
cation from Miami county, regardless
of what is right. That the delegates
may know the facts before going into
such a caucus, this statement is issued
by the Miami county Republican CEN
trail committee.
A man who has been elected as a
delegate to the state convention came
to Topeka few days ago and was sur
prised to hear that there is any opposi-
ton to I. I. Kelly in his home county.
He reads only the Topeka Capital and
the nearest to the truth that he got
from the columns of that paper was
that the Republicans of Miami county
had unanimously endorsed Mr. Kelly.
He tried to argue that Kelly stood we'll
at home because there wasn't a vote
against him in his home convention
The delegate actually knew nothing of
the split in Miami county, nor that
Kelly had bolted the regular county
committee, organized a new one with
out authority, and held a private con-
vention.
The statement of the Miami county
Republican central committee is as fol-
lows:
TO THE REPUBLICANS OF
KANSAS
Protest of the Republicans of Miami
County to the denomination of
Thomas 7. Kelly for State Treasurer.
Paola, Kas., Feb. Is, 1874.
Thomas T. Kelly has added to his
crime of robbing the taxpayers of
Miami county. during his four years
| term as county clerk. from January,
1890, to January, 1894, by means of
warrants. the further crime of at
tempted larceny of the delegates from
this county to the state and congress
sional conventions of 1904 He has I'M
dertaken to accomplish this by ignor-
ing the regular Republican county GEN.
trail committee, and manufacturing a
committee of his own. under whose call
he held caucuSes and convention of
his own and elected delegates to the
congressional convention of the Second
district at Garnett and the state con-
vention at Wichita.
The present regular Republican CEN
| trail committee was elected at the Pri-
mary election held August 2, 1902, to
nominate a county ticket. at which
election a total of 1,5S5 votes were cast.
| There are twenty-five voting precincts
in the county. and the committee elect
| ed at that time is composed of the fol-
| lowing members: Stanton township. c.
| z. Roberts; Richland, D. E. Maddox;
Maryville. w. P. Officer Ten Mile, B.
Boice; Wea. Jas. McElheny: Middle
Creek. w. l. Wood: Sugar Creek. Geo.
T, ir7er leo 90
Willis Underhill: Mound. A. Rookstool;
| Osawatomie township. John A. Lessen
den; Osawatomie city. First ward, H.
Parker: Second ward. Q. R. Iiddle;
Third ward H P. Morley: Fourth
ward, Fred Conklin; West Valley, P. l..
Ware; East Valley. J. W. 8rantner:
Paola township. c. c. Hoover: Paola
city, First ward, H. B. Frazier: Second
ward, P. J. Dunn; Third ward, Geo. L.
Robinson: Fourth ward. A. L. Thomas.
This committee met in Paola and or
ganized, Saturday. August 16, 1902, by
the election of Geo. L. Robinson. or
Paola, as chairman, and O. r. Liddie
as secretary This committee conduct
ed the campaign of 1902.
On Tuesday, January 26, 1904, this
committee met in Paola by call of the
chairman and secretary, IL OF the u
members being present, all OF the pre-
cincts being represented except Wea,
Sugar Creek and Miami townships and
the Third ward in Osawatomie. AT this
meeting a call was made for county
convention, to be held in Paola, FEB
ruary 10, to elect eleven delegates and
eleven alternates to the state conven-
ton and ten delegates and ten alter
mates to the congressional convention
1t was provided that the caucuses to
elect delegates to the county conven-
ton be held on February II, between
the hours of and o'clock p. m, I'M
der the supervision of the respective
committeeman, each for his own pre-
cinct, with two assistants, to be Sc
| lected from each of said voting pre-
: cincts by the chairman of the county
central committee. This order was
made by the committee by vote OF
15 to 3.
In the general election of 1902 Mr.
Kelly lost this county for state treas
urer by 933 votes, Governor Bailey car
rying the county by a majority of 125
Conditions are more unfavorable now
for Kelly than they were then, ano
knowing that he could not get the del
egation to the state convention in 9
| fair test of strength, he sent letters tc
a few of his friends after the meeting
! of the central committee, and on Sat
urday, January 30, 1904, held a meeting
, of a few of his supporters, at which
: time under his personal direction, 9
so-called county central committee was
formed Kelly putting on men from al
over the county without their know
ledge or consent, several of whom re-
fused to serve and did not serve.
Under this bogus committee. organ
: lied in defiance of law, custom, an6
! authority. and the call of the state com
rnittee, a Kelly convention was called
, for February IL. with pretended eau
cuses to be held February s. In this
farce of holding caucuses, East Valley
t precinct did not have single person
: present, and West Valley only one per.
' son. Many of the other precincts hat
T only from three to ten. and the larges
S number that participated in any single
: caucus was in the Second ward il
Paola, where Kelly claimed his resi-
dence, where there were twenty-si1
2 present. The total number who par
S ticipated IN al these caucuses was les
. than 300. When Kelly held his RUM
4 convention possibly two-thirds of TIL
a delegates were present West Vale.