The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-09
Democratic Convention to Meet
at Hill City Wednesday.
To Select Nominees for Con-
gress and State Senate.
LOOKING FOR FUSION.
Caster Would Have PopuIist
and Democrat Support.
Hopes to Defeat Representative
Reeder at the Polls.

Hill City, Kan, Aug. e.-The people
of Hill City will tomorrow entertain
the Democrats of the Sixth congress
sional district and the Thirty-ninth SEN
atorial district, whose representatives
Will be here for the purpose of placing
in nomination Democratic candidates
for congressman and state senator. The
Populists have already nominated for
the former Office, H. o. Caster, of De-
catur county, and John Schlyer, of FL
lis county, for the state senator. The
latter will no doubt receive the unani-
nous endorsement of the Democratic
convention for senator. F. Burleigh
Johnson, of Ellis county, straight
Democrat, who sought the Populist
nomination for congress in the Colby
convention, and was beaten by Mr.. Cas-
ter, hopes the Democrats will nominate
him. Mr.. Caster has not accepted the
Populist nomination, and it may be that
he is waiting to see what the Demo-
Gratis will do. 1t is generally thought
if the Democrats rally to his support
he will accept their party nomination,
as he is himself a Democrat.
The delegates to these conventions
will see a town which has and will ex-
pend upwards of 100000 this year in
buildings, many of them brick and
stone business blocks, school house and
modern residences, they will find
SplenQ1Q system OF CelepnOne, Two Op-
era houses, two first class hotels, three
as good journals as the short grass
country can afford, several churches,
and everything else to build up a live,
wideawake progressive town.
Only one political convention was
ever held in Hill City which was larger
than this one. That was Republican
convention which nominated Judge A.
ago.
Hill City is the home of Lieutenant
Governor David, J. Hanna, who has for
several weeks been seriously i'll with
typhoid fever. He is now slowly inn
proving
The Democrats and Populists are
probably as strong in the Sixth district
as in any part of the state. In fact, the
Populists are stronger there than any
where else, but it has always been a
difficult matter to get them to fuse. In
1900 the Democrats had candidate or
their own and this undoubtedly led to
the defeat of Dr. j. B. Dykes of Smith
county, the Populist nominee. That is
one thing that makes the Smith county
Populists so bitter against fusion.
The only hope for either the PopuliStS
or the Democrats in the Sixth district,
however, lies in fusion. and it is by
no means certain that fusion
would win. Congressman Reeder
has way of getting around
among the people and making
himself popular. If the fusionists could
basis it was four years ago they can
elect their candidate, but otherwise
they cannot.
In 1900 Congressman Reeder received
49, $50 votes. DR.. J. B. Dykes, the Pop
ulist nominee, received 1908, and
Tully Scott, who ran on the Democratic
ticket, received 5,430. The combined
opposition to the Republicans therefore
cast 20, 513, or 953 more than a ajority.
Two years ago Reeder received 1s,S07,
a falling off of 1853, while G. M. Cole,
upon whom the Democrats and Popu-
lists fused, received a vote only little
larger than Dykes alone got in 1900,
Is, S32 This was a falling off of 4,6S1.
A good many of these were spoiled bal |
lots, but probably more than half were
stay-at-home voters.
There will therefore have to be COM |
plete fusion and a full vote for the
fusionists to defeat Irrigation Biz
Reeder this year.
ton of the Republican candidate for |
state senator in Labette county. There |
are four candidates, Fred Perkins, FL |
mer G. Clark, pr. w J. Connor and
held next Thursday at Chetopa. The |
primaries were held Monday in Oswego |
and the contest was between Clark 81
Perkins. Perkins won in all three /
wards Clark has always been allied |
with P. T. Foley in Labette county |
politics and is looked upon as the Bur
ton candidate He was one of the lead |
ing boss busters last spring, and the |
friends of Justice Atkinson hold him |
responsible largely for the defeat of |
Justice Atkinson for nomination at |
Wichita last March. Clark was in To-
peka attending the recent meeting OF
the Republican state central commit /
tee laying his plans for the next legis-
lature.
T. I. Brelsford, chairman of the Popu-
list committee of Edwards county, has |
resigned because he expects to support |
Roosevelt this year.
D. w. Mulvane has been assigned to |
look after the national Republican cam
paign in six states in his capacity as a |
of the executive committee OF |
the Republican national committee. The |
six states are Kentucky, Missouri, Ne
braska, Kansas, Colorado, and Mon
tana. He will spend most of his time in |
Chicago.
William Allen White publishes the
following on 1.-The Fall of Stavely:"
During the session of the last legis-
ature there was more or less promi-
nent in it one Stavely from Usage
Stavely was singed cat. He
did better than he looked; the fact is
that Stavely was about as plain man
as ever ran around loose; but he had
something under his bonnet besides hat
pins. Stavely had a conscience He
was absolutely honest, and was about /
the only man in the whole legislature
who didn't tie up with either crowd
Stavely and a man named Barnd from
Ness county were SO ruggedly honest |
that both crowds were afraid of them
They were right on more propositions
than any other two members of the
nouse, because they voted not for fac
lion, but according to their own indi-
7iduaI consciences.
4Stavely made a big fight against |
odds and saved Usage City a lot of |