The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-09
VOICE. FROM PAST
What Leland Said About Bur
ton Long Ago.
The Interview Now Sounds Like
q Prophecy.

NJ
of his former supporters are fastening
to deny that they have anything to
do with him now and that he will not
be reelected to the United States SEN
ate, even though he escapes conviction
on the charges against him. In speak
ing of this matter Cyrus Leland, who
has been fighting Burton for years.
said today:
4 These people who are talking that
way now knew before he was elected
| just as well as they do now Just what
sort of a man Burton is, but they sup
| ported him just the same. And they
are just as likely to do it again as they
were before. The only thing that Gill
keep them from supporting him will be
if he is sent to the penitentiary. I told
| them what kind of a fellow Burton is
| in the interview 1 gave out about him
before the senatorial election when he
was trying to beat Baker"
| The interview which Mr.. Leland re-
ferred to was one of the very few for
NAL interviews he ever gave out. That
vas in the fall of 1900 when Burton was
a candidate for the senate against
Lucien Baker 1t has gone down in
history as one of the "warmest'' inter-
views ever published in Kansas.
/ In view of recent history that inter
view is interesting reading. Mr.. Lee
land was asked if Burton had not
agreed in 1897 to support Senator
Baker for reelection, and in reply Mr..
Leland said:
Il don't think it counts for much
| whether he did or not. Burton's agree
ments never last over night. He has
| promises and agreements seven deep in
| nearly every county in Kansas. The
| fact is, however, in the latter part of
January, 1897 in the waiting room ad-
| joining the office of the Copeland no.
| tel, Burton said to me that he was for
| Senator Baker succeeding himself, and
| that he would not be as candidate
| against him. 1 said to him, Why don t
you write Senator Baker and state
that to him in letter. He said, I will
do So, and at once took pen and paper
and wrote Senator Baker as follows:
I" L am in favor of your succeeding
yourself as senator. will not be a
candidate against you when your term
expires, and will give you my hearty
support in having you reelected Bur-
ton handed the letter to me, and said:
Isn't that plain enough 1 replied
that it was all right, and he then ad-
dressed an envelope to Senator Baker.
I enclosed the letter and sealed, stamp
ed and mailed the same. L then wrote
Senator Baker regarding the letter and
it's contents. In due time 1 received
a communication from the senator In
, which he mentioned having received
Burton'S letter."
| Continuing the conversation the in
| terviewer asked:
Mr. Leland, what do you think OF
Mr.. Burton's chances of being elected
United States senator next winter p
81 do not believe the Republicans OF
| Kansas will ever elect j. r. Burton t6
: the United States senate. The people
are not inclined to favor any man fol
such high office nor for any Other
: prominent position, who does not have
| now and has not had for the past ter
| years, any visible means of support.
am we'll acquainted with Mr.. Burton
! and the only time in ten years that
] I, Ir1,a Of hi ho viz
ness was for a few months in 1896 dur
ing the Cuban war, when for shori
. time he was agent for some govern
, ment contractors. He then visited the
often with his samples of goods from
which some manufacturers in Phila-
delphia proposed to manufacture GER
tain clothing for the boys at the front
curing some contracts for his en-
plovers.
THE business of a drummer who
carries samples and secures contra cts
in Washington for furnishing supplies
for the soldiers who do the lighting il
a war is safer business than even thai
of sutler. The sutler at times is more
or less in danger of losing his life, an6
: also his stock in trade The syndicate
that is back of Burton in trying tC
elect him to the senate will undoubt-
! eddy keep him before the people unit
! after the election. branch of this
syndicate is in the state treasurer's de-
| partment, and another branch at the
Topeka club, where many of Burton's
supporters and strikers are enter
| tanned and filled up with free lunch
| and free whisky. An annex to the syn
| dictate is composed of attorneys of GER
tain railroad companies who are deac
| sore because they failed to land one OF
| their number as United States district
judge to succeed Judge Foster, and who
for that reason are venting their spleen
on the present senator.
Burton is always elected before the
election, but after each defeat he starts
up again knowing that his hackers
would stop putting up if he ceased t.
be a candidate. When he was in the
| legislature it was public history ir
Kansas, that he was an unblushing toll
taker. Within the past few months HI
has stated to various persons whom hi
| wishes to convert to his support, that h
had reformed, and had lived down hi:
past record; that he had abandoned his
old practices, and was now a new anC
| pure man.
"A man of Burton's peculiar propen
stiles never reforms. He may borrow
| Sleeps pelt and deceive creduIous peo
. pie for a while, but there is no reforma
ton. He is simply lying low for al
opportunity.
1.-THE conservative business and mora
element in Kansas will never permit the
election of such man to represent thi.
great state in the United States senate
They know him to be a man who, to say
the least, forgets when his notes become
due and who tolls not but spins a whole
lot. His defaulted and diShonored OBJ
legations in Kansas and elsewhere il
paid, would amount to a fortune Here
/ are some of the many which have come
to light:
1.-The failure of the Cross bank a.
. Emporia has disclosed a promissory
note for $4,000 signed by ]. R Burton
and endorsed and taken up by William
Martindale, who turned it over to tbs
creditors. It is certain evidence of
loss of 81 900 to the creditors of th'
Cross bank and Mr.. Martindale. Thi,
, reminds one of the other bank failures
There was the Bank of BelIeville
which failed and showed among it's as
sets note made by J. r. Burton anC
: l.. z L.