The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-01

sional district have been preparing for
more than a year The convention is
called to meet at o'clock tomorrow
afternoon. but the leaders from nearly
every county in the district will be in
Holton by tonight putting the finishing
touches to their plans.
Finishing touches" is used in this
connection, because these plans have
been going forward for weeks And
during the past ten days they have
ma tured very rapidly.
It will probably be one of the great
est contests of the kind that ever oc-
Cured in the state of Kansas. There
is extreme bitterness on both sides, and
1t has been heightened by the develop
ments of the past week and the bolts
and contesting delegations which have
been started in at least three counties.
Both sides say they propose to fight for
their rights if necessary. and even if
physical violence is avoided it is quite
possible that there will be two conVen-
tonS and two nominees. as both sides
claim to be in the right
Congressman Curtis has the advan-
tage by virtue of controlling the con-
gressiOnal committee. The friends of
Mr.. Curtis have elected contested dele
ganizatiOns in two counties and at Leav-
enWorth Soldiers home, and the COM
mittee will therefore have reason for
depriVing 80 anti-Curtis delegates of
voting in the organization. On the 9TH
er hand E. D. Lysle, chairman of the
1eavenworth county committee, has
served formal notice on the congress
sionaI committee contesting the Shaw
nee county delegation on the ground
that Shawnee county is not legally il
the First congressional district The
congressional committee may refuse to
take this contest seriously and allow
Shawnee to vote in the organization of
the convention anyway. If so. the vote
on the organization of the convention
Will stand: Curtis. 81; anti-Curtis, 81.
If the contest against Shawnee should
be considered, the vote on organization
VIII stand; Curtis, 25; anti-Curtis, 81.
If the Shawnee contest is not consid-
cred, Mr.. Curtis will lack only eight
votes of enough to nominate. The call
provides for 129 delegates, so that 65
will be required to nominate Mr. Cur
tbs has Jefferson with II, Brown with
II, and Shawnee with 81, a total of 81,
or only eight less than d majority
II any one of the contesting Curtis
delegahons is seated, and Shawnee is
not disturbed, Mr.. Curtis will have
enough TO nominate. He can therefore
afford to seat both the other delega-
tiOns against him. Whether this will
be done remains to be seen. The seat
ing of the Curtis delegations from eth
er Jackson county or the Soldiers home
would give Mr.. Curtis 81 votes, or the
seating of the Curtis delegation from
Atchison would give him 72.
Doniphan and Nemaha counties are
conceded to Judge w L Stuart with
with a primary election and Nemaha
held a primary and convention before
the contest business was started. Don
iphan has 10 delegates and Nemaha has
Is.
Jefferson and Brown are also con-
ceded to Mr.. Curtis without a contest
There was no opposition to him in JEFF
ferson county, but in Brown there was
a hard fight, but the Curtis men won a
pronounced victory. The conventions
in both of these counties were also held
before the contesting business was
sprung. jefferson has II delegates and
Brown has ii.
Leavenworth county. outside the Sol
diers' home, with IA delegates, is con-
ceded to D. r. Anthony, jr. The An
thony forces won as great a victory in
Curtis forces did in Brown.
The contest in the Soldiers home
arises over the action of the congress
sionaI committee in segregating the