The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-27
A POOR EXCUSE.
Why Hoch-Curtis Men BOlted in
Atchison.
Chairman Kelsey Refused Die
tatiOn of Minority Faction.
DONALD'S STATEMENT.
Was Afraid the Bailey Men
Wouldn't Be Fair.
Detailed Account of Bolt as Told
in Atchison.

1
members of the Atchison Republican
county central committee Monday is
about the thinnest thing that has hap
pened in the present political contest,
even on the published statement of the
Hoch men themselves. According to a
statement published by w. T. F. Don
aid. the Hoch leader in Atchison county,
the bolt was made because the nine
Hoch-Curtis members could not dictate
to the % Bailey members who were
present. No objection was raised to the
primary election proposition at that
time-that was an afterthought-but the
excuse for the bolt at the time was that
Chairman Kelsey refused to be dictated
to by the minority in appointing COM
mittee to make preparations for the
primary election.
The resolution providing for the pri-
| mary election, which was unanimously
adopted, provided THAT the chairman
of this committee appoint a committee
of seven, including himself and secre-
tary, to carry out the provisions of the
above resolution" Chairman Kelsey
under this resolution, appointed T. E.
Donnellan, J. w. Coleman, c. D. Walk
er. DR.. Hudson and William Kiff as the
five members of the committee besides
v.
belonged to the majority and the Hoch-
Curtis men made this their excuse for
their bolt w. T. T. Donald, the Hoch
committeeman for Atchison county.
publishes the following card in the
Atchison Globe, explaining their action:
ITO the Public:
1.-The reason the Hoch-Curtis men
withdrew from the central committee
meeting in body yesterday afternoon.
is as follows:
when they started out to call pri-
mary convention they seemed to be per-
fectly fair, and everything went along
smoothly Until Chairman Kelsey, who
was instructed by resolutions to ap-
point a committee of seven to attend
TO all the necessary arrangements about
the primary, named the committee
This committee of seven was to take
the place of a convention This was
satisfactory until the committee was
named, when the Hoch-Curtis men ask =
ed for representation upon that com
mlttee OF seven. This representation
was refused. and we then walked OUT,
for the reason that this committee of
seven was appointed to carry out the
provisions of the resolution calling a
primary. The provisions of the resolu-
ton mean the appointment of judges
and clerks in the different voting pre-
cinctS throughout the county. It also
] means that the receiving of the returns
/ from the various judges and clerks ap-
| pointed ana cert1fylng the results of
J said returns to the congressional con-
vention at Holton and the state con-
vention at Wichita.
Now, then, if Chairman Kelsey re-
fused absolutely to name a Hoch or
: Curtis representative on that commit
tee of seven, would not that committee
< of seven in like manner refuse to allow
US judge or clerk at each and every
2 voting place, and would not this give
them the chance to certify the returns
as they saw fit?
1.-The trap laid by the machine men
would only be joke or trick played
l on the Hoch and Curtis following, as
they would have no voice in the ar
rangernents or provisions of the reso-
t luton.
l "Such 2 provision as this resolution
2 calls for being entirely in the hands of
/ one party would be unfair and unrea-
? sonable and wholly without precedent,
f and all we ask the public to do is to
read the resolution and ask what it
means when left entirely in the hands
of a Bailey committee. This is ma
chine rule, and this is what the Hoch
and Curtis crowd is pledged to do
away with Your Nv Tespeftfgmllyy,N sE Ct myNA11
First District Committeeman for Hoch
and Curtis.
The Globe publishes the following de-
t tailed account of the committee meet
ing and the bolt:
= s'The committee met at 4 p. M, an6
5 the roll call developed there were Il
: abSentees as a result of the afternoon
t Central Branch train being two hours
A late. Several proxies for absent mem
l. bers turned up. There was motion
to take a recess until after supper. Et
Donnellan moved. as an amendment
that the committee proceed to business
at once This carried. Donnellan ther
2 offered the following resolution. which
was adopted:
Whereas, Tt has been falsely re-
ported that the chairman of this con
! haC
s call this committee together, and tn.
t it was the intention of the committee
: to arrogate to itself the right to nam,
4 the delegates to the congressional anC
4 | state conventions. and whereas some
s unauthorized person did wilfully anC
d maliciously change the call for the as
d sembling of this committee after it has
+ been given to the papers OF Atchisof
q for publication. with view of Great
= | ing dissension in the Republican party
a therefore. be it
g Resolved, That it is the sense o
this committee in order that every Re
publican voted in AtchiSon county may
;, have an opportunity to express hi
:. = choice, that primaries be called in al
: the wards and voting precincts in thi
! county on the 29th day of January
. 1904; in the country precincts from 2 U
\ m. until p. n. and in the wards o
:. the city of Atchison from p. m. unit
8 q. m, and be it further
q Resolved, That the chairman of tfi
committee appoint a committee of sew
en-, including himself and secretary t,
: carry out the provisions of the abov'
resolution
TT was evident that the anti fellows
/ looked for an attempt to name the del
egates. ThTeir guns appeared to bs
trained for action along that line. ane
they offered no protest against the res
l. olution at the time. Chairman Kelse.
II declared it unanimously adopted. The
lei protest came later, but not until aftel
the following resolution was offered By