The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-07
GRILEY is MAD.
Democratic Leaders Charge Him
With Blair's Defeat.
Claim He Traded for Davis Votes
in Second.
THREATENS TO QUIT.
Had a Notion to Join the Re-
publicans.
THREATENS no QUIT.
Leaders VIII Issue Statement
ExOnerating the Councilman.

Democratic city camp, and charges are
being widely circulated that Council
man Joseph Griley, of the Second ward.
is responsible for the defeat of Robert
Blair, the Democratic candidate for
mayor.
Griley Indignantly denies the charge,
and says that unless he is set right, his
friends are liable to make things very
uncomfortable for the managers of the
Democratic party.
In the hope of smoothing the thing
over, the Democratic city central COM
mittee has been called together for a
meeting Monday night, and it is said
that an official statement viii be issued
exonerating Griley. But Griley says
that the false and malicious reports
have been SO widely circulated that a
statement of this kind will do very lit
tie good.
The trouble all started right in the
Democratic headquarters. and it was
from Democratic headquarters that the
sensational charges against Griley re-
ceived their PRONUNCIATION. A man
named Ricketts,, who is the Democratic
city central committeeman in the Sec
ond ward, came to the headquarters the
morning after election, and told the
members of the committee that Griley
had been down there in that ward all
day. trading votes and dickering in ev-
erv way to increase his own majority
at the expense of Blair. He had, It was
charged traded his Democratic votes
off to Davis for Republican votes for
himself
This charge seemed to be very plausi-
BILE, in view of the fact that Griley had
carried the Second ward by $50, end
Blair by only so. The Democrats were
sore and disgruntled by their defeat,
and the charges by Ricketts, made a
great impression. D. II. Morgan be-
came very much excited, and abused
GriIey to everybody he happened to
meet.
An our or two later. Griley himself
dropped into the committee headquaT-
ters. and found himself in a veritable
friends jumped upon his cervical verte-
brae. and repeated What Ricketts, had
told them For a time the air was blue
in the Democratic headquarters. MOT
gan and Criley exchanged compliments
in a frank and enthusiastic way which
it would not do to repeat t5faley ac-
cused Morgan of lack of confidence, ana
Morgan accused Griley OF selling out
the party and defeating blalE-
After a time, Griley found out VINO
had started the accusations against
him, and he took off his overcoat, and
set out to find the man. 1t was re
ported that Ricketts, was down IN
front of the building, and Griley in
to steD to the front windows and wit
ness the ceremony of Mr.. Ricketts,
annihilatiou But it happened that
Ricketts, had moved on. and Grliey
put in most of the forenoon trying to
find him.
Crilev went around to see Mr.. Blair
about it, and found out that Blair did
not hold any grudge against him.
Blair did not take any stock IN RICK
etts' charges.
But the tale of the big row in the
camp, and of the charges which Nor
gan had circulated had spread all over
town, and Griley commenced to hear
from it. Many Democrats accepted
the reports as true, and there was a
lot of strong talk about forcing Griley
to leave the party on account Of his
alleged treachery.
But later on, when it was found that
the Democratic committee had recon-
sidered its first declarations and had
become convinced that Ricketts, ale
cations were unfOunded. Griley was in
good shape to pose as a martyr, and
that is the position he is in now. He
is getting all the sympathy, and the
men who are being abused are the
ones who started the stories against
Inn.
It rather looks as though the breach
between GriIey and some of the other
Democratic leaders would be difficult
to heal, though of course it viii be
officially patched up at the committee
meeting Monday night. There are
certain to be a lot of sore spots under
the surface. Many of Mr.. Griley' s
1 Second ward Democratic friends are
! trying to organize a Democratic bolt.
They want Griley to head the revolu-
tionists, and leave the party en- masse.
They say that they are ready to join
in with the Republicans rather than
allow Griley to be misrepresented.
! Mr.. Griley is very popular in his ward,
4 but he is doing all in his power to
smooth the thing over, and keep his
4 friends in the Democratic fold.
This morning Mr.. Griley made the
following stateme ent: 1.-The trouble all
started with Ricketts,. Ricketts, was
supposed to be in charge Of one of the
voting places on election day I went
down there and found everything go
/ ing to smash in that precinct, and
/ Ricketts, was nowhere to be found I
went around to his house, and found
/ that he was just recovering from a
spree. He had been arrested the day
/ before. He said he would get over to
4 the polls as soon as he could. He
/ asked me to go down to the police
/ station, and use my influence to have
4 him let off. I told him I wouldn't do
anything for him; that if he wanted
Il to go and get drunk, he would have to
/ take the consequences. Ricketts, was
mad about this, and that's why he
votes
a lot of my friends want to carry
this thing further. but I am willing tn
/ let it drop. Several Republicans have
been around and invited me to Quit
! this Democratic crowd that had beer
running the campaigns in this citv,
Ihey tell me to come over into the
/ Republican party and thev viii treat
me right am doing all can ia
check this movement. But if thev
keep on this way of running Demc-
cratic politics in this town, there viii
pc lot more people who will follow