New-York tribune., 1906-04-28
rup CONVERSION OF KANSAS.

Because an orator addressing Denocra'io
state convention in Kansas the other ua'
roi,ta5 one of his periods with an allusion tn
Sapuel 7 Tilden and Grover Cleveland-two
stotesmen long under taboo in the land OF the
Kayy and the Wichita-there has been eoo''
Geal of futtering among Eastern democrats
e.;I oonsacroted 10 the cause of safety and
sanity Kansas has been welcomed back 10
Tho conservative fold with the enthusiasm Gus
tor,ariIv evoked by the return of the notorious
In. ranantont sinner The New York Even
ip,, Post chants pfean Of joy over the prodi-
qors unexpected reformation. "Out there the
false gods have had their day OF adoratlon'
81 exclaims and now the party is returning 10
..what they call in Nebraska the D. Sterlihs
morton brand of Democracy. Inc cahi-
..,,aion will be a serious one, upon clear issues
..ond ~ the Judgment of local observers IS TO
..be trusted the party has an even chance OF
winning"
..Tybe New York World" is a little more skep-
tical. 1t is encouraged by the discovery that
sneaker in a Democratic convention in Kan
sas can mention the name of Grover Cleveiaho
and vet get away alive" That suggests prog
ress and our neighbor cheerfully observes that
..tbe state of mind of the Kansas Democrats
is healthy and encouraging" Because the same
Intrepid orator-the Hon. Bill Sapp-who took
his life in his hands by venturing to utter MI
Clevelands name declared himself in favor OF
free hides THE Springfield Republican sees
new color i'm the Western sunset and hopefully
foresladows union of Democratic hearts and
Democratic hands for the purpose of giving
New England the raw material which Sha eSpe-
cially wants and thereby relieving the suffer
ings of the soIe-worn and the ShOeless. Kan
sas and Massachusetts united on this safe
an9 sane" platform is picture which naturally
fire. a IN SoGTiOD of rho New England inn
agination
We do not want to interfere with the jubila-
tion now in progress. The Hon. Bill" Sapp
may be an actual convert TO safety and san
ity." But we read on the list of the nominees
chosen for state offices the names of William
A Harris II. p. Farrelly and David Overmyer.
Mr. Harris is an ex-senator from Kansas, elect
ed as a POpust. and still radical in his Opin-
ions. Mr. FGrrelly and Mr. Overmyer have been
the most active managers of the party in Kan
for the last eight or ten years. supporting
William J. Bryan and all his policies. If these
men have suddenly renounced their political
herasies and adopted the y. Sterling Morton
brand Of Democracy" that fact is known as yet
only in inner safe and sane" circles
Moreover. some traces of Populstic depravity
still lnger in the corpus of Kansas Democracy.
if we may Judge from the outcome Of little
clash over tn" selection of a chairman for the
recent Topeka convention. II appears that the
state committee with the reloubtable Sapp at
It's head. selected for that dignity the Hon. r.
Z. Waggener. of Atchson a more or less
active candidate FOR the Governorship. The
vote in committee was 23 10 > But within a
few hours thereafter a mass meeting of dele
gates was held among its promoters being Mr.
Overmyer himself, which denounced Waggener
so The Kansas City Star" tells us aS "a rail
road candidate and unfit for association with
decent Democrats" Sapp and his followers
on the committee were so intmdated by this
action that they recOnsidered their choice and
the Waggener boom for the nomination for Gov
ernor was fatally frosted. II may be that Sapp
tried to get even with the radicals by incident
ally recalling the existence and services of M
Cleveland. AT any rate, he seems 10 have sold
a good deal OF a gold brick TO gullible Eastern
conservatives. \ Kansas convention which
deposes its regularly selected chairman on the
single ground that he is "a railroad candidate"
is certainly not educated up to the Eastern level
OF safety and sanity" The conversion OF Kan
sas is far from being accomplished We fear
the halos manufactured herea bouts for Kansas
pentents have been prematurely bestowed.