Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1914-01-30
HARMONIOUS REPUBLICANS.
But The Meeting Saturday Did Not
Show Any Such State Of Affairs.

1
urday afternoon and while the mee;-
ing started out in exceilant shape and
gave promise of being on great feast
OF brotherly love and affection, con-
Siderable vitrol was injected before
its close, and at the grand wind-up
the chances for the two factions O.
the party getting together were much
Skinner than they have been since
the last election.
Less than half the diIerent pre-.
cincts in the county were represent.
ed, the D.g bulk of the aud.elce CT
thirty people being from Great be1d,
and the big majority Of these belcGg.
ed to the Stand-pat element, the
most active of the Bull MoOsers Of
the city and county evidently feeling
that their presence would add but 1t.
tie to the JOY Of the meeting and
very CONSIDERABLY stayed away, SC
that the other faction might at beast
have some reason for at least q
senblance Of cheer, but some Of tn
Progressives were conSpicuousg
present, as was evidenced by their
talks when Chairman Young insisted
that they get up and talk and get
the gas off their stomachs, as he ex
pressed It, and it was plainly evident
that there was gas in abundance anC
before the finish 1t lent an odor tc
the meeting that the faithful office
seekers would far greatly have seen
evidenced by its absence.
The meeting was called to order by
Chairman Young, who announced tha
a large number of vacancies of tht
precinct committeeman had occurred
a part of which had been filled by
committee appointed for this pur
pose and the others would be filled
by the same committee. Judge D. A
Banta was the first speaker to b
cailad to the floor, which he acknow
Iedged was very embarrassing Il
him ,as he expected to be a candi
date for reelection again this fall, tu
as he had never yet shirked a dut!
he would be pleased to tell where h'
stood on the question vital to tha
heart of all preSent-the subject o
harmony in the party, and he stateC
that he saw no reason why sucf
should not occur as the two factions
of the party practically stood for th'
same things. He stated that the Re
publican party was considerably be
hind the times in some things, bu
that they now could see the error O
their ways and were prepared to b,
good in the future, and he was entire
ly In favor of harmOny-provided tina
the MOoSers came hack into the paT
ty and let by-gones be bygones. HI
also announced that he was strongl.
in favor Of Joe Bristow for the U. S
Senate, for he believed the Hon
Joe had sincerely repented Of hi
. mis-deeds as regards his party loyal
lty, and that he was magnanimou
enough to forgive and forget, o
words to that effect.
Warren Baker spoke as a Repubf
can who had strayed from the fol-
and voted for the Roosevelt election
at the last election, but made tn
startling assertion that he had sup
ported the entire Republican count
and state ticket at the same timt
and so still considered that he had a
ways been a good Republican. Jus
how he could be a good Republics
and still try and wreck the party h
failed to explain in very clear man
ner, but the meeting so far had nc
progressed to the stage where ques
tions were asked and his remark
were Uassed up by those present.
Joe Walters stated that he wa
known as a Stand-pat and had refuse
to vote for Capper, but as the TOPS
ka Capital man had seen fit to elm
back into the o. P. ring he woul
probably support him this fall.
). H. JenniSOn stated that he wa
a Progressive at the last electic
and that he had seen no reason VII
he should change his mind since the
time. He believed that the old r.
publican party had become too hid
bound for a freeminded man to sta
by and he didn't propose to be di'
tated TO. He was IN favor Of hal
mOny, but in his case it was a cas-
Of the Republican party coming ov'
to his side Of the fence.
Sam Kellam spoke joyously an
feeiingly Of the great harmony th'
Isoomod IN ho nravaiiino IN tho NEE