The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-12
e HARRY RooT.

p HAM ILOO1.
In the year 1880 the newspapers
were scarce, in northwest Kansas. so
little news Of the senatorial conven-
ton held in Kirwin, July 10, 1880,
was printed. That was more than
40 years ago Many of the partici-
pants in that convention are now
dead It was the most exciting polit-
icaI convention ever held in north
west Kansas before or since. 7. &.
Carpenter and Geo. H. Case were the
candidates from Jewell county, j. r.
Hamilton and Maj. VIM Drum hitler
of Norton county, John Bisseu or
Phillips, and Chas. Aldrich of Smith
county, also wished political lightning
would hit them. Five of them are
now dead, and the remaining candi-
date, Geo. II. Case. is living in Man
kato. On the election OF temporary
chairman ". T. s. May, of Phillips
county, was chosen by one majority,
the opposing candidate being Capt.
J. S. Mcdowell, of Smith county. In
the preliminary milling" Bissell
seemed to have strength enough that
his friends beliSaed he would be nom
mated. but the election of Col. May
for temporary chairman knocked the
props from under Bissell. Hamilton
was beaten out of his Norton county
delega ton by NJ. w Pettigrews Ed.
HoVerson and James Lobeitz, who or
ganized snap convention and
elected delegates favorable to Case.
Pettigrew was a former Jewell county
man, a brother-in-law of Q. Angevine
who was the manager for Case. The
result of this snap convention ellmi-
mated Hamilton from the race, and
while the delegates favored Case. the
sentiment of the big majority OF the
Norton people, was for Bisseu. The
three men mentioned are dead, while
Angevine is practicing law in Kansas
City. Another agency which figured
in this convention was the appearance
OF Col. A S. Everest, of Atchison,
attorney for the Missouri Pacific, who
came in a private ear. He was there
for the purpose OF defeating Bissell,
aud told the delegates that any other
candidate was satisfactory to the rail-
read company whose opposition to
I3issell was because while in the iegis-
lature from Phillips county he was a
strong supporter of the extension of
the railroad from Kirwin to Phillips
burg instead of Logan and Lenora.
The same fight had been made in
BtsselIs county of Phillips, and sue
deeIed in dividing the delegation be-
tween Bissell and Drumhiller. L. J.
Rcst was made secretary without op
position. Before the fight for dele
gates got red hot Cyrus Anderson and
James D. Greason went to Rawlins
county, and located in Atwood, the
latter starting the Citizen newspaper.
They were friends Of Senator Preston
r. Plumb. who had assured them that
Tic WOulQ locate the new IDlIGu states
land office at Atwood. Anderson had
been solicited to be delegate to the
IRWIN senatorial convention and to
make a fight if it was necessary to
give all the unorganized counties a
delegate in the convention, and do
wfat he could to prevent taking any
ACTION in the location of the new land
Office, other matters Kept him from
Eoins to the KirWin convention, but
he sent young man, named John
T4ler, a school teacher just from Iowa
Who had taken a homestead near At
wood. He was [ e pOssessOr of a
pair of ponies, and hitching them to
AnGersOn's buggy he started out of
Atwood, and it is claimed he is going
vet for all anyone now living in that
senatorial district knows, as he never
returned. He carried with him a let
ter to Kirwin to be handed to the
Plumb friends but he wasn't given
seat in the convention. The vote on
temporary chairman showed the anti
Bisseu forces that to seat the dele
gates from the unorganized counties
meant BisseFs nomination. The ap-
pc .ment of the committee on ere
d tlaIs showed that none of his
trends were recognized. 1t was
Ct med by the cha 'rman of the COM
n-tee that the fair thing had been
done by seating the delegates from
the unorganized counties without a
vote. The first ballot showed the
was further seen that John Hitch
cock, of Decatur county, had two
votes, and he voted them for Case,
which nominated him. By doing this
Oberlin secured the United States land
office, besides a pledge that the Cen
tral Branch missouri Pacific) would
be built from Kirwin to Logan and
LenoFa. thence northwest to Oberlin.
This road was graded ten miles west
OF Lenora but no steel has vet been
7f4tsr CT of y,
Solomon terminus. The officers OF
the KirWin land office didn't figure
in the convention, Tom Helm was
register, and Lew Best, receiver. whose
terms didn't expire until 1882. J. D.
Greason of Atwood, now dead. was a
was also Cyrus = nderson. r. r.
Hays, of Osborne, former state SEN
ator, was booked for receiver of the
new land office hen it was estab-
ifshed at Atwood or Oberlin, but
Plumb requested him to wait and
take a place in the Kirwin office, as
he wanted to appoint ChaS. E. Chand-
Ter receiver at Oberlin. Lew Best re-
tired as receiver in the spring of 1882,
and Hays was appointed July Z, 1882.
So the Kirwin senatorial convention
held in July, 1880, passed into his
tory as the hardest fought and most
exciting one ever held in tat section
Of the state.
r. G. Heard, one of the old time
residents of Mitchell county. and for
many years operated bank in Glen
Elder. died in a hospital in Kansas
City, a few days ago. He was an ac- .
tive politician in his day, and the
Democrats of the Sixth district made
him the standard bearer for congress
sional nomination Only one Demo-
crat in the district has ever been
elected to congress, n. b, Mccormick, I
OF Phillips county. who served one
term He died several years ago. In
q later campaign the Democrats be-