The advocate. [volume], May 13, 1896, Image 1

About The advocate. [volume] (Topeka, Kan.) 1894-1897

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VOL YIIL, NO. 20.
TOPEKA, KANSAS, MAY 13, 1896.
$1.00 A YEAR
J. P. HARRIS WINS.
Republicans Nominate the Ottawa Banker
for Congress After an Extended Contest
The fight for the Republican nomi
cation for Congress in the Second dis
trict which began immediately after
Congressman Miller's announcement of
hia desire to retire, was ended by the
nomination by the Lawrence convection
of J. P. Harris, an Ottawa banker, on
the 112th ballot.
The convention began its work Tues
day, May 5, and it adjourned May 8.
W. H. Carpenter of Miami was elected
temporary chairman. The principal
fight of the early part of the convention
was oyer the contesting delegations
from Wyandotte county, known as the
Bnchan and anti-Buchan delegations.
It was decided to choose a Credentials
committee consisting of one member
from each county, to be elected by the
county delegation. In this matter
neither Wyandotte delegation was per
mitted to participate. The committee
so selected was made up of the following
delegates: Allen county, R. B. Steven
son; Anderson, J. G. Johnson; Bourbon,
James M. Humphrey; Douglas, J. Q. A.
Norton; Franklin, George T. Anthony;
Johnson, F. R. Lanter; Linn, James
Tyson; Miami, Alex Davis. George T.
Anthony was elected Chairman of the
committee. The meetings were open to
the public and a large crowd was con
tinually in attendance. Each side was
represented by attorneys, and printed
briefs were filed. The convention at
tempted to do no further business and
settled down to a loug wait on the
Credentials committee. All of the can
didates employed the time strengthen
ing fences and fixing up for the fight
The fight before the Credentials com
mittee was s very hard one. Affidavits
enough to swamp any court were filed on
both sides tending to show that the
other faction had sunk to the very low
eat depths of political depravity. Oral
testimony was also introduced. The
contest seemed to develop into an effort
on the part of each side to paint the
other the blacker. No one who is ac
quainted with Wyandotte Republican
politics doubts the truth of all the
charges made. The party in that county
was shown up in a very unenviable light.
The committee, after spending nearly
two days in considering the evidence,
submitted a report seating the anti
Buchan delegation. A minority report
signed by Committeemen Norton of
Douglas and Johnson of Anderson
declared in favor of the Buchan delega
tion. The fight in the convention then
began. There were three propositions
ubmitted the majority report, the
minority report, and a plan to adjoum
the convention and refer the whole
matter back to Wyandotte county for a
new election of delegates. After a dis
cussion participated in by Johnson
of Anderson, Williams of Joncson,
Humphrey of Bourbon and Georjje T. 1
Anthony, the latter moved the previous
question. A scene then followed, in
which Judge J. Q. A. Norton of Douglas
attempted to get the floor. He asserted
that the attempt to cut off debate was
an exhibition of gag rule and that it
was as "bold a piece of piracy as was ever
perpetrated on a convention." After ten
minutes of riotous demonstrations
Norton was permitted to speak. He be
gan by declaring that his recognition had
been forced by the clamor of the dele
gates and the crowd, and cot by any
desire of the Chairman of the convention.
He said he had at no time had any doubt
of his recognition because of the feeling of
justice that prevailed in the convention.
Further, he said be did not suppose any
thing he would say would change a vote
in the convention; everything was cut
and dried. Not done by any justice or
right, but by a trading of votes here and
there in some candidate's favor and to
defeat someone else. He called attention
to the fact that there were 07 uncon
tested delegates in the Buchan conven
tion and only 55 in the anti-Buchan or
Trickett convention. After further
discussion Williams of Johnson moved
to refer the whole matter back to Wyan
dotte county and adjourn the Con
gressional convention until a new county
convention could be held there. This
motion was defeated by a vote of 47
to 19. The minority report was then
voted down, the vote being 25 to 41.
The same vote was reversed on the
majority report, and it was adopted.
The Buchan report was supported by
delegates from Anderson aud Douglas
and by a part of the Linn and Johnson
delegations.
The convention then went to work.
The candidates presented were ex-Con
gressman Funston, Senator Metcalf,
Eldon Lowe, W. J. Buchan, J. P. Harris
and C. W. Trickett. Trickett heads the
anti-Buchan forces in Wyandotte. The
first ballot was as follows: Buchan 18
Metcalf 8, Trickett 19, Lowe 10, Harris
10, Funston 14. The second, Metcalf
19, Trickett 19, Lowe 13, Harris 10,
Funston 18. When the convention ad
journed in the evening seventy-five
ballots cad been taken without change.
On the seventy-sixth ballot Buchan got
his first ballot vote again, and this sort
of balloting continued until the 98th
ballot The 111th ballot was: Buchan
17, Trickett 19, Lowe 11, Harris 24, Funs
ton 14. Another adjournment was taken.
Harris could have been nominated at
this time by accepting the Trickett
votes, but he wanted to keep clear of the
Wyandotte trouble. But he was willing
to accept them on the 112th ballot, which
was as follows: Buchan 18, Harris GO,
Funston 7. The nomination was made
unanimous, though many delegates de
clined to vote. All of the candidates ex
cept Buchan appeared and made speeches
to the convention.
The Committee on Resolutions sub
mitted a platform indorsing Morrill and
Blue, but the convention referred all the
resolutions baok to the committee, and
no further report was made. Mr. Harris
is therefore cot hampered with any sort
of a platform. His platform will prob
ably be, "Vote the ticket straight,'' with
out any explanation as to what that
will mean. ,
THE BOND INVESTIGATION
Senator Pefler Finally Secures Action on
His Resolution After a Long; Flsnt.
Several months ago Senator Peffer in
traduced a resolution providing for an
investigation by a special committee of
the charges made in connection with the
recent bond sales. A very strenuous
effort was put forth by the friends of
the administration to defeat the res
olution. Senator Hill, who is always
found on the side of the gold standard
people, led the opposition fight and left
nothing undone to prevent action. He
even paraded the resolution as a Populist
scarecrow, and endeavored to prevent
its passage by appealing to the party
prejudices of his colleagues, and he
attempted to get the members of both
parties to combine to secure the defeat
of the attempt to inquire into a matter
of which the people were entitled to the
most complete information. Senator
Hill managed to secure delays and post
ponements enough to discourage anyone,
but the fight for the resolution was just
as unremittingly kept up. It Boon be
came clear that it would be impossible
to pass the resolution without the
amendment of a number of features.
Senator Peffer reluctantly yielded, be
lieving it was his duty to accomplish that
which was possible and that, if exactly
what he desired could not be obtained,
it would be unwise to decline to accept
the best along that line that it would be
possible to secure.
The resolution as amended and adopted
is as follows:
"Resolved. That the Committee on
Finance be directed,
"First To investigate and report gen
erally 'all the material facts and
circumstances connected with the sale
of United States bonds by the Secretary
of the Treasury in the years 1894, 1895
and 1890.
"Second To investigate and report
specially what amount of available
funds, classified, was in the United States
treasury and on deposit in other places
subject to the order of the Secretary of
the Treasury at the time the bonds were
sold or offered for sale; whether there was
or was not coin enough on hand to meet
all coin obligations nt the government
due at the time said bonds were sold or
when they were offered for sale; what ob
ligations were due at that time and the
amount of each, stated separately; what
was the reason for any unusual with
drawal of coin from the treasury shortly
before bonds were sold or offered for
sale, if such unusual withdrawals were
in fact made, and by what persons or
classes of persons and for what purpose
or on what account such withdrawals
were made; who purchased the bonds, in
what amounts, and where, whether in
the United States or in foreign countries,
and in what proportions, and from what
persons or classes of persons the gold
was procured with which to pay for the
bonds, what the bonds sold for, and what
was the market price of our government
bonds at the time, and what effect the
bond sales had on the credit and business
of the people of the United States.
Third To inveatlzate and recort as
to the manner of disposing of saia bonds,
by weal authority, and what contracts,
advertisements, or proposals were mads
by the Secretary of the Treasury in re
lation thereto; what agreements or
contracts, and whether oral or in writing,
and whether publicly or privately, were
entered into by the Secretary of the
Treasury and any syndicate or person or
persons with respect .to the sals and
purchase of the bonds', and the profits
made or to be made by such syndicate,
or any person or persons connected with
such syndicate, directly or indirectly;
whether such contract or agreement had
any and what effect on the prices offered
for the bonds, what the effect was, and
who, if any person, profited by it, and to
what extent
Senator Palmer (Deui.) made some
extended remarks in opposition to the
resolution, in the course of which he
said: "I oppose this resolution, because
I regard it as an illegitimate means of
procuring material to affect and inflame
the public mind."
Senator Hill indulged in another
speech against the resolution, after which
Senator Lindsay (Dem.) moved to strike v
out the third clause, but he afterward
withdrew the motion.
A vote was then taken and the res
olution was adopted, 51 Senators voting
aye and but 6 voting no. The affirmative
vote was made up of 13 Democrats, 28
Republicans and 5 Populists. The
negative votes were oast by Caffery,
Faulkner, Gray, Hill, Mitchell (Wis.) and
Palmer, all Democrats. The Finance
committee, which is charged with the
duty of making the investigation, is
composed of the following Senators:
Morrill, Sherman, Allison, Aldrich, Piatt,
Wolcott, Voorhees, Harris, Vest, Jones
(Ark.), White, Walthall and Jones (Nev.).
The first six are Republicans, the next six
Democrats and the last named is a Pop
ulist. Of the Republicans five are gold
bugs and in sympathy with the
bond-issuing crowd. Of the Democrats
Voorhees is the only one who does cot
say that he is a silver man and who sup
ports the bond crowd. Of course Senator
Jones (Nev.) is vigorous in his opposition
to the machinations of the money gang.
If this committee will now conduct a
fair, honest investigation some things
that the people ought to know will be
developed.
Hutchinson News (Rep.): "Daring
the last week there has been a revul
sion of public eentlment in favor of
Governor Morrill as shown by inter
views in the Topeka Capital. Mr.
Eckert, Director of the Penitentiary;
Mr. Beck, Director of the Penitentiary;
Mr. Albaagh, member of the Board of
Charities, and Mr. Simpson, Railroad
Commissioner, have abandoned their
opposition and come out boldly for the
renomlnatlon of the Governor. It la
now assured that Mr. Morrill will be
supported by nearly all of his appointees."
The Republicans continually refer to
the Populist party aa a gang of office
seekers. Yet the Republicans are the
most hungry people for office on earth.
The Legislature will not convene until
next January, yet there are already
three or four Republican candidates in
the field for Speaker.