The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1882-08-03
THE POLITICAL SITUATION.

Two years ago Hon. I. e. Henry. Attorney
General Willard Davis, Col. j. c. Carpenter,
and Capt. Henry King were candidates for
governor against st. John. All of these gen.
tlemen were practical temperance men, and
Two of them at least had been actively inter-
ested in temperance work for years. But the
moment they became candidates. it was
charged that they were "whiskeyites," sal
lies OF the whiskey ring" and ''rummies."
Reading any of the ST. John papers of that
day, one would have supposed Messrs. Hen
ry, Davis, Carpenter and King were red
nosed, whsky-roaked bummers and beats,
who ought to be confined in an asylum for
incurable inebriates.
| This year two gentlemen of like unsullied
personal character and blameless habits
Judge Scion o. Thaeher and Captain j. b.
Johnson-are the only candidates in the field
against st. John. Judge Thaeher has lived
in the State for full quarter C! century.
He never in his life drank liquor OF any kind.
He has been, since his boyhood, an active
member of christian church. All OF his
influence has been given to the promotion
of temperance. He is broad-guaged, clear
Drained man-one of the ablest men, in fact,
living in our State. Capt. johnson has lived
| in Kansas for eighteen. He, also, is gen.
tleman OF irreproachable habits. He was Il
member OF last legislature, and voted for The
prohibition law. lie is clear-headed law
yer and man of real force and ability.
Yet these two gentlemen, lifelong Repub-
licans who have served the party usefully and
well, are denounced AS '.whiskyites." ''se-
cret enemies of the temperance cause and
as 1.-THE candidates of the saloons"
1t is time, we think, for decent Republi-
cans to inquire how far this intolerance is to
90: Cannot lifelong Republican venture
10 be candidate for an Office for which he is
eminently qualified, and the duties of which
he would discharge faithfully and honestly,
without bringing down on his head such 4
torrent of foul SANDER and vulgar abuse. Is
it to be esteemed 4 crime for q Republican
TO oppose the establishment of a political
dictatorship by one man in Kansas:
over ard over again it has been asked
''What good reason Is there why st. John
should be reelected for third term" And
not a single one of his supporters has an
swered. or pretended to answer, this ques
ton. IL cannot be answered There is nc
good reason. There are not dozen men in
the State. who know the three men, who viii
not concede that Judge Thacher and Capt
johnson are the superiors OF st. John in al
the qualifications an executive officer shoult
have. In personal habits and character ans
in sincere devotion to practica! temperance
J they are ST. Johns peers, while in executive
ability, business qualifications, and compre
r hension of the needs of the State, they arr
Infinitely his superiors.
Viewed FROM a political standpoint, tin
nomination Of st. John would be a stupen
dous bIunder. 1t would ALLEVIATE the supper
of thousands of the best Republicans of Kan
sas. The Champion is not an alarmist, bu
the indications of popular revolt against
+ third term are unmistakable, and Republi
can journal, devoted to the party and anX
i0us for IFS success, it is plain duty TO poin
out these dangers. The nomination of st
John means the loss of twenty or thirty o
: the most reliable counties in the State 10 tn
g Republican party. Ii means the cuttin:
( down OF the Republican membership in th
= legislature to very small majority. |
b means the permanent alienation of a larg
4 body OF Republican voters, and the tempo
: rary alienation of still larger number. Ant
o for what: To heap unusual honors on a mai
q who has never deserved those already con
: ferred upon him. To promote the poiitica
}. fortunes Of one man at the expense of tn
0 customs and unity of the party. To grasl
the shadow of temperance and miss its sub
stance. To crafty one mans ambition b.
making a thousand angry and disconnected
Is this good sense or good judgment?
strikes US as the very essence of everything
that is unreasonable, absurd and harmful
Champion.