The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-02-20
WHO SHALL BE Mayor ?

the Republican primary two weeks from
next Saturday.
There are two candidates for mayor,
and one OF them has received the en-
dorsement OF the so-called law and
order organization. It is due this or
ganization to say that the endorsement
Of Colonel Hughes was given over a pro-
test, and members OF that body realized
that Colonel Hughes record was not
such as would entitle him to the sup
port OF the law and order element Of
the city. He was never in harmony with
the law and order cause, and it was not
until he felt the itching for municipal
Office that he changed his position and
became an advocate of the cause Of
temperance.
In announcing this change he took
pains to say that his opinions on the
question at issue had not been changed.
and that he simply bowed to the will Of
his constituency. For more than ten
years this man has been an ardent re-
submissionist. One of his buildings. or
at least one Of the buildings owned by
his wife. has been occupied by a joint,
and there is not a single trait in his
character which entities him to the sup
port of the law and order element Of the
city.
When an effort was made to find
man for chief of police. and the COM
mittee OF 200 selected Frank Stahl for
city marshal one of the strongest op-
ponents Of that appointment was Mr..
Hughes He stood upon the street cor
ners and denounced the appointment Of
Mr.. Stahl as inconsistent, and a viola
ton of all precedents, but when it came
to a vote In the city council this same
man again stultified himself and sur
rendered his conscience by voting for
the confirmation of Mr.. Stahl- He could
not have been right in both instances.
He was wrong when he stood upon the
streets denouncing the appointment of
Mr.. Stahl or he was wrong when he, in
open council voted for his confirma-
ton.
The effo-t to whip the elements who
believe in law and order into line to vote
for a man who admits he has stultified
himself on every public question IS an
outrage on the cause of good citizen
ship and win do much harm, for 1t
places the seal of insincerity on the acts
Of the organization.
The State journal cannot be induced
by any means to support a man ike
Colonel Hughes for the important Office
Of mayor of Topeka 1t will do no good
to crack the party whip in an effort to
fOist such a man upon the city. If it
is done it viii be done over the protest
Of the State journal. which tries to be
the representative OF all people in To-
peka. irrespective OF party or creed The
State Journals voice has always been
raised on the side Of good government
and law and order.
The State Journal believes that the
man who would best serve the interests
of the city as mayor is Councilman
James S. Warner, who for many years
has been a prominent business man, and
whose record is not sullied by any act,
public or private, for which an apology
need be made. Let the people who
oppose him go to the public files and ex-
anime his record. compare 1t with that
Of Colonel Hughes. and then vote.
There is no intention in this article to
enter into any newspaper controversy,
but it may not be out Of place to say a
few words concerning the position of
the morning paper on the question of
law and order. Less than year ago
at the Republican primary man was
nominated for county attorney by what
were considered questionable methods,
and that paper came out boldly in edito-
rial after editorial advising the Repub-
licans to bolt the nomination and stand
together for the selection Of a clean man
by clean methods Its position was
straightforward, and there was an indi-
cation that it had broken away from
strict partisan lines. For several weeks
that paper advocated the election Of an
Independent candidate for county at
torney. and it was in harmony with the
epecial committee Of Republicans who
protested against the methods by which
the nomination OF a candidate for county
attorney was secured.
1t even went further than this COM
mittee of dissenting Republicans, and
advocated the election of an independent
candidate for district judge But three
weeks before election the editorial col
umns Of the paper were closed to this
same committee whose cause they had
championed- In vain the members of
the committee begged and pleaded; the
editor had experienced a change of
heart" and the people who were against
the election Of the Republican candidate
found themselves deserted by the news
paper which had given them every as
surance OF support.
The fact Of the matter is that that
paper sold itself on that occasion and
every member Of the law and order Re
publican committee knows today that
the morning paper changed its pol
icy toward Calen Nichols at the
behest the state central commit
tee ana -sr a considera ton The mem
bers Of the law and order committee
characterized its attitude as one of the
most outrageous desertions of principle
which had ever occurred IN the news
paper history o. Topeka And stiIl the
paper supposes that the people are ready /
to trust it again.
It should occasion little surprise that
this paper is row making an effort to
whip the law and order people into line
for the support Of a well known resub-
misslonist for the executive of the clean,
progressive. wide-awake city Of Topeka
The State Journal opposed the nomi-
nation and election of CaIen Nichols