The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-03-12
JOCKEY FOR POLE.
Supreme Judges Will Scramble
For Positions.
Part of Them Must Accept Short
Term Nominations.
MASON is SATISFIED.
VIII Be Willing to Take Two
Year Term.
This Would Drop Him Out For
Chief Justice.
MASON is SATISFIED.

The elimination of r. B. Welch from
the race for associate justice leaves on
1y five candidates for the five places to
be filled on the supreme bench. 1t there
fore puts an end to any contest between
rival candidates unless some one gets
into the contest
But it still leaves unsolved the old
problem of which candidates shall be
named for the short terms. One justice
is to be elected for two years. one for
four years. and the other three for six
years. Four of the five were appointed
to their positions and the fifth, Henry
Mason, has always been a. candidate to
succeed Judge Doster, which would give
Mason a six-year term. But somebody
will have to take the short terms. and
the short term candidates will be named
before anyone else on the state ticket.
The first nominations called for will be
for the two-year term, and after that Is
filled nominations for the four-year
term will be called for If none of the
five wants to accept the two-year term
their friends will probably keep pro-
foundly silent when nominations for the
shortest term are called for. 1t would
be case of five men trying to escape
from office.
But it is by no means improbable that
Mr.. Mason will decide to take the two
year term, and if he does it will decide
one of the problems Mr.. Mason prac-
tically told a State Journal reporter re-
Gently that he would take the short
term. 1t is claimed the twoyear term
is preferable to the four-year's term.
for two reasons: One is that if a man is
to go on the supreme bench only to be
defeated at the expiration of his term,
it would be better to be defeated at the
end of two years rather than in four
years, because it would not be nearly
so hard to pick up his law practice at
the end of a twO-years term. Then
again, the man who is elected for two
years will be a candidate in 1904, a
presidential year, when the Republicans
believe they will again be able to sweep
the state. Mr.. Mason therefore figures
that by taking two years term now
he will practically get eight years.
Il am. of course, a candidate to sue
ceed Chief Justice Doster,s Mr.. Mason
said, land that would be for six-year
term but 1 would just about as soon
have the twO-year term, and think
perhaps I will have some of my friends
nominate me for the shortest term.
Then the other fellows can scrap it out
to keep from taking the four years.
81 have no great preference between
the long terms and the shortest one,
but / wouldn't want the four-year term.
If have to get off the supreme bench
1 would rather do it at the end of two
years than in four years, because my
law practice will still be pretty well
intact in two years, and it will not be
hard for me to pick it up where L drop
it, but in four years 1T would probably
be pretty well scattered and L would
have to begin at the bottom. But 1
don't think it will be hard for the Re
publicanS to win in 1904, because 1t Will
be a presidential year, and with an
other good administration the Repub-
licans will have everything their own
way; but there is time for change
by 1906, at least one would run more
of risk by waiting till then"
The four judges who were appointed
and who are candidates for renomina-
ton are Cunningham of Lyon county.
Greene of Harvey county, Pollock of
Cowley county, and Ellis of Mitchell
county. One of them will have to be
content with a four years nomination,
and the other three will get six-year
terms.
There is a possibility that other can
didates for justice may yet come out.
If so there will be effort to try to
escape from the short terms, but there
will be a scramble for them. If Mr..
Welch had been able to stay in the race
it is probable there would have been
scramble for the first places, for none
of the candidates would have wanted to
take the chances of losing altogether.