The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-18
OFF The TRACK.
How Mr.. Capper Lost the
Chance to Be State Printer.
Was Sacrificed on the Altar oil
Mr.. Curtis.
COMPELLED TO CHOOSE
Gave Up His Ambition to Help
Topeka Congressman.
Contest for Senator Harris
Place Grows in Interest.

I01SIISQ 10 OL LlGtIlOeIS O4 the 1eSASAe1-
ture who come to Topeka, but neverthe-
less there have been developments in
the state printer contest which will have
the effect of sidetracking at least one of
the candidates.
AS the time for the meeting of the
legislature approaches the contest for
w. A. Harris place in the United States
senate becomes more exciting. 1t over
shadows everything else. The member
who has a bill for the reformation of
the state is forgotten and there is moth
ing to be heard but the ominous. mon
otonous buzz of politicians in mysterious
conference
Governor Stanley has opened head
quarters, being the last of the trio VINO
are in the race" to do So Congressman
Curtis and Long will not leave Topeka
for more than a few hours until the
battle is over Congressman Bowersock
and Calderhead may drop in shortly be-
fore the time to elect a senator arrives
but they both know the futility of be-
ing the ground and recognize that if
the senatorial wagon comes their way it
is just as likely to do so with them in
Washington as in Topeka.
No one realizes the great overshad-
owing effect of the senatorial campaign
more than Arthur Capper of Topeka,
candidate for state printer. Mr.. Capper
and his friends all realize that he is
practically out of the race for state
printer though there has been no Off
cial announcement of the fact. The
senatorial fight did it
Mr.. Capper owns the state organ of
the Republican party Four years ago
] when he did not own it he came very
near being state printer and it was rea-
sonable to suppose that with a powerful
party paper at his back he would sure
| ly realize his ambitions at this session
of the legislature. Ever since the couu-
ty conventions began nominating candi-
dates for the legislature Capper has
been active. He has printed cuts of all
the Republican candidates with their
| biographies and it looked as if he was
certainly laying the foundation for uld-
mate success.
But Mr. Capper lives In Topeka and
so does Charles Curtis. candidate for
senator. Every politician and Capper
| himself realized that if he hoped for
success he must keep out of the sena-
torial souabble, and he started out on
that theory. He certainly could not
afford to boom Curtis, which would of
course make him persona non grata with
all the other candidates, who combined
| have enough votes to elect a senator,
and the same was true of any other can
didate. He must keep his hands off If
| he hoped to win.
But the time came when a sacrifice
must be made. If Mr.. Curtis were left
he would certainly suffer, and if he did
receive the support of the party organ
! Capper, the ostensible owner of the
paper, could not be state printer. Which
should be led to the slaughter, Capper
or Curtis?
1t was not long before influences were
put to work to settle the matter. D. w.
| MuIvane has great deal of influence al
the Office of Cappers. paper. as he has
always had since the Mulvane mortgage
was foreclosed and the paper taken for
General Hudson. Other politicians in
/ Topeka stood ready to second Mr. Null
vane's intercession on behalf of Curtis
Mr.. Capper is most amiable man. He
can not bear to say No" because he
| doesn't like the sound of the word, and
the upshot of it was that he discarded
his ambition and allowed himself to be
| led to the sacrifice a victim of the Null
vane-Curtis- Burton combination.
Capper does not complain, though he
knows that he is no longer seriously
| considered as candidate for state
printer. Perhaps some day he will get
his reward, but it will certainly not be
at the hands of the coming legislature
Senator Caldwell, fusionist, of Bourbon
| county. started quite agitation among
Copeland county statesmen last night by
n embers of the legislature might try to
help the Republicans elect United
States senator. II don't believe that SEN
ator Harris cares for the empty honor of
the fusion caucus nomination, said Cald-
well. He has not indicated that he does
to any of the members with whom I
have talked. Several of our fellows want
to flop to the Republican party and take
part in the Republican senatorial and
state printer caucuses. as Senator Tapp
has done Others suggest that main
tain our party identity and cast our solid
thirty-seven votes for some Republican
candidate for senator. 1t takes eighty
three votes to elect. Say that some Re
publican candidate with forty-six Repub-
Ecan votes behind him should refuse to
go into a caucus and throw the election
on the floor. With our votes he could
win. It takes sixty-five votes to win in
! the Republican caucus or nineteen more
than required if a deal is made with the
fusionists. 1t is extremely doubtful,
though, whether either Long. Stanley or
Curtis the three leading candidates, has
forty-six votes. If either of them has.
and wants to be elected easily he might
do some quiet dickering with Us fusion
lists.
Senator Caldwell also has some ideas
about state printing. He says: State
printing should either be done by the
state let by contract said Senator
Caldwell of Bourbon county. today. 1T
is outrage for the state to pay two
prices for printing. it is doing now.
and as it has done for the past thirty
years It will take constitutional
amendment to change the system and I
hope to see one adopted by the legislature
this winter The state can either vote TO
own a plant and do its own printing. or
let the work by contract. Either plan
would save the state an immense amount
of money.
My hobby this coming session con-
tinued Caldwell will be Torrens land
registration law which will do away with
abstracts and abstracters.
Governor-elect W. ]. Bailey says: Il
will be busy for the next month getting
up my message and inaugural address.