The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-10-09
His Friends Say He VIII Get
Catholic Vote.
Expects to Gain From Demo-
Gratis by This Means.
WHY THEYHAVEERRED
Catholic Advance Makes a Per-
tinent Statement.
Movement Spreading Over COun-
try For Purity in Politics.

The boast has been frequently made
recently by the friends of T. T. Kelly
that he will run ahead Of his ticket"
They claim that he will get a larger
majority over Hehebower than Bailey
does over Craddock. Privately they ex-
plain that Kelly will get the CATHOLIC
vote among the Democrats, which will
be for him alone and for none of the
other Republican candidates, and that
this will more than Offset the Repub's
licanS who will not vote for him.
This boast is an insult to the Catholics
of Kansas The Catholics believe in
honesty in politics just as much as any
| body in Kansas, and for candidate
against whom such serious charges have
been made to claim that he can control
the votes of the great Catholic church
whether he is honest or not, is an in
suit to every faithful member of that
church.
That this boast is far from the truth
is shown by the following editorial from
the last issue of the Catholic Advance,
published at Wichita which while not
not have been more applicable. 1t
doubtless expresses the sentiments Of
the great body of Catholics in Kansas.
The Catholic Advance says:
Nowadays it pays a political party to
thoroughly investigate the previous his
tory of a candidate that it desires to
place in nomination, since it is certain
that such facts will come out with re-
! SullS lIdL may De lar lTOu1 Ql6dSlIS
either to the candidate or to the people
who would have supported him. 1t is
rare, indeed. that an election is held
which does not bring into view pages in
the life of some candidate which do lit
tie credit either to him or to his party.
t'Wnen such facts rejecting on his
character are once thoroughly estab-
lished and proven, it behooves the
voter to take them into mature consid-
GRAFTON before casting the ballot which
is the grandest mark of his freedom,
and which should be made to subserve
the honor of his country and his state
and no other cause.
There is a great and important move
ment spreading gradually over this
country making for purity in politics.
1t is primarily important in that it
4 the United States are no longer pre-
pared to support any party on the
strength of its name alone, regardless of
its candidates' fitness for office. BY
intelligent voting for the man whose
history is such that no charges can be
found to bring against him, and who has
shown his cepability for the proper ad
ministration Of the duties which fall to
his office, and by this means only can
purity in American politics be made a
fact and not a theory"
1t is stated that Mr.. Kelly is going into
Catholic communities and representing
that he is being prosecuted on account d
his religion and asking for votes for him.
self on, on this is ACCOUNT: s9,I If this were true
Catholic and every believer in freedom
of religious belief in Kansas for voting
for Kely-in fact 1t would be their duty
to do So But nothing could be further
from the truth than this allegation. Nine
out of every ten of the Republicans of
Kansas who are against Kelly are opposed
to him solely because they believe his rec
ord county clerk of Miami county
proves that he is dishonest. Many of
them supported Mr.. Kelly for months,
hoping and believing that he would prove
himself innocent, but he has not done SO
and he has made no effort to refute the
charges against him. He will not even
consent to having committee go to Paola
and ascertain if the records on which he
| was found guilty were in any way
changed or mutilated. In view of these
facts honest Republicans can not support
Kelly when they believe him guilty
| Disloyalty to the other candidates on the
Republican ticket is shown by the fact
that he is working to get every vote he
| can for himself and not for the ticket as
| a whole, in an eEdeavor to keep even with
the balance of the ticket
1t is to be hoped. that every voter in
Kansas will carefully investigate the
charges against Mr.. Kelly and then hon.
(Co1tinY1ed On Paae Sikh