The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-05
HAS A SURPRISE.
Judge DOster Announces He Is
for Cleveland.
Anything to Get Rid Of ROose-
velt, He Says.
NEWS FROM CURTIS.
That He Is Dark Horse Judic-
ial Candidate.
The Report Comes from Wash
ington Today.
NEWS FROM CURTIS.

rank DOSler, FORMER chlef justice OF
the Kansas supreme court, whom the
Republicans declared few years ago
would run the state into socialism or
anarchy if he should be elected to the
supreme bench, has come out for Cleve-
land for president in preference to
Roosevelt.
In the words of the illustrious Ezra
Kendall, Now what do you think of
thati"
Judge Doster does not say that Cleve-
land is his personal choice for president,
but he says he is ready to vote for him
if by so doing the country can be rid of
Republicanism and Roosevelt. This is
exactly the opposite of what one would
expect from Judge Doster. In fact he
has surprised people all around. After
he was elected to the supreme bench,
instead of turning the established order
upside down and applying impractical
ideas in his legal decisions. he proved
to be one of the most conservative
judges that ever sat in the supreme
court. When he went on the bench
seven years ago the corporations shook
in their boots, figuratively speaking,
for fear his decisions would play havoc
with them, but when his term expired
year ago a number of the railroad
attorneys of Kansas went so far as to
ask the Republican state central COM
mittee not to put up a candidate against
him, but to allow Judge Doster to be
reelected without opposition The Re
publicanS would not consent to this, OF
course and after he was defeated the
Missouri Pacific employed him as one
of it's general attorneys and ne is now
a member of the firm of Waggener,
DoSter & Orr.
From the record made by Judge Dos
ter on the bench it was expected that
he is the kind of a PoDulist who would
go with the Republicans for Roosevelt
if the Gold Democrats control the Dem
ocratic party, but now Judge Ooster
again surprises people by declaring for
Cleveland in preference to Roosevelt.
Some critics will no doubt claim"
said Judge Doster. that l am ready TO
vote for Cleveland because L am con-
nected with a railway corporation in
the capacity of attorney. but that is
not the fact. There are number of
men for whom 1 would rather vote than
Grover Cleveland. but there are some
things that are better than the Repub-
lican party and Rooseveltism, and one
of them is Grover Cleveland.
'I hear some of my old Bryan friends
say that they are going to vote for
Roosevelt because he does things.
Now, the fact is, Roosevelt does noth-
ing except stir up trouble and then go
off and leave it. Grover Cleveland is,
perhaps the last man for a Bryan
Democrat. or Populist to tie up with,
but he at least is stable and has a fixed
purpose. and the country can tell what
he is going to do next. We of the west
may expect no advance steps of reform
from Cleveland. but better that than
to live on a volcano of eccentricity four
years more.
mo 1 am not a Cleveland Democrat
or Cleveland anything, but if 1t is to
I,a oh Of civ ma 1o1T Ia ND
in preference to Roosevelt and the re-
forms we fought for in 1896 and 1900
will come later on. They are sure to
come sooner or later, but not by the
Roosevelt route No, nor by the Cleve-
land route, either, but Cleveland would
make US less trouble than Roosevelt
Word comes from Washington that
Congressman Curtis is looked upon as
a dark horse in the race for the federal
judgeship. This will indeed be news to
Kansans, but if it is true it may ex-
plain why Mr. Curtis has not yet ex-
candidates. A Washington dispatch
says:
members of the Kansas delegation
will confer Saturday or Sunday in an
effort to reach an agreement on fed
era1 judge. It is not believed that any
agreement will be reached at that time
but in the meantime several candidates
are spoken of. Representative Curtis Is
solution of what promises to be a dead
lock- He has declined to make any ef-
fort to secure the office.
THE appointment of Curtis need,
however. occasion no surprise. AS the
fight has apparently shaped itself. he
has as good a chance of appointment
as Mr.. Smith, Mr.. LoomiS, Mr.. johnson
or Mr. Pollock. No mention of Mr..
Curtis name has crept into the news
papers. but the several candidates for
the office regard him as dark horse
to be feared. Charles Blood Smiths
friends are pushing his candidacy with
vigor A Kansan here who has been
taking an active part in the contest.
said today:
Mr. Smith is supported by in
f1uences which make his candidacy
formida BILE despite his apparent lack of
congressional influence. w. S. Pierce.
the general counsel for the Union Pa
cific, is for Smith and would prefer him
to Mr.. Loomis. Mr.. Smiths fitness for
the office is not questioned by anv one
and any gossip about the people of the
state being for one man in preference
to another is all moonshine.'
litical item from Hiawatha. It was
telegraphed from that place to the
daily PAPERS:
Capt. John Schilling, who is opposed
to Congressman Curtis, entered the
office of the register of deeds here yes
terdav and turned to the wall a large
picture of the congressman.
In an editorial discussion of machine
politics and the fight of T. B. Murdoch
on Governor Bailey. the Ell Dorado
Times publishes the following:
In these days of talk about machines
it is interesting to note the movements
of certain politicians here in Butler
county, who. are posing as reformers
and honest men and trying to deceive
the people with their thin pretensions
Today the Butler county machine
headed by Murdock, is in session at
Kansas City. deciding upon what the