The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-25
Mr.. HOCH'S LETTER.
Says 1t Was Hard to Refuse to
Be q Candidate.


The announcement that E. w Hoch
had decided not to be a candidate for
governor, was yesterday given exclus-
lveiysby the State Journal to the people
OF Topeka and to many readers
throughout the entire state The for
mai document of declaration printed
IN Mr. Hoch's paper, the Marion Rec
ord, reads as follows:
For more than a. quarter of a cen
fury have contributed my mite as
pest l could with pen and tongue to
the success of the Republican party in
Kansas. Dear to my heart is the old
party at whose cradle my father kept
vigil, at whose altar I received my
political christening, and to whose ser
vice the best years of my life have
been unselhshly devoted. In it's service
l nave known no WEAKNESS, Shirked no
duty, belonged to no faction, harbored
no grudges. nursed no sores, shared no
lucrative honors. and cherished no sell
f1Sh ambitions, save one. In every cam
paign / have borne the banner as best
l could and, when the battle was
fought and the victory Won. have been
glad to let others enjoy the honorS
and emoluments of Office, and to re-
turn, myself to the more peaceful and
pleasing pursuits of the pen. AS the
years have come and gone it has been
my good fortune to be enriched more
ship OF the press and people of this
state, something more to be coveted
and priced than any Office, and now at
the end Of these years, thousands of
these earnest, sincere friends call me to
what they regard as a great duty and
seek to crown me so far as they are
able with the exalted honors of COVER
nor.
ut would be egotistical for me to as
sumo that the partially of these
friends and of all those who
hind this movement is in any sense
mere compliment to me. In so far as
it is personal, if at all, of course, I am
profoundly grateful.
But the movement is not personal.
1t is vastly more than that. 1t is a
movement widespread and dense and
impersona1 in it's character. 1 believe
that the hearts of a great majority of
the people of the state beat in uni
son with it 1t is not inspired by any
man. 1t grows out of unwise leader
ship, of unfair standards of RepubE-
canism, of factional intolerance, of the
multiplicity of useless offices, of ex-
travagance in public expenditures, of
enormous increase in the burdens of
taxation, of the interference of CO.
ordinate branches of the state govern
ment with the functions of each other.
of the traffiking in public trusts to
subserve private and factional ends.
In word, it is a. eliminating protest
politics.
I'm the general desire to right these
wrongs and correct these abuses J. share
most cordially and fully. With the
spirit of this movement which would re-
1ieve our beloved party from the domi-
nation of leaders who care more for
faction than they do for the party or the
state I am in hearty sympathy. But /
cannot get my consent to lead this
movement in the way these good people
wish me to lead it. It is a case in which
my impulses are on one side and my
judgment is on the other, and as many
of my nearest friends know, this is the
attitude I have sustained to this move
ment from it's inception so far as it re-
iates to me. 1 have never encouraged
it, In Difference, however, to the opin-
ions of others, my Judgment has been
suspended for a while and open for con-
vietion. But time and thought and in
vestigation only strengthen my original
conviction.
mo words have ever written have
given me more pain than these, because
they will disappoint some of my best
friends and win no favor from my oppon-
ents. To resist attacks of enemies is
easy. To refuse the opportunities of
friends is hard. The reason for this final
They are too many to be enumerated and
their specific enumeration would be use
investigation and deepest thought of
which am capable. They are unselffsh.
1 have tried to eliminate all questions of
mere personal interest and feelings OF
personal sentiment and to reach a con-
cluSiOn which shall best SubServe thu
ultimate and permanent interests of the
party and state and contribute most, in
the end, to civic righteousness. For the
wisdom of this conclusion I can only APP
peal to the calm. mature judgment Of
the people and to the arbiter of time.
"E. w. HOCH.''
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