The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-28
Politics Continues to Move in
Seventh District.
Thlrty-eighth Senatorial Dis
trict the Scene.
MIR. BARND LEADS OFF
Says Smith Betrayed the Short
Grass Country.
Night Have Secured Nomination
for One Of His People,

Reports from the short grass country
indicate that Senator Fred Dumont
Smith will have opposition if he is a
candidate for renomina ton for the state
senate as it is expected he viii be. His
senatorial district the Thirty eighth. is
4he largest in the state, taking in eigh-
teen counties. so that there may be d
Considerable diversity Of interests in it.
The district was solidly for Smith for
CONGRESSMAN in the recent Great Bend
convention. with the exception of those
counties which had candidates of their
own. but it is out of the Great Bend
convention that the chief opposition to
Smith has arisen. Some of the short
grass people do not like Smiths action
in attempting TO turn over his strength
to Murdoch. They do not object to
Murdoch himself-in fact they are all
for him now-but what they do not like
Is that Smith. when he found he could
not be nominated tried to use his in
uuence Cor Murdoch instead of allowing
his delegates to go toanother short grass
candidate if they wished to do So
10 1act, Smith was unable to turn his
entire strength to the Wichita man,
Notwithstanding the fact that Muir
docks nomination was fOregone con-
ciusion- Nine of the Smith delegates in
sisted on going to Judge Price instead
neighbOr. One of the nine was from
Senator Smiths home county. Edwards
This has furnished an excuse for
those who do not like Smith any way
to break away from him, on the ground
that he deserted the short grass coun-
try. This feeling is especially pro-
uounced in the southwest part of the
district, and now comes J. X. Barnd, Of
the Ness County News, in the north
part Of the district, and registers a
strong criticism of Senator Smith.
Judge Barnd says:
In last weeks Kinsley Mercury Sen
ator f. D. Smith makes what he be
lieves to be satisfactory explanation
of his funk at the Great Bend conven-
ton. where. on the informal ballot he
was the leading candidate for congress
man from the Big Seventh district, and
claims thai the short grass for the first
time in it's history named the congress
man That claim sounds q great deal
like the old story of how Betsy and 1
killed the bear. 1t seems that if the
short grass had had anything par
ticuar to say about the making of a
congressman it would have named d
short grass man for the place. IF the
short grass can do no better business
in the way of naming congressman it
had better retire permanently from the
political field Mr.. Smith seems highly
elated over his success in turning his
short grass contingent over to the east
ern end of the district, which has no in
ferest in common with the west save to
wheedle it into voting for its men and
Its measures. and to ridicule 1t on all
other occasions.
What the result might have been had
Mr. Smith stood true to the interests or
the short grass is of course unfathom-
able . 1T certainly the Boosted victory
N7 ld have been as great even had
the fellows succeeded in naming the
same gentleman as the standard bearer
i'm the present contest. We think Mr..
Smith lost his head. and threw away
the only chance the short grass ever
thus far has had. or viii have In the
next score or more of years, to have
a congressman in fun sympathy with
the peculiar interests of this portion of
the state just such Leadership has cost
western Kansas much, and viii continue
to prevent its proper recognition botA
materially and politically so long as 1t
IS blindly followed.
ut would have been better had the
short grass lined uD solidly for short
grass candidates. and allowed the other
fellows to have done the fiunkiug. and
ff il had not succeeded in naming one
of its representatives as the candidate
81 at least could have made a good
showing for some one from its own ter
ritory. instead of retreatng behind the
thin boast that it had lined UP solidly
an a congressional convention and so
consolidated -eade itself felt in the re-
suit Great gunsi Is it not something
to be proud of. that the boosted short
grass made itself felt by cowardly