The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-05


He Immediately climbed up to where
they were, and said to them:
Now, boys, let's do il this way"
Thereafter he was a King Bee, too.
He became prominent at once: not be-
cause he is a Boss, but because he is
clever. and active, and a good fellow.
He wanted his district to get it's share.
and it got il. He never missed a roll
call He was into everything at To-
peka, as he is at home. He introduced
bill every half hour during the ses-
sion, and was about the biggest re-
former in the bunch. The newspaper
reporters liked him. and exploited him
The members liked him. no man can
associate with Waggener long without
liking him, because he is always rea-I
sonable, fair, and does not insist on
ed chairman of the judiciary commit
tee, although a Democrat, by a Repub-
lican speaker This was largely due to
the fact that he is a very able lawyer.
but it was due also to the mans per
sonaI force and popularity. When he
first returned home to visit his family
I said to him:
Here, you are becoming too popular.
The other fellows will hate YOU
And some of them did, for no other
reason than that he was liked by ev-
erybody, and was force in the legis-
lature- If Waggener goes to the state
senate, his constituents need not worry
about their man attracting attention,
or being able to accomplish things
The trouble will probably be. he will
attract too mucn attention, and do too
much. At the close of the last session
of the legislature, the Democrats gave
him a gold headed cane, and the Re
publicans, by unanimous vote of the
house, gave him the big flag that hung
over the speakers desk.
More than any other citizen, ne is al
ways trying to do something for the
town" Look at any subscription paper
in this town, and his name will be
found He is known as a rich man, but
isn't; he spends too much money. Other
men in this town have larger incomes;
some of them never invest a penny in
an Atchison enterprise. In addition to
being good citizen, and a good fell
low, he is one of the best lawyers in
the west; many say the best. And
probably half of his time is given to
working for others. without compensa-
ton. In seven cases out of ten, when
an AtchiSon man wants to do anything,
from securing a job to selling a book,
he first goes to see Waggener.' Very
often he is unable to help; but he is al
ways Willing.
One of the charges against him is
that he is a railroad attorney. A big
corporation needed man to represent
it in this section, and Waggener was
selected. I don't see anything to his
discredit in that. His principal bust
ness is to see that the railroad company
he represents is not robbed by unscrup
uIous people. Half the suits brought
against a railroad company are fraud
ulent- A railroad company could not
exist if it paid one-tenth of the fraud
uIent claims filed against it. Congress
is full of railroad attorneys, nearly all
of them Republicans Waggener also
issues passes; and incidentally 1 may
say he is pestered in very indicate
way by people you would not think
guilty. I have known him a good many
years, but he never gave me a pass. So
OF or hot n i'm nd n
so little excuse, that I never ask him
for favorS of any kind. do not know
anything about his pass business, ex-
cept that it is greatly exaggerated. 1t
was stated in Topeka the other day
that he had issued three hundred
round-trip passes to the Worlds fair.
Waggener told me the number was
eleven or twelve, and that these were
issued from the general office in st.
Louis. So far as 1 have observed,
Waggener is the same man when he is
not running for office that he is when
a candidate. He is strong not because
of favors distributed as a candidate, but
because of his long career as a good
citizen in Atchison.
This is not dictated or suggested by
Waggener. He does not know that I
intend to write. 1 intend to vote for
him. although 1 advised him against |
making the race. But the Globe is not !
for him. told him it would not be |
when he first talked of running for the |
office. The Globe does not support any |
candidate. because it believes the peo- |
pie are as competent as any editor 20 |
vote fntelligently and fairly. If the |
Muscotah Record has as much reason /
to admire DR.. Plummer as Atchison /
people have to admire Waggener, 1t /
will be it's duty as a newspaper to say |
SO. The Globe likes to say things of
deserving people like Bale Wag- |
gener, after knowing him 81 years 1 |
like him because he IS active, enter
prising, d good fellow and progressive.
And the fact that he was able to defeat
a noted man like John Seaton for the
by 243 votes. indicates that
the town is full of people who feel as L
do. I have always been greatly in
terested in the coal mine, believing 1t
to be of the greatest Importance to the
Waggener has always been
more than others, but he has always
been willing to do his best
He has been mad at me- days at a
time, because he thought L was against
him. but it often ended in his admit
ting that was probably right. A dozen
times d week he stalks into my office
with some scheme or something he has
written. 1 never print anything he
writes, for, as his son Bill says, he has
no political sense. If his scheme is
wrong, coax him out of it. When the
BarnuYn-Railey circus was in Atcnl-
son. It had some sort of controversy
with Waggeuer. He convinced the cir
Gus man that he was right; he didn't
want anything but justice, he said, hut
he wanted that Finally the circus man
said if 1 would coax Waggener to do a
certain thing. Barnum & Bailey would 4
be satisfied. coaxed him to do it, and
everything went off pleasant Anybody I
can get along with MIN, if they will
meet him half way. His railroad ex- Il
perience has taught him that