The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-23
A BAILEY DELEGArIoN.

topeka ana shawnee county should
| elect Bailey delegation to the Wich-
tia convention. Governor Bailey is
popular in Topeka and this county, al
though certain influences have siren
uously endeavored to create an opposite
impression.
Two years ago Shawnee county was
decidedly against Bailey, but things
have changed. The governor and his
family are we'll liked by our people He
has been conscientious and careful in
the performance of his duties. During
the flood no one was more active in do
ing what he thought was best for the
community than he. He attended an
important meeting of the Commercial
club and acted in accordance with the
sentiment at that meeting and immedi-
ately issued a cali for aid. This
seemed to be the sentiment of the COM
munity and the governor followed it.
This was not the sentiment of the
writer. He opposed as best he could
the calling for outside aid, but he was
in the minority This incident has
never been held by us against the
governor for the reason that we were
fully convinced that Governor Bailey
was acting from his heart and with
the sincere desire to dowhat he thought
was right. When we believe a man
acts sincerely and from the best mo-
tives, we can admire him, even if his
course is directly opposite from that
which we advocate.
Later Governor Bailey called the leg
islature together for the purpose of
enabling communities to rebuild
bridges and to permit the legislature to
do what it thought best under the cir
cumstances. The people who We're
making the greatest demand for
special session were from Wyandotte
county and they explicitly told the
governor that for their own losses and
suffering they did not wish any aid
from the state. That with their wealthy
neighbors in Kansas City. Mo-, and
those in their own county, they were
abundantly able to take care of their
needs; but they needed legislation to
permit them to rebuild half dozen
important bridges washed away.
When the legislature met it decided
that the immediate wants of the flood
sufferers were so fully provided for that
it would do more harm than good to
pass large relief bill.
This is a matter of history and the
state quickly recovered from its losses.
Yet the people who are opposing Bailey
today, so unjust and unfair are they
to him. that they blame him for the
| legislatures action in not providing
| $750,00O, the bill up, as a relief fund. and
the same people almost in the same
breath also blame the governor because
the legislature made appropriations
which increased our taxes.
The governor gets the whole blunt,
/ IL
and the Topeka Capital and the Kansas
City Journal endorse it, that the Co
ordinate branches of the government
should not interfere with each other.''
In other words. they condemn the gov
ernor if he does and condemn if he
doesn't.
| The governor suggested in his mes
sage to the legislature that it be care
full to not unnecessarily increase the
burdens of the people in the way of
taxation, yet he is blamed for all the
errors of the legislature and given ~no
credit for the good it did.
The enemies of Bailey forget that the
principal appropriationsw which Increased
the amount of money necessary to be
raised from taxation were largely due
to additional public buildings abso-
lutely needed to take care of the grow
| ing needs of the state. To be sure.
there was a waste of money in the
supernumerary employees of the house.
There were too many window openers
and too many door closers. But the
senate. which was controlled by one
machine, and the house by another, are
equally blameworthy and the aggre-
| gate of the useless expense was insig-
nifcant compared with the action of
the anti-Bailey people in adding to the
| burdens of the people.
Those who are behind the Hoch
movement conceal the facts. Mr..
! Stubs knows them. Hoch knows some
of them. They seem afraid to enlight-
en- tho voter on the real facts because
| it reflects upon those who are against
Baile1
The issue in Jackson county is more
significant for the reason that the line
between the Bailey and anti-Bailey forces
was very sharply drawn. The overwhelm-
ing victory of Governor Bailey naturally
makes him jubilant. He was one of the
| happiest men in Topeka last night. The
Hoch people are accordingly dispirited,
as they counted upon carrying Jackson
| county, especially as it had been against
Bailey two years ago, and the Hoch
supporters have claimed that Governor
Bailey's popularity had waned, instead
of gained strength.
GLOBE SIGHTS.