The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-24
NO RED FIRE.
Things Are Quiet I'm Politics in
Kansas.
Appears Difficult to Stir Up En-
thusiasm.
S CALM THIS YEAR.
VIM. Allen White Discusses the
Situation.
Everybody In Happy and Con-
tented.

a.. There is no excitement, no red fre,
no brass bands and no disrupting of
families on account of politics so far
and there is little indication that the
presidential or the gubernatortal cleo
ton in Kansas. even when well under
way. can stir up the excitement of eight
years ago.
1t was eight years ago that the po-
litical pot in Kansas was seething and
boiling. The stump speakers were busy.
The sign painters were dabbing big
black, red and yellow letters on BAN
ners to be carried in parades. Some
men talked of the free coinage of sill
yer and others of the free coinage of
stove metal Mrs. Mary Ellen Lease,
s'Chappie" Artz, John w. Breidenthal.
Jerry Simpson, w. A. PETER and others
were suddenly shot into the political
arena Coxey's commonweal army
marched through Kansas. Governor
LeweIling had issued his tramp circu-
lar. The rights OF the user paramount
to the rights of the owner was slo-
gan The fasteners withdrew their
investments, as fast as they could from
Kansas. The crop failure of 1897 was
about that time. Everything wrong
charged to politics. It was then that
william Allen White asked and an
swered the question. Whats the Mat
ter With Kansas"
Now there Is nothing the matter with
Kansas. There is no question and no
answer unless it be the question why
there is no more political excitement;
why there are no street corner speeches
by men whose wives are making the
living. So far the managers have been
utterly unable to stir up any enthusi-
asm- Some two months ago the chair
man Of the Republican county central
committee, in Shawnee, called the
members OF the committee together and
started the campaign and Toasted them
The committeeman ate and went home
and there has not been a murmur since.
This great change in eight years brings
forth the following from Mr.. White III
the Emporia Gazette:
Have you happened to notice the
fact that there is no politics in Kan
sas this year? No one is talking poll
tics on the trains; there are no street
corner groups wrangling over the is
sue; no one gives a big red or little
blue tinker's dam for a political argu-
ment. No sort of exaggerated state
ment can provoke debate from the
sas-shouting and all-ROoSe~elt is elect
ed. Hoch is elected The county ticket
is elected The calfs eyes is sot.
kansas is called excitable-but she
is as calm as a basket of chips this
year. Not a wave of troublero rolls across
her peaceful breast Eight years ago
people were hOcking In to the Gazette
stopping the paper. T. G. whitley stop
ped 1t three times in that campaign.
But this year ne is taking the paper
insides and tops and all-without so
much as a zip of disapproval. And
when whitley is satisfied the world is
soaked in goose-grease and is smooth
all over. Eight years ago the Populists
were going to reform the world at the
next meeting of the legislature, and
were carrying banners up and down the
street denouncing Wall street, waving
flags at the Octopus. and shaking sticks
at the Gold Bugs. These were not, hap
py and rambunctious days. A man
could start riot by reading the al
phabet in loud tone; produce revo- |
luton by reciting the multiplication ia
BILE in a dramatic manner, and get six |
months in the hospital by declaring for
either of the ten commandments |
against the Chicago platform
But now Kansas is as idle as a |
painted turtle on a plaster paris log;
placid as a hired man asleep under a |
hedge fence. and happy as a big sun
flower that mods in all the breezes.
The reason is that Kansas has paid |
her debts; has money in the bank, a |
clear conscience and an organ in the |
parlor to give the place a tone Every |
thing is lovely and the altitude of the !
goose is above timber line