The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-20
PETER TO MAKE SPEECHES.
Former Kansas Populist Senator Will
Talk for Roosevelt.

William A. PETER, former United
States senator from Kansas, whose
long beard was responsible for the as
ISOLATION, in the eastern MIND, OF
whiskers and Populism, is to make
speeches in the present campaign Tor
Roosevelt, according to the st. Louis
GlObe-Democrat.
Senator PETER returned to the Re-
publican party about three years ago.
He could not stand the Democratic at
titude on expansion. Three years ago
he gave the State Journal an interview
in which, while not admitting that n Q
would return to the Republicans, ne
indicated that that was his drift. ana
soon after the State Journal pointed
out that drift he practically stated that
he was once more a Republican.
This is the first presidential cam
paign since then, and 1t is not at al
surprising that Senator PETER has
come out for Roosevelt The assump-
ton that PETERS speeches would do
Roosevelt any good in the west is.
however, guess. senator FeHer Is
but as a public speaker he is not
pronounced success. He could not
arouse enthusiasm, because he is not
built that way. He would probably
make more votes by writing than he
Here is what the GIobe-Democrat
says about him:
Ex-senator William A. PETER is to
campaign. This is one of the many
indications that most of the Populists
of Republican antecedents have re
turned to their old party. Mr.. PETER
was one of the founders OF the Popu-
list organization, and was one OF the
first of that party's members to go TO
congress. He entered the senate as
successor to ingalls, in 1891, as a re-
suit of the big Farmers Alliance wave
in the election of 1890, and was one
of the most prominent, as well as
one of the most respectable, OF all the
men who mthe Alliance-Populist up
heaval sent into public life.
kansas was soon cured OF its
Demo-Populist debauch and came
back to the Republicans in the state
election of 1898, gave fa1rly good-
sized plurality to Mckinley in 1900,
and will give twice as broad mar
gin to Roosevelt in 1904. Kansas re-
turned to political sanity largely be
cause the intelligent men of the Peher
order abandoned their follies and
Democratic Affiliations soon andagain
anchored themselves to financial san
ity. The days when Kansas gave as
large a majority as Pennsylvania to
hand again. The number of Kansans
who went out with PETER who have
returned to the Republicans recently
go up into the tens of thousands.
TT will be we'll for Chairman Cortel-
you's committee to give prominent
assignment to ex-senator PETER. He
is a man of ability and character. and
undoubtedly would WELD considerable
influence on the stump in Kansas. Col
orado, Nebraska and the other states
west of the Missouri. He is a good
tal<er is personally popular and can
reach most of the ex-Republican Pop
ulists who are still out in the woods
Tom Watson, the candidate of the Pop
ulist party will probably poll a con-
siderable number of votes in the west,
but they will come chiefly from men
anfRRPdanfG reject
Parker, and who are angry at Bryan
for the latters support of the st. Louis
ticket Men of the character and in
fuenee of William A. PETER can rem
der a good deal of aid to the Republic
cans on the stump in the western
states in 1904"