The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-30
STUBS IN A QUANDARY
What VIII He Have Campaign Speak
ers Talk About.

There is considerable curiosity re-
garding what sort of a campaign the
Republican campaign speakers Will
make regarding state issues and the
state ticket 1t is generally admitted
that the Republicans will have every
thing their own way on the national
| ticket-the Democrats and Populists
| themselves admit that. The Roosevelt
sentiment will be so strong in Kansas
in fact, that there will not be material
for a fight on national issues, The
Democrats and Populists will admit
nearly everything. There won't be
enough opposition to Roosevelt to
make it interesting.
But on the state ticket it is diff
ferent. The fusion leaders are plan
ming to force the fighting on the state
ticket, and that is where they may
make the Republican campaign speak
ers lot of trouble.
| AS a rule the Republicans point
with PRIDE to what the administra-
ton which is going out of power has
done. This year, however, those who
are in charge of the party affairs
turned down Governor Bailey, so, if
| they attempt to point with pride" to
what Bailey has done the opposition
| will ask why Bailey was turned down
then.
Two years ago w. H. Craddock made
an issue of his own on railroad taxa
ton. He charged the Republican par
ty with favorings the railroads and big
and whether he was right or wrong he
had the Republican managers go
ing some for awhile. Governor Bal
| ley denied his assertions and both sides
produced an array of figures that be-
wildered the average voter. The Re-
publicans asserted that railroads paid
more taxes in proportion to their value
than do the farms of the state, and
the same argument can be made this
year, but the Republicans have laid
themselves open to attack through the
action of the state board of equaliza-
tions which raised farm and personal
property over twenty-three million dol
lars, but failed to raise the railroads
at all. It is claimed that if the rail-
roads had been given an increase in
their valuation proportionate to what
was given other property, the railroad
taxes in Kansas would have been
$500 greater than they were. Gov
ernor Bailey, who had nothing to do
with this matter, was turned down for
denomination, but the members of the
board that perpetrated it were all re-
nominated. This makes good cam
paign thunder for the Democrats and
will be a hard thing for the Republi
can orators to satisfactorily explain.
The acts of the last legislature can
not be upheld by the Republican
speakers for the same reason that
Bailey cannot, but the mean things
which the boss buster papers have said
about the legislature will now serve
as good reading for Democratic speak
ers on the stump.
Chairman Stubs stated to the mem
bers of the Republican state central
committee that the campaign speakers
ought to talk about the glorious rec
ord of the Republican party and the
great things it has done for the coun-
try. Which is all right if the Repub-
licans can keep the fight along these
lines. But the Democrats will force
these other things to the front. Mr..
Stubs has also promised that there
shall be a reform in the method of
handling the money which is in the
state treasury, but that will not fur
nish an issue on which the Republican
speakers can stand, because Governor
Bailey urged the same thing in his
message to the legislature two years
ago, and the Democrats supported the
same reform, but it was defeated then
by some of the men who are now run
ming for reelection on the Republican
ticket.
This is why the opening of the state
campaign will be awaited with inter
est. There will be great enthusiasm
all over the state for Roosevelt, but
there will be a good many questions
asked about the Republican state tick
ct, and they will be mighty embarras-
sing to the Republican campaigners.