The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-30

NhAE1eS Finch of the Lawrence Ca
zeete . one az the brilliant Kansas
writer's. He often says harsh, bitter
things which no doubt he does not
mean and is sorry for like other brill
liant men who seem to have a certain
amount Of bile in their systems that
must be worked OF.
But the following by Mr.. Finch, re-
ferring to a Lawrence editor. is so
pointed, temperate and good natured
that it can be read with profit by
every man who has political aspira-
tons;
]. L. Brady announces in this paper
that he is a candidate for legislative
honors from the West district. This
paper is not going to support him.
but it is going to say a good word for
him. We can say that about our enc
mics, and say it truthfully in most
cases, but Mr.. Brady is not an enemy.
he is a friend. Whenever he wants a
/ personal favor from the editor of this
paper he can get it, if in our power to
grant it, And there is no man in
Lawrence who would do us a personal
favor any quicker than he would, nor
any to whom we would be more free
to go than to Mr.. Brady.
So far as we know he never said a
mean word personally about the ed
itor of this paper, and we never said
one about him. Nor do we intend to
say one; nor will any campaign ex-
citement force US to say one. He de-
serves a great deal of credit for the
nervy fight he has made for his life
here in Lawrence, a fight that has
been made against odds that would
have discouraged almost any man. We
have always admired him for his grit,
and always shall. But he has no more
business in politics than we have. He
has not an ounce of political sense.
The difference between the writer and
Brady is that Brady thinks he is a
politician. He isn't. He couldn't be if
he studied for the part a thousand
years. He is what the boys call
"nutty'' on politics. He is Office daffy.
He is preparing to spend the savings
of years in an effort to get an Office
that he is not competent to fill, and
which will pay him but $50 in two
years if he gets it. In order to get it
he is going to spend q whole lot of
money, lie awake nights, traipse
around over the country and beg and
plead with men to vote for him. And
in the end he is going to be beaten.
He will not win because the voters
do not believe him to be politically
honest. He has been a machine man,
loud and clustering, and sent defiance
to the "boss busters" When the ma
chine went down he turned a double
back action somersault, and came out
the other evening with the declaration
that he is an ardent boss buster"
himself, and is going to flight nit
Stubbs' to a finish.
This was not smart. 1t is so thin that
men who otherwise would have sup
ported him win be Disguised. and re-
fuse to be worked by a ICON" game of
the kind. The fact is that Mr.. Brady
himself doesn't know what he is; he
never does. He changes as often as
the wind in Kansas. He has no con-
victions no settled brinciples1 He
would be just as likely to get off wrong
on every proposition as he would be
! to get right. He is a good man for
many things. but there is probably
not a more incompetent man in the
whole district for the place he seeks
than he is. 1t would be foolish for the
voters of the district to send him to
the legislature. for they could never
know what he would do, for the very
good reason that he himself would new
er know five minutes ahead what he
would do. He would be here today and
yonder tomorrow. He never stands
tied. He has been accused of dishon-
esty, but if he is dishonest, it it with
himself. He is treating himseR I'M
fairly now in wanting to get that office.
He can not afford to run for it, and
the people have said repeatedly that
they do not want him to have it. He
ought to quit. He ought to be fair
with himself and drop his political idi-
ocy, and content himself with bust
ness. But he will not do it. He viii
butt in, and spend his money and think
he has a broken heart when he is
beaten, and then we shall not even
have nerve enough to go around to him
in his grief and say, I'VE told you So"
We shall be too sorry for him to do
that. If he wants to borrow a dollar.
or ten dollars, or a hundred, we will
loan it to him, if we can find any one
to loan it to US first. but he is in no
way, shape or manner fitted or quail
fed for the Office he wants, and some
one ought to take a club and knock
him down and hold hirl until he is con-
WINGED Of that fact.
JAYHAWKER JOTS.
A cross country auto run between