The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-16

made on the ground that the house of
representatives last winter was ex-
travagant with its employees and that it
made extravagant appropriations. The
first of these things is. conceded by
everybody, but the senate was worse
than the house. In this connection it
might be well to call attention to the
fact that the State Journal was the
only paper that made a fight on the
employe business at the time it was 60
ing on, and that not a member of the
legislature raised his voice in protest
against it.
1t might be well. too, to call attention
to who some of those employees and
members were. For instance, there was
D. w. Wheeler, who held a clerkship in
the house. Mr.. Wheeler is now work
ing hard in the boss buster business.
He did nothing whatever during the
first half of the session except to work
for Mr.. Hoch for state printer, but he
drew three dollars a day from the first
of the session.
Then the boss busters claim Clyde
Alphin, and have named him as an
Organizer for Wichita county. Mr..
AlDhin was another of the numerous
house employees.
Still another claimed by the boss bus
tiers is S. E. Cave of Haskell. Mr..
Cave will be remembered as sergeant
alarms of the late house, and was the
commander-in-chief who had charge of
the battalions of assistant sergeants
and janitors, but he never protested
against them. Mr.. Cave, moreover, is
responsible for interpreting the cot
over which the boss busters are max
ing so much fuss because it was given
to Speaker Pringle, as the couch in the
speakers office. Mr.. Cave had charge
of all the house furniture, and he was
the one who directed that the couch
be shipped to the speaker.
Another of the chief "uprisers" among
the boss busters is S. H. Brandon, rep
resentative from Butler county Mr.
Brandon did not only not protest
against the army of employees in the
house, but when his colleague, J. b.
Adams, offered to help him get a job
for a friend, he greedily accepted the
offer and placed the name of Sid
Brakeman on the payroll. Then when
Mr.. Brakeman did not come to Topeka
to be sworn in, Mr.. Brandon asked
Speaker Pringle to certify to his pay
voucher anyway. This is a good sam
pie of the boss buster.
Still another is Senator Leidy, also
member of the Butler county council
of the Boss Busters union. Leidy did
not protest against the employee bust
ness, but instead he placed his wife
and also one of Bent Murdock's en-
ployes on the senate payroll.
The following is so fair, so thorough
ly agrees with what we believe to be
true and what is the position of this
paper that we copy it and endorse it
and present it to our unprejudiced
readers for their careful peruSa1 and
thought:
THE Globe knows them both, and
can't see wherein Ed. Hoch is such a
good man, and wherein w. J. Bailey is
such a bad one. The Globe is not con
trolled by politicians, and tries to be
fair. It admits that Ed. Hoch is a good
citizen, but cannot see that he is
better citizen than w. ]. Bailey. He
has not been more useful to the state;
be is not a man of great intelligence.
he is not a man of better standing in
his community; he has not a better
record as to morality, industry and
fairness. Hoch cannot make better
stump speech than Bailey. Indeed, it
seems to us that Ed. Hoch is rather w:
J. Bailey's inferior, intellectually, and
as a force.
Then why should the people make an
angel out of Hoch, and a devil out of
Bailey? We don't understand any such
foolishness: in addition to being foolish,
it is unfair.
Ed Hoch runs a little old weekly
paper down at Marion, and it is not a
particularly good one. Bailey runs an
immense big farm up in Nemaha coun-
ty, and owns town, and is success
full pushing, Woodworking man, and
very popular among his neighbOrs. Hoch
makes a speciality of Truly Good con-
ventions, but he is no better than thou
sands of other Kansas men, although ne
tries to create that impression. Pos
sibly he does this unconsciouSly, but
he does it Hoch is sore because he was
defeated for office: the men who are
booming him are sore because of defeat
for office. The entire Hoch movement
is insincere and unfair, and will effect
ualIy shelve Hoch for the rest of his
life. That's our guess.
1.-THE Globe does not object to compli-
ments for Ed Hoch. a good citizen; it
objects to abuse of w. ]. Bailey, a good
citizen, in complimenting Hoch. Our
admiration for Bailey is honest; we
have known him a long time. and adj
nire him as we admire other good citi-
zens. The objection urged against
Bailey was urged with equal force
against Mckinley; it is being urged
against Roosevelt: he is the head of a
faction in the party, and his faction has
been extravagant But Bailey is not
responsible for the sins of his party:
nor was Mckinley, nor is Roosevelt.
"A J. Harwi, another good citizen
the Globe admires, says Bailey is as
good a man as Hoch. and we have
heard him compliment Hoch for many
years. Harwi even goes so far as to
say that if the two men were weighed
fairly, Bailey might tip the beam. The
fight against him is unfair; it is dis
couraging to good morals
W. S. Stubs, who is at the head of
the boss buster movement, was a mem
Der of the lower house last winter, but
he failed to say anything about the