The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-05
HOCH RISES TO IT
Appreciates the Importance of
State Oil Refinery.
Will Enable Kansas to Control
the Price.
NOV THE RIGHT THING.
Unfortunate That Must Quibble
About ConstitutiOnality.
People Are the Constitution, He
Says.
State Is Now Facing Another
Great Crisis.
TOV THE RIGHT THING.

Governor Hoch Is not entirely in
sympathy with friendly suit which
has been brought to test the consti-
tutionality of the state refinery bonds,
or whether the state can constitution
ally engage in the oil refining business.
He thinks it is wasting valuable time
when the state ought to be at work
getting the refinery ready for busi-
ness.
Il fear the people of Kasnas do
not fully understand the gravity of the
contest in which we are engaged
said Governor Hoch in discussing the
matter, NOR do they fully value the
Importance of the state refinery.
believe the establishment OF the state
refinery will enable US to control the
price of refined oil to the consumer
! in Kansas just as we are able to con-
troll the price of binding twine with
| our state binding tWlne plant, al
though we manufacture one-fourth of
/ the amount used in the state. And
with the state refinery doing busl-
ness, and the whole heart and soul of
/ Kansas in the fight, we will so encOur-
age independent capital in the estab-
lishment of independent refineries,
that in q comparatively short time I
believe we will be able to control the
price of crude oil to the producer.
'I am firm believer in the law
and the constitution, but it seems to
me unfortunate that we should now
/ be compelled to stop in this great
work to bubble over a question OF
constitutionality. We are wasting val
liable time when we should be pressing
the fight.
But we have paused to make the
test. don't know what the legal
or constitutional aspect of the case
may be, but I am convinced that II
the people of the state had a chance
| to express themselves on the subject
now, 4 would not take them long to
decide whether it is constitutional or
not. And after all, the people are the
constitution. That was Abraham Lin
coins view OF it.
you remember when the question
/ of the constitutionality of some of his
| acts was raised on Lincoln he said,
I we will save the country first and
| then the constitution. I am believer
| in the constitution, but I don't believe
/ in hunting for objections to vital mat
/ terS in documents framed by fallIbIe
human beings with no power to fore
| tell the future. Lincoln repeatedly
| did things of doubtful constitutional
/ lity, but he did not let that deter him
1 in crises. When it was necessary to
/ issue the emancipation proclamation
there was grave doubt as to its con-
stitutionality, but he did it. When the
country was short of funds and could
not borrow he set the printing presses
at work making money, which was
Ivery probably unconstitutional, but the
people came forward in their patriot
ism and took it, and the country was
saved.
1--WE are facing just such a crisis
now in Kansas. The fight with the
Standard Oil company is of the great
est Importance, not only to Kansas,
but to the whole nation. An diff we
make only a partial success of the
state refinery, as we are bound to do
if we have chance, other states will
take UP the idea and join with US in
it, and this mighty trust question will
be settled. I am very much in earn
est in this matter. and I think we
ought to be pushing our fight
/ The sort of q man Governor Hoch
is is shown by the fact that he has
refused Standard Oil advertising for
/ his newspaper. the Marion Record.
An agent of the Standard recently
wanted advertising space in the Rec
ord for a series of articles setting forth
the Standards side of the oil con-
! troversy. Governor Hoch says that if
he had been a private citizen he would
probably have accepted the PROPOSE
ton, as It would be only fair to give
/ the people of Marion county both sides
/ of the controversy, but as he is a pub
! lie official he did not feel that he could
| afford to accept the proposition.
The Standard is said to have offered
the governor $1.40 an inch for run
ming its stuff. which is about four
notices" in a country weekly, and
about ten times the average charge
! for display advertisements.