The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-03
KANSAS CONMENT
REPRESENTATIVES.. z,

A4Aab WDA4 conservative Is EGLI1I1E
pad reputation. Every senator that
is counted upon to line up with the
railroads and against the people when
the showdown comes on the rate
question is stating that he is very
much in favor of conservative legisla-
ton looking toward the correction Of
whatever evils exist in the matter Of
railroad rates" Nobody questions that
it is a good thing to be conservative.
on this rate question as on every 9TH
er question that comes near to the
peoples interests there is always dan
ger Of going too far. The legislator
who consults popular clamor alone
viii often be found advocating and do
ing lot of things that won't stand the
test Some men are going crazy on
this rate question, and to follow their
lead would be to run into the ditch.
It's a mighty fine thing to be .cOnser-
vative. But when a fellow keeps talk
ing about favoring Conservative ac-
ton" and all it amounts to is inaction,
his talk doesn't go. The people are
getting wise to the game and the sub
terfuge of talking about "favoring
conservative legislation to correct the
evils that may exist and then winking
at the railroads, and doing nothing
that counts, won't work much longer.
That word conservative" is getting q
bad eputalon.-Marion Record.
FROM FRANK FARRELL.
Beg pardon for prying off the lid,
but did Ex-Governor Bailey ever pay
back that grocery bill money? We
never could tear our clothes much for
Bailey but our sympathy has been
with him in the grocery bill case. The
legislature intended that the mainten-
ance fund was to go for grub. 1t was
so talked in the committees. The sue
ceeding legislature SO understood it,
and declared it to be the sentiment of
both houses that Bailey had rightfully
used the money The supreme court
said that the legislature had no bust
ness to grub stake the governor, but
Bailey, being a steer grower and not a
lawyer, had no way of knowing that
the attorney general was wrong when
he ruled that the legislature was right.
A while back Bailey was inclined to
pay the money back to make his rec
ord" straight. 1t seems to us that a
record showing an enforced payment
is worse than a record showing no
payment at all. We hadn't heard
about the case lately, and wondered
if it had been settled.-HoltOn Signal
JUST A HINT.
When the editor of this paper was a
| younger man he used to write mean
things about his contemnOraries. He
would do it impulsiveIy We have quit
saying mean things about the men we
don't like. We write them and lay
| them away in a drawer of our desk tC
read the next day and BY that tire we
have softened up a bit and don't print
these things. The drawer is about full
and Wen have to do something about
it one of these days. If we empty that
drawer there are one or two fellows in
town who viii walk the floor a night OF
/ two.-Concordia Kansan.
/ GRAFT IS NON-PARTISAN.
I Looking the matter over carefully
and prayerfully the Chicago Tribune
concludes that Republican bosses and
/ grafters have been, during the past ten
! years just a little more corrupt and out
lrageous than Democratic bosses and
gratfers. The Tribune thinks the reason
/ is because the Republicans being in
power nearly everywhere have had
more opportunities to be bad. It gives
/ the Democrats full credit for making
use of its opportunities in this line,
when ever they had the power and
could ge- in their graft-Holton Recor-