The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-10-17
LONG IN DEFENSE
Kansas Senator Speaks at the
Auditorium.
Calls Senator La Toilette a
Political Fakir.
NOT MUCH APPLAUSE.
His Audience Appeared Cold and
UnrespOnsive.
Claims He Is in Harmony With
Roosevelt.
NOT MUCH APPLAUSE

tive audience which greeted senator
Chester I. Long of Kansas at the au-
ditoriun Tuesday night. The crowd
did not warm up to Senator Long
answer to the La Toilette attack IN
spite of the fact that the Kansas SEN
ator made a most excellent speech
There was little applause, and 1t was
: not as hearty and spontaneous as tha'
which greeted the deft thrusts OF the
Wisconsin orator last Thursday night.
If appearances are to be relied upon,
the troubles with Senator Longs ans
wer is that the people Of Kansas are
more IN sympathy with the attack
than with the answer.
In size the audience was only
trifie larger than that which WeIcon-
ed La Toilette, which was rather sur
prfsing, in view of the fact that the La
Toilette lecture was pay aIIalr, ana
the Long speech was Iree pOlllcdl
rally, doomed by the Republican
county central committee It was
further indication that people are not
entirely in sympathy with the attitude
of the senior Kansas senator, or eise
are afflicted with political apathy.
Long is not q rabble-rOuser, as IS La
Toilette, and for this reason, perhaps
he failed to stir the enthusiasm OF his
audience. Long is cool, dignified and
impassive in his address. He builds
up buIwarks of logic, but he dOesn't let
the bands play and the flags wave to
any great extent
William T. Vernon, registrar of the
United States treasury, who followed
Senator Long, is a more spectacular
speaker. and he addressed himself es-
pecially to the cOlored men in the au-
dienee. He told them why they should
vote the Republican ticket. It was de-
pressing from a Republican stand
point that more colored people were
not present The meeting last night
had been counted on to bring out a big
representation Of colored voters, and
do much toward Strengthening out the
objections which cOlOred Republicans
have made to the straight Republican
ticket.
1t was evident, however. that the au-
dience had come primarily to hear Sen
at0r Longs defense. Nearly everybody
stayed through the senator's speech OF
an hour and a half, but by the time Mr..
vernon finished talking, half Of the
audience had vanished. Vernon only
talked about 80 minutes. but he aroused
more enthusiasm than Long
At the invitation of the Republican
county committee, the platform was
occupied by a number of citizens, some
Of them prominent, and some who want
to be Senator Long, escorted by Judge
A. W Dana, the presiding officer. en-
tered from the south dressing room,
and there was burst Of feeble ap-
plause. A few minutes after Mr. Yer
non and an escort of cOlored men.
emerged from the north dressing room,
and there was more appaluse Of scat
teIfng nature The audience did not
seem like a wildly enthusiastic Repub-
lican crowd.
a few well dressed women, the wives
OF well known state politicians, occupied
conspicuous places with their husbands
at the south end of the platform, and
helped out on the applause with more
vigor than most Of the people in the
audience.
Judge Dana, without any delay. intro
duced Senator Long as 1.-The sena tor
whom President Roosevelt trusts
The same idea of keeping close tC
Roosevelt was followed by Senator
Long throughout his speech He knew
ne was talking to Roosevelt audience
and he therefore insisted that he was
is and win be found on the side oi
Roosevelt IN all matters of railroad re
form Senator Long was we'll fortified
with original documents to urOva fhat
he represented the wishes of Roosevelt
in the railroad fight in the senate. He
read letters from the president. promin
ent government officials and others en-.
dousing his attitude of the rate bill
The first part Of his speech was de-
voted to general discussion of poIiti
cal issues, especially as those issues re
late to the candidacy of Col Harris fo-
governor of Kansas. He declared tha
the. Democratic party is drifting toward
socialism and government ownership
as shown by the declaration of w 7
Bryan and the nomination of w r
Hearst for governor Of New York
Defends Railroad Legislation.
D. Senator Long referred somewha
briefly to legislation at the last session
Of congress but devoted greater tim
to the Hepburn bill, reviewing its his
tory and telling what it contained. Hav
Ing mentioned the criticism made o.
him personally by people and paDgr
in Kansas last fall because he refuse,
to state that he would follow the rec
concentrations of the president on thf
legislation, without knowing. in al
vance, what they were" as he refarra.
to the Wichita incident of last fan
Senator Long told of his conneetfol
with the legislation and how he ha,
stood with the president and the sena
tors who made the bill into the law a
it stands today. He read the lette
written by the president to him afte
the civic league a Wichita had fajIa.
to indorse the president. and senate
Long mad gently intimated to some gen
tlemen connected with the league fhs
it should get right with the president.
the latter having been its advice n hfr
therefore. In that letter the Drasfden
congratulated Senator Long on hj
course on the rate bill. approved vba
he had done and paid his respects [
extremists, who. if they had thei
way, would have no legislation at All
of it.
LoucHLis Notoilel AarrlS senator Lon
referred to the Democratic nominee
recent Holton speech. where he sai5 h
attempted to rob the president and Re
publican senators of the credit for IN
passage Of the rate bill: and had take
occasion to criticise Senator Long I
this connection the senator read a Iefte
he had received last April from Colon.
Harris. then in Chicago, a private cit
zen. warmly indOrsing his speech o
4 the rate bill and commencing him
every way. Senator Long compare
That attitude Of Colonel Harris with a