Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1906-05-11
WILLIAM ALLEN WANTS TO KNOW.
EmpOFia Republican Editor Waiting for
a Signal.

f1Ocn 10 SOUND the t0cSln, and
promises to get out his hew- gag
and come in on the chorus. This
is Whites piece"
An old time Republican came
into the Gazette Office today and
demanded to know why the
Gazette did not give heartier sup
port to Governor Hoch and the
Republican state ticket. There
will be no question about the
loyalty of the Gazette to the
Republican party in this state
when the issue is defined, but just
now the issue has not been made.
The Gazette is waiting for Cover
nor Hoch to make the issue and
to declare how be desires this
fight to be made.
There are several issues which
would interest the people and any
one of them properly put might
be a winner. But which one shall
take the lead9 Shall the Repub-
lican papers of Kansas 90 to the
people and proudly point to the
fact that after going to other
governors and being refused, the
Katy railroad went to Governor
Hoch and got him to lend the
name of Kansas to a suit that
would despoil settlers of their
lands? That would be a ringing
issue, and when Governor Hoch
gets ready to outline it the Gazette
will be loyalty with him. The
railroads have been greatly abused;
they need more land; their at
torneys should be encouraged to
rob the people, not only of their
crops, but of the land on which
these crops grow, and in lending
the name of Kansas to the railroads
in their suits against the people
Governor Hoch is doing the wise
and proper thing. But the
Gazette has no desire to crowd
this issue to the front. until the
governor says that is the one on
which he expects to run.
There are other issue upon
which he might make a whirlwind
campaign. He is sworn to en-,
force the laws of Kansas yet in
two-thirds of the counties of
Kansas the law is not enforced,
and the governor knows it is not
enforced; that would be a fine is
sue and when the governor sounds
his clarion note, the Gazette will
foot its pumpkin reed pipe in
hearty unison.
The laws concerning the use
of public money were violated,
and the man who violated them
was one of the chief instruments
which eDcompassed the governors
nomination, and his denomination.
The issue of True and Loyal
Friendship to a Scoundrel would
make the welkin ring, in Kansas,
and when Governor Hoch decides
to sound the tocsin, the Gazette
will begin striking its hew-gag,
and we will all be off in a bunch.
The railroads were about to
capture the state Republican con-
vention two months ago. They
were using the corruption of pas
ses openly, and they were &C
complishing the outrage of the
Republican party as shamelessly
as ever any public indecency was
ever done; the people called for
help; petitions began coming in
asking for special session max
Ing pass-giying a felony. Ger
tainly if ever there was an
emergency in this state it was
then. But the governor strangled
the cry for help and gave notice
that he would let the bribery go
on, and-what has happenedl
When he gets ready to defend that
action on the stump and to make
the failure to save the good name
of Kansas an issue, the Gazette
will join him in the endeayor.
The state of Kansas was strup.