The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-07-30
POLITICAL GOSSIP
Ex-senator Burton Making
Speeches in Wheat Belt.
He Discusses :" A Pure Demo-
cracy" at HOisingtOn.
THOMPSON IS HONORED
Former Topeka Man Nominated
for Judge.
Bent Murdoch Takes a Shot at
Charles Curtis.

Former Senator j. Ralph Burton IS
making addresses to the farmers in the
wheat belt these days. He was a
speaker at the Harvest home celebration
! at Hoisington on Saturday and the op-
/ era house. where he delivered the speech,
was filled with people.
His topic was a Pure Democracy. -
and the theme of his address was the
danger to the republic of a blending of
the departments of government.
Among other things he said:
The founders of our government,
having fought for seven years to throw
off the oppression of the mother coun-
try. feared the power of government.
This fe<f of power was the controlling
thought in forming our system OF gov
ernment, hence the government was di-
vidcd INTO legislative. executive and ju-
dicial branches It was the intention
that each branch should be independent
and separate from the others. That
neither should trench upon the preroga-
tives or duties of the others.
Time has brought about many
changes from the original design. The
three branches of our government, in =
stead of being kept separate and inde-
pendent. have been blended together
The executive has the appointing power
Of the judiciary. This power is dele
gated to the legislative branch in turn
for legislative power. This makes a
traffic in patronage and the congress
man has to vote and do as the executive
wills.
Thus If you want a postmaster TO
whom shall you go to have one ap-
pointed2 You go to the congr ressman.
What Go to the legislative to have an
executive officer appointed? That is the
only way it can be done. Then in turn
for this appointment the congressman
must work and vote such legislation as
the executive directs. These executive
officers who are so appointed are ex-
pected so to manage local politics as to
perpetuate the congressman in office
If United States judge is to be ap-
pointed. the appointment is made by i
United States senator and this senator
in turn has the confirming power Of
these appointments and is. reGutred to
may viii
"Thus the blending Of the depart
D1ents ard branches Of our government
places all power in the executives. a few
senators and representatives and the
speaker of the house of representa- ives
mo matter now honest the senator
or congressman may be the present use
OF patronage makes him a bribe giver
and q bribe taker. He trades his vote
on legislative measures for the privilege
of exercising the power to appoint q
postmaster or a United States marshal -
VIM H Thompson of the law firm
of Thompson & Cone of Garden City
and who is well known here in Topeka
where h e formerly made his home, has
been nominated by the Democrats as
their candidate for judge in the Thir-
ty-second judicial district, which com
prises the counties of Finney, Kearny,
Hamilton, Stanton Grant Haskell,
Morton, Stevens and Seward. The Re
publican nominee for the judgeship is
w r. Hopkins. This district IS
normally about five hundred Republi-
can. but Mr.. Thompson's 8 friends think
/ he has more than a fair show of win
ming out this fall with the fight which
/ is being waged throughout the state
/ against the railroad domination Of tn 2
judiciary. Mr.. Thompson was form er-
/ ly clerk of the appellate court in To-
peka and was afterward a partner Of
/ County Attorney Hungate. He is a
brilliant young man and a lawyer of
+ great energy and promise. He now
/ lives at Garden City.
T. &. Murdock. editor of the Edo
RADIO Republican, was in Topeka yes
terdsy and in discussing things polit-
ical he proceeded to say of Congress
man Charles Curtis.
Curtis wants to be a good Injun'
now" said Mr.. Murdock. Just as
soon as he realized the Republicans
wanted something Curtis comes out as
the Original beemer' for that very
thing He is now saying that he is the
primary election advocate. real
/ blown in the bottle supporter of the
{ antipass legislation and a firm believer
in a material reduction of railway pas
senger fares.
1T must be recalled that Mr. Curtis
is openly charged with belonging to
the machine gang of politicians in
this state and it is also charged that
he is all too friendly with the corporate
interests Of the country It will not be
chine gang had complete control OF
the late Republican state convention.
They nominated the ticket and wrote
and adopted the platform. This ma
chine gang dominated the convention
from beginning to end. and if AEr. Cur
tbs has such a warm place in his heart
for the reform measures that are be-
! ing demanded by the voters why didn't
he and his fellow patroits declare for
some of them in the state platform ?
Why did they write a platform that
means absolutely nothing?
Had Mr.. Curtis and his political
friends stood by the Republican party
of the state when they had the oppor-
tunity to do So when the voters all
over the state were demanding that
the party openly declare for these vita
points, 1t would have not only saved
the party from criticism, but would
have satisfied the people.
But as Mr.. Curtis and his friends
did not do this. the voters are required
to declare a real, living party platform
in the form of a petition to the can
didates. If Mr.. Curtis was the square
deal reformer' that he says he is II
would not be necessary for him to &C
to the newspapers to prove it The
Topeka statesman has been in congress
fourteen years, and if he has ever tried
to reform anything or anybody have
not heard of It,"
John Wesley Moore. of Marion coun-
ty, the Republican politician who ae-
cepted the nomination for representa-,