The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-04-28
Mr. Stubs Says He Will Attend
State Convention.
Gives Out Final Warning
Statement.
STAND OF RAILROADS.
daking Desperate Effort to Con-
troll the Convention.
Says the Railroads Have Used
Money Lavishiy.


W. r. Stubs has given out from
Kansas City signed statement. in
tended as a warning to the people Of
the state against the control Of the COM
ing state convention by the corpora
lions.
incidentally Mr.. Stubs announces
that he will be on hand Wednesday to
call the convention to order. regardless
of the condition of his eyes. which have
been troubling him for the past week.
1t is the general belief of the politic-
ians that Mr.. Stubs and his friends
are greatly worried at the outlook, and
expect the railroad faction to be in
control of the convention. They are
making a last desperate effort to stop
the stampede. The anti-Stubbs crowd
now claim to have about 700 out Of the
j, 024 delegates.
one of Mr. Stubs closest friends
said today: I'VE don't admit that the
machine crowd will control the con-
venticn, but l am here to say that If
they do, and If they go ahead and nom
mate Fitzgerald for lieutenat governor
Ryker and Wheatley for railroad corr
nissioners, and the rest of the people
on that slate, 1t will be q hard PROPOSE
ton to elect them in November. 1t is
my prediction that the Democrats viii
at least elect their railroad conInis-
sioners If the sentiment for Harris
is strong enough to pull him through,
believe that it means the defeat of the
bottom. There will be no half way bust
ness about it"
The following is the statement given
out by Mr.. Stubs:
"A question of vast and vital import
ance to the Republican party and to the
people of Kansas, will be determined by
the organization of the Republican state
convention at Topeka on the End day OF
May.
Never before in the history of Kansas
have the railroads made such desper~
ate determined and open battle for con-
troll of the party organlza tlon, ana ths
nomination of men whom they favor for
the various state offices. Their main
tenance of a railroad publicity bureau
at Topeka, their frantic efforts to con-
/ troll the newspapers of the state at any
cost. Offering all the way from a rail-
wav pass up to 500, 600 for one news
paper, their consolidation OF all the pro-
fessionaI politicians representing the
! two old factions IN the republican
4 marty. and other political miracles Of
similar character illustrate to some e1-
tent the prodigious efforts and marvel
Gus political work Of the great coipot-
ate interests of this state
professional politics and corpora
ton domination of public affairs are
one and the same thing. me pro
fessionaI politician can no more exist
without the professional politician.
corporation control the political affairs
withou the professional politician
/ They are entirely and wholly interde-
pendent one upon the other. 90
not think it would be an extravagant
estimate to say that the railroads Of
Kansas can well afford to expend
! enormous sums of money for the con-
troll of the next state convention and
the nomination of their candidates for
the board of railroad assessors and the
board of railway commissioners to-
gether with the indirect benefits which
! will be secured for the community OF
interests with headquarters in New
1 York who are trying to control the
politics of the nation as well IS the
state Not only has many millions of
Standard Oil money been put INTO
Kansas railroads during the past few
years, but many of the crooks and
/ turns of Standard Oil political meth
DDS have also been injected into the
! Kansas political system Who has
ever heard of Kansas railroads trying
to buy up the newspapers, or trying
! to subsidfze the public press by pay
/ ing as much as $4,000 to one news
Der for control of its editorial policy
Who ever heard of a railroad publicity
/ bureau in Kansas before the Standard
/ Oil Influence entered our railroad
management These methods have
| been common practice in eastern
states, and by and through these
I agencies and influence the corpora
/ lions and professional politicians have
! controlled state and national legisIa-
ton that has yielded these corpora
/ lions hundreds of millions of dollars of
unearned profits. This may seem an
extravagant statement but IN nv
/ opinion it is not only entirely true, but
/ it is conservative and can easily be
| demonstrated as an uuquestfonable
! fact.
THE men who are lea ng the fight
1 for the railroads to control the Kansas
Republican state convention were cor
spicuous figures during the last sessioa
/ of the legislature. One of them was
j chief of the railroad lobby that fought
/ the railroad legislation desperately and
/ determinedly throughout the session.
| Another led the fight against the state
/ depository bill Another fought the
primary election law and still another
/ lObbied all winter. against the board of
control law. If this element of the Re
publican party had had their way
scarcely one of the hundred or more of
wholesome. beneficial laws that are now
a part Of our statutes would have been
enacted. Eighty per cent Of the voters
Of Kansas are in hearty sympathy with
the work of the last legislature and are
/ in favor of a primary election law an
anti-pass law 2 cent fare law an
| equitable division of the burdens of tax
| alton. and a free and Unrestricted bal
/ lot, and IN SO far as the Republican
state convention fails to declare specifi-
! calIy IN favor Of the enactment of these
laws. just that far will it fail to meet
/ the demand Of the honest, earnest eitf-
zens of Kansas. y. r. sTUBBs."
Tt is the general understanding that
the so-called Railroad crowd VIII IN
I sist upon the nomination of Ryker and
/ Wheatley, but viii let the conversion
do as It pleases about Young and
! Kanave1. I. D. Young IS the candidate
/ Of the Stubs crowd, and the railroad
+ people figure that It might he1r a-s+ On
/ appearances to nominate Young. they
think he would be able to do 40 harm