The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1906-06-15
JUDGE BENSON IS SENATOR
ACCEPTS SEAT IN SENATE va
Gated BY J. r BURTON.
The New Incumbent Gets Place With
out Limitations and May Run
for the Senate.


for the Senate
Topeka, June I1@Judge A. ".
Benson arrived in Topeka this morn
ing, went directly to the Office OF Gov
ernOr HOch and said to the governor,
Governor Hoch. I gratefully ACCEPT
the appointment Of United States sen
ator"
I appreciate that very much" an
swered the governor.
There was no formal speech of &C
ceptance, the entire conversation last
1 ing less than minute and IL was car
l ried on in as ordinary a tone OF voice
as II the one had presented the other
with some simple ordinary token
! Senator Benson viii leave Topeka at
/ > o'clock this afternoon for Washing
ton.
There was then some discussion as
I to what the form Of commission
should be as the appointment is for
l the UneXpired term Of ex-senator Bur
/ ton, March 4, 1907. The commission
/ was finally decided upon and followed
/ this form:
ITO the Hon. Charles ". Fairbanks,
/ Vice President Of the United States
/ and ex-OfficiO OF the Senate of the
/ United States: Know We that / z. W
HOch, governor for the state Of Kan
/ sas, repOsing special trust and con-
/ 6dence IN the integrity patriotism
/ and abilities Of Alfred Washburn Ben
]
/ son, on behalf and in the name Of the
] state, do hereby appoint and commits
/ sion him senator in the congress Of
/ the United States from the state of
/ Kansas to I'LL the vacancy caused by
| the resignation Of Hon Joseph r
/ Burton, until the next meeting of the
] legislature of this state and until a
/ successor has been elected and quail
/ fed, and do authorize and empower
/ him to discharge the duties of said
| office according to law"
This viii be printed and when
/ finished will be signed by Governor
/ dent Fairbanks in Washington We'd
/ nesday when the oath Of Office will be
/ given
Resigns Legislative Place.
1t was suddenly suggested that
Judge Benson is still member Of the
legislature and the question came up,
| whether or not the appointment and
/ acceptance Of the senatOrShip vacated
| the legislative office The attorney
| general said that he believed it did
/ but that in order to be dOubly sure
/ a resignation would be proper. Judge
| Benson sat at one Of the vacant desks
\ in the governors Office and wrote his
| resignation as a member OF the lower
\ house Of the present legislature.
/ Judge Benson, after all the details
/ had been disposed Of entered the
| governors private Office where ne re-
/ NAMED until far after the noon hour
AFTER the conference Judge Benson
said TO a newspaper correspondent:
| I shall leave for Washington at 5
| O'Clock tonight over the Santa Fe and
take the very shortest route to get
there can't do much, OF course in
such short session, but I can cast
my vote for statehood and the railroad
/ rate bill"
rs there anything to say further re
garding your candidacy for election
before the next legislature %
Expects to Be Candidate.
Il doubt If there is anything more
to say 1t will depend very much on
| the temper OF the people at-that time.
At present. however, I believe that I
shall be a candidate"
| Judge Benson has been engaged in
/ the practice of law in Ottawa for thir-
| ty-six years, and, remarkable as it
may seem, has very few enemies in
[ that town
Judge Benson has not been well
/ known IN state politics outside OF his
1 judicial district for twenty-five years
A quarter Of a century ago he was a
| member Of the state senate and he
| developed into a leader during his
/ term He refused to again serve the
state in that capacity After twelve
years on the district bench, ending in
/ 1897, ne retired TO practice law. New
| alignmentS occurred in state politics
/ between that time-and 1904, when he
! was nominated without his sOiicita-
| ton for member Of the lower house
Of the legislature He had been in
| legislative harness only a few weeks
until he became a leader. He was
guided by no bosses, forming his own
opinions about legislative affairs and
vigorously opposing those things that
did not seem to him to be right. As a
result OF this characteristic he opposed
the state refinery bill Subsequent
court decisions proved that he was
right. When W. r Stubs, speaker
OF the house, made a violent attack
on H J. Allen, chairman Of the state
board OF charities, Judge Benson came
to the rescue Of the latter although he
and Allen had not been political
friends. He explained in his speech
that he believed the attack Of the
speaker was unwaTranted and that ne
! could not sit by and hear a towns
man abused even by the speaker.
Members Of the legislature came to un-
derstand in time that the member
from the Sixteenth district would sup
port only those measures which he
| believed were designed to be Of bene-
} Mt TO the people. 1t is estimated that
! | 20 per cent Of the members OF the
house Of 1905 viii be returned to the
. house OF 1907 and Judge Benson feels
that he stands a chance in the sena-
/ tOrial contest He has carefully
weighed his chances and has decided
to enter the contest