The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-21

| mean party at the polls on the next eieC-
ton day.
4 Senator Fitzpatrick followed Sena-
tor Smith and at the outset he init
mated that Senator Smith had helped
him draw the bill which was proposed
to be substituted for the Stubs meas
ure He expressed the belief that
| there was demand by the people OF
the state for a primary law and on
considering the political conditions as
they existed in Kansas he, and others,
! had drafted the bill bearing his name,
and which they thought met those
conditions and the demands of the
! He denied most emphatically that his
bill perpetuated the convention system
| as it now exists.
Fitzpatricl1's Plea.
1T has been said" continued Sena-
| tor Fitzpatrick, that if we pass any
| primary law we may do as we please
| with railroad legislation, but 1 for one,
want to say that 1 will act as 1 please
on those matters regardless of primary
legislation"
Senator Fitzpatrick then read the
telegrams referred to by Senator Dol
ley. All of them were addressed to
w. r. Stubs and Senator Fitzpatrick
argued that their contents did not
prove that the direct primary system,
where it was in vogue, had proved en-
tirely satisfactory.
He then reverted to Senator Smiths
action on the measure and asked:
Did not the senator from Edwards
(Smith) say that this bill of mine was
all right and that he would support
it p"
ST did" replied Senator Smith. but
have changed my mind"
The declaration was then made by
Senator Fitzpatrick that the StubbS
bill could not have passed the house II
it had not received the support of the
Democratic members and that they
would not have voted for it If what
was known as the Thompson amend
ment had not been inserted which |
would let everybody in on the pri-
maries.
Il say" continued Senator Fitzpat- |
rick, '1et us pass this senate bill and
let the house consider it. AS the house
bill stands it is defective in more ways |
than one on its very face. Its title. Tor
of the laws of 1901, and any one who
cares to look up these laws will find |
that this chapter relates to an appro-
priation for the deaf and dumb schooi;
cit is all folderol and foolishness,
Senator Fitzpatrick continued, that
we, the senate should have no voice
in primary legislation. We are as
much a part of the legislature as is
pass any bill simply because it bears
the o. K. of Walter Roscoe Stubs.
The measure bearing his name is IN
consistent with all the ideas of our
method Of government. This is not
government of men or parties but one
of principles No man has ever been
selected for office on his own account
but because of the principles for
which he stood The people are wise
enough and honest enough to select
their own men for Office on principles
that they decide upon.
'4Under the house bill it would mean
that lot of candidates would get IN
Toneka. and surrounded by metro
politan press would be 1nduced 70 20
before the people on the propos1uons
raised by this press. II Is posst 4oo ar
err for their candidates the cand1-
date who promises the most Will pc the
accepted one, with the posslple e&cep
ton of the man VINO IS aole u Pue ny
the most money.
oProvisions are in the bill that
favor to protect canoldate SO ma
tn ere can be no such skulduggery.
insist that if candidate can 40. o
a urinary. the nomination ought 70 pc
threshed out in a convention. we
care to elect a corrupt man as d uete
oa+o 70 a convention then we Will be
$50 resnonsible for it. There is no
necessjtv that we should abandon en-
tirely system of nominating cdnu-
dates that has stood the test OF years
4 government has never been pro-
nofed 10 the best interests OF the peo-
Me without the aid of parties. You
bass the Stubbs bill and you Will de-
,troy every political organlzaton we
Senators Fitzpatrick then took oc-
aston to remark that senators ana
public servants were now Inallsnsu
md placed in an untrue light py Ine
,ubIic press and he insisted that this
,ower of "misrepresentation" in the {
,ress would be enhanced materially
" the passage of the Stupps piIl; ne
declared that II the StubDs Dill was s
,assed the railroads of Kansas would
indicate the newspapers of the state
the Standard Oil and other corpora
ions would help out in this work
md that in this way the destiny OF the
tate would be shaped in such way
g TO make Kansas the absolute tool
n the Interests of the trusts and the
y
An interruption was made by Sena-
or Waggener with question as to
low presidential electors were to be
Senator Fitzpatrick re-
lied that under his bill they would be
hosen at the state conventions.
whats the provisions in the other
ill on this subject ?" asked Senator
vaggener. a
.eWhy. 1 believe replied Senator
fitzpatrick, that the candidates
dominated at the primaries are formed
nto sort of party council and that
will have the power to make these f
ominations."
o the effect that his bill would pre-
erve party principles There is a
disposition on the part of some" he
dded ito try an ddestroy party or
anizations with the hope to enhance
heir chances for favors that they
ould not get otherwise He then '
aid that the house should have !.
hance to consider the. ideas of the q
enate on this subject of primary leg
Station and that the members of that =
,ody would not pass over without
roper consideration any recommen- l
alton that the senators might have to v
make in the premises. and further 5
hat the senator's ought not to be in
uenced by the desires of some of the