The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-03-23
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Robert Stone Arrafgns the
Senate at Mcpherson.
Tells Of Organization OF the
Railroad Lodge.
ONLY ONE BATTLE.
Antfpass Fight Was a Real
Struggle.
Others Were Decided by the
Senatorial Secret Society.

McPhersons Kan, March 2S.-An
enthusiastic meeting, attended by a
large crowd of voters of all parties at
which the speakers discussed freely
the work of the last legislature, espe-
c1ally the fate of some of the Square
Deal measures, and dwelt on the is
sues of the next state campaign, was
held here last night. Among the
sentative in the legislature from one of
the Shawnee county districts; Joseph
L. Bristow Of Salina and w. R. Stubs
of Lawrence. Other addresses were
made by well known Republicans from
this section of the state.
After detailing the history Of the
antipasS legislation, which was his as
signed subject. Mr.. Stone summarized
the winters work as follows:
The anti-pass contest was only one
battle of the campaign. Other bat
ties were just as fercely fought. The
same faction in the house that opposed
the antfpaSS law also fought, either
openly or covertly, against the other
railroad measures and against the pri-
mary election laws. In the senate the
same secret lodge or cabal was main
tanned to defeat the law requiring
railroads to bulletin the arrival of
trains. to maintain hog-tight fence
where right of way is one side of
hog pasture, reducing Pullman rates,
anticigarette bill, anti-Sunday base
ball, prohibition bills, and the bills to
protect the state treasury by a system
of accounting. These are only a few
of the good measures that were de-
feated by the senate lodge a secret
cabal formed by Bale Waggener Ca
hired railroad attorney, acting pro
tenn as a Democratic senator) with one
other Democratic senator and twenty
one Republican senator's who enter
tanned the same views on all railroad
legislation as did Senator Waggener.
Senator Fitzpatrick was put forward
as the leader, and Senator Noftzger,
Senator Porter of Montgomery and
Senator Waggener were the lieuten-
ants. This was the lodge which re-
fused to consider any maximum
freight rate law, and compelled the
people to be satisfied for two years
more with a fiat reduction of IS per
This is the lodge which refused the
people a two-cent fare and forced
upon US an unconstitutional law for
mileage books on such terms as the
railroads would approve. This is the
lodge which refused to give US a thor
oughbred antipass law, but left it so
that the roads, can have attorneys,
physicians and ssheriffS as their pOlit-
zeal agents in every county. This is
the lodge which refused to give the
people primary law without the con-
vention.
In his recent speech at Sedan, Sena-
tor Fitzpatrick confesses to the organi
zation of this lodge for the purpose of
and states that he was opposed to any
antipass or two-cent fare law. Sena-
tor Noftzger in his open letter says
that he can not conceive how his Ford
county constituents could favor a di
rect primary for state officers. Senator
Porter of Montgomery ridicules all
these measures as 'Populistic,' said the
people were crazy and did not know
what they wanted, was opposed per-
sonally to any kind of a primary law,
but favored enacting some sort of a
pretense of a law in order to fool the
people.
''Waggener, the Democrat who stood
in the unenviable position of a senator
for the people and an attorney for the
railroads, was fitting complement to
this trio, and on all occasions worked
abuse and personal insult of their fell
low-senators and representatives. The
other 10 members of the lodge follow
ed them like trained animals and the
was useless on either side. This lodge
took its orders from Dave Mulvane
Tom Kelly, Mort Albaugh, Jim Simp-
son and the lobby of railroad attorneys.
These lobbyists did not confine their
talent to strictly railroad measures, but
made their supreme effort on the pri-
mary law. When that bill was before
the house they filled our lobby to ov-
erflowing, cheering the opposition.
When the bill was reached in the SEN
ate, our Hobbies were empty, but you
could find all the railroad attorneys
and professional politicians on the floor
of the senate. aiding and abetting the
enemies of a direct primary. When
they had compelled the senate to refuse
any further conference with the house
and the struggle was again shifted to
the house in an effort to force US to
accept the mongrel compromise and be-
come a party to the deception, pre-
tending to restore to the people free
but giving them to reality
a ballot, emasculated by the state con-
vention, surrendering to the people the
form, but retaining to the political fix
ers the substance, the patronage and
the graft, imposing upon the people the
expense of a primary without removing
n oF he