The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-21
DARK FOR PRIMARY
Little Hope of People Getting
What They Demand.
Stubs Bill Is Sidetracked in
the Senate.
HOT SPEECHES MADE
r. DumOnt Smith Officially An
nOunces Change of Heart.
Fitzpatrick Leads His Cohorts
to Victory.
HOT SPEECHES MADE

With a vote of twenty-five to seven
teen, the senators went on record late
Wednesday as being opposed to the
Stubs primary nomination bill and
substituted in its stead the bill bearing
the name of Senator Fitzpatrick and
which provides for a direct primary
nomination when a majority of the
voters are for one of the candidates.
In case no candidate gets a majority
the nomination is made in convention
to which delegates are elected at the
primaries.
Here is how the senators voted on
the proposition: Against the Stubs
bill were Senators Benson. Belts.
Chapman, Fitzpatrick, Fulton, Griffin,
Hamme, Harrison, Hughes, Lower,
Martin of Woodson, Noftzger, Porter
of Crawford, Porter of Montgomery,
Stillings Waggener and WilSerson.
For the measure were Senators
Baker, Dolley, Getty, Gilbert, Hay
den, Hodges, Huffman, Martin of
Bourbon, Miller. Quincy, Robertson,
Simons, Smith, Stannard, Stewart.
Tucker and Young. Senator Haskell
was the only senator not voting. He
was absent.
The senators were put on record in
an indirect sort of q way and this did
not come until after the entire day had
been consumed in what might be
actually called the first real debate of
the session. 1t was generally known
before the debate started that the
friends of Senator Fitzpatrick were in
the majority and would effectually
kill the Stubs bill, so the debate for
an entire day seemed to be little I'M
necessary. 1t was interesting none the
less and there was great crowd on
hand to hear it, the floor of the senate
chamber being literally damned and
the galleries filled to the limit of their
capacity.
Not the least interesting feature of
the occasion was the lining up of SEN
ator Fred Dumont Smith for the
Stubs primary bill and with the
square dealers"
1t was only few days ago that he
fiayed the square dealers in a rath-
er bitter speech on the floor of the
senate chamber.
DoIley for Primary.
On the reconvening of the senate at
two O'Clock, a little routine business was
transacted and then the committee OF
the whole was reformed for the con-
sideration of the primary bills with
Senator Benson in the chair. Senator
Dolley got the floor first and continued
the debate with a speech in favor of
the Stubs bill, which might be classed
as an eloquent effort, =.
IT am in favorrof direct primary
bill That is the measure that the peo- |
pie of Kansas are demanding. This is |
not a laughing matter and a number of |
senators ought not to. try and laugh 1t |
out of court The people of Kansas de- |
mand this legislation and the argument |
that a primary law is an experiment |
has no standing. 1t is not an expert !
ment- 1t has been tried in other states
with the creates of success, particular /
ly in Oregon. Iowa and Texas" Senator
Dolley then waved in his hands bunch /
of kilograms which he stated came from |
either the governor or other prominent |
citizens of these states which were to I
the effect that the primary law was |
working satisfactorily. /
I'VE have no reason for not passing
this direct primary BILL he said land |
no reason that we may give to our con-
stituents for our failure to do so'' SEN
ator Dolley then got off a most express
sive smile by declaring that there was
no more similarity between the Fitz-
patrick bill and the Stubs bill than
between a bull pup and custom
house officer
He added that he understood that
talk on the proposition was futile as
the matter had been fixed up as to how
the senators proposed to handle the
question. He declared that he had been
buttonholed by a member of the senate
and asked to support the senate bill
and throw aside his views on the pro
position just on the plea of personal
friendship.
will the senator name the man who
90 importuned him?" queried Senator
Fitzpatrick.
Il refuse to state who has approach
ed me and asked me to support this
bill as a personal favor to him / am
convinced that If we do not pass a df-
rect primary proposition in the senate
that no primary law will be passed by
this legislature We will be condemned
for our failure to do so by our constitu-
ents. There is no lodging place no hid
ing parlor. no blanket to get behind on
this proposition. We should make our
intentions known. No one can accuse
me over my actions in the legislature
any proposition. And 1 intend to face
this one in the same way that 1 have
faced them all and that they should be
faced by each and every senator
Noftzger In Opposition.
Senator Noftzger, the sage of An
thcny, was the next man to participate
in the debate. He made the same sort
of a speech that he does on about every
proposition he is opposed to-one of the
sarcastic order Some of the material
that he relieved his system of was real
ly of such a humorous nature as tn
cause laughter and other remarks were
so really bright as to bring forth APP
plause-.
From the talk that has been going
on here we would be inclined to under |
stand" he said, that the country Is
going to ruin and that there is ONLY
one way to save it, or that part of it.
called Kansas. and that way is by pass
ing primary election law" He declared
that the reason Senator Simons was in
favor of the direct primary measure
was because he probably thought he
could not get back to the senate unless
he could ring in a lot of Democrats to
vote for his nomination.
What right" he asked, have the
people to nominate the candidates of
the Republican party or the Democratic
party. Their candidates should be
nominated by the parties themselves.
narties that should be reSnnnsihle for |