The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-05-02
EmpOria Editor Pleased With
Railroad Assessment.
Justification of the Square Deal
Movement.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Says Machine Claims Credit Tor
Reform Legislation.
Makes Prediction Concerning
the Coming Battle.

Emporia Kan. May 2.-The Square
Dealers are greatly pleased at the ac-
tion of the state board of railroad as
SCISSORS The Emporia Gazette today
on behalf of the organization will say:
The action of the state board of rail-
road assessors in raising the railroad
assessment in Kansas about six mil
lion dollars, is most complete vindlca-
tion of the so-called square dealers that
any one could ask. The plank demand
ing equal assessment of the railroads
with other Kansas property was delib-
eratelv left out of the Kansas Republi-
can platform by the machine. that is
now trying to control the Kansas dele
cation to the national convention. The
so-called Square Dealers got up a series
of questions to candidates, demanding
that they declare themselves on issues
on which the platform was silent These
questions were submitted to every can
dfdate on the Republican ticket in Kan
sas and were generally answered favor
ably The Republican platform was
practically amended. And today the
railroad machine in Kansas is pointing.
not to the pledges of the Republican
platform redeemed but to the demands
of the so-called Square Dealers redeem
ed and every member of the machine OF
Kansas legislature fought those Square
Deal demands. and did all he could to
keep them off the statute books.
THE sentiment which demanded the
anti-pass law. the two cent fare. now
IN force the equitable railroad assess
ment and other reforms of state gov
ernment passed by the Republican leg
islature was created against the open
sneer of the chairman of the Repubh-
can state central committee, in the face
of the malignant opposition of the ma
chine, and in spite of the efforts of the
outfit that is now whooping 1t up either
for a Roosevelt delegation to trade or
Taft delegation to ride into power upon
And still in spite of the fact that
Kansas will have a third of million
dollars more railroad taxes TINS year
than last in spite of the fact that there
was an antipass law on the statute
books and d two cent fare law now IN
force the crowd that strangled these oe-
mands out of the Republican state plat
form and tried to rfdieule the men VINO
earnestly tried to create public sentt-
ment for these things, in spite OF thls'
the machine and machine organs are
telling the people that Square Dealers
are selfish. that they are amoltlous'
that they only want office.
There never has been time in
three years in Kansas when the men
who have belonged to the pioneer
corps of state politics who have been
working for measures and not for
men could not have traded their
principles for a job for themselves.
There never has been time when the
machine would not surrender any Job
from governor down. to the men who
have been making this fight for good
government in Kansas to any of these
men, if they would quit making a fuss
about good laws and take job and
Quit They are denounced as fmprac-
tical. as visionaries, and yet they have
accomplished more squarely in the
face of the open as we'll as the secret
opposition of the Republican organi-
zation than any other group of men
has accomplished for a dozen years.
"These men it is true. have failed
from a machine standpoint. They
have not secured offices for them
selves They control no organization.
They have no paper to swap for poll
tical work But they have got results
for the people They have everything
they started to get save and except
direct primary law, and no sane hu-
man being doubts that the first plank
in the Republican platform next year
will be a square toe demand for di-
rect primary without the intervention
of a convention on any nomination
from road Overseer to United States
senator. Who made the sentiment for
q primary law in the Republican party
the railroad machine Not by a Jug
full; it was done in spite of the Repub-
lican organization. yet it was done in
the Republican party by Republicans
working as Republicans with Repub-
licans. That is why the machine de-
sires to drive the square deal leaders
out of the party. That is why the ma
chine organs ridicule them That is
why the machine politicians and edi-
tors are saying there should be no
factions in the Republican party and
that all Republicans should go to the
primaries and send the best men to
the Republican state convention. The
last years Republican convention was
one of that sort. and the machine may
Just is well make its mind UP to the
fact that the next fight in Kansas is
not going to be a battle between the
regulars and the mob: it is going to be
battle between the people organized
and the railroads organized and in
that fight the people are bound to
win