The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-09-13
POLITICAL GOSSIP
w. w. Caldwell Wants to Go to
Congress.
Was a Faithful Member of the
Senate Lodge.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
BACKED BY THE BLADE
Home Paper Thinks He Should
Succeed Calderhead.
Gives Him a Flattering Notice
to Start Things.


! w. w Caldwell, state senator from
Cloud county, is being doomed by the
Concordia Blade as successor to w. A.
| Calderhead as congressman from the
Fifth district
CaldwelPs record in the state senate
at the last session was something as
follows:
Voted for the expulsion of the Kan
sas City Star representatives.
Voted for the Fitzpatrick primary
| bill.
mile passenger fare.
Voted to substitute the Waggener tax
bill for the house tax bill.
When the Getty antf-pass bill was
| before the senate, 1t was killed in COM
mittee of the whole where there were
no roll calls, but when the bill came
out on the floor of the house, Getty de-
manded that the report of the commit
tee of the whole be disagreed with, and
secured a roll call. This scared the
rabbits" and Benson, Chapman, CaId-
WELL Noftzger, Smith. Hughes and
Huffman, who had usually voted with
the lodge" broke away and voted for
the anti-Dass bill.
Aside from the fact that Senator
Caldwell was a member of the railroad
crowd, and voted with the senate lodge
on nearly every issue, he made a good
record in the senate. He IS a quiet,
hard-working member, and made very
few speeches.
The Concordia Blade has this to say
of Mr.. CaldwelTs candidacy:
The man referred to is Senator w.
w. Caldwell. Of course had the late
lamented Charles N. Peck lived he
would have been a candidate to sue
ceed Mr.. Calderhead and this county
would have been a unit in his
support. Mr. Caldwell. as his success
sor in the state senate. is the logical
successor for the higher honors and
congress is merely in the line of pro-
motion for one who has been a con-
sistent Republican all his life, standing
undaunted in the face of the bitterest
fire when the party enemies were most
numerous and most defiant fighting
day and night for the cause of Repub-
licanism. He is close reader, deep
student of political economy and no
man in this district is better informed
on public affairs. He is an able law
yer, capable of distinguishing what Is
constitutional and what is not in pro-
posed legislation. and being a man Of
good business judgment may be relied
upon to act always for the best inter-
eSts of those among whom his lot is
cast. He is western man. who would
work and vote for the interests of the
west, for in this great midcontinent
domain all his own interests lie, and
being a man of INDEPENDENT fortune
he could snap his fingers at the cor
pOration interests which all too soon
appear to gain an influence that is not
for the public good over men without
means who enter the halls of our ma
tional congress. Senator Caldwell, in
addition to all this. is an enterprising
man and a business man of tried
ability. All about us in Concordia are
evidences of his thrift. energy and en-
terprise in his valuable and well kept
business properties. monuments to his
judgment and his faith in the solidity
of his home town. A man of mature
years. honest in his convictions and
daring ALWAYS to do what is right and
in the best interests of his people.
Senator Caldwell would carry with him
into the campaign that dignity and
strength so necessary to success and
in congress would exert an influence
that would always be for the good of
the Fifth district
There were "a out of 40 members of
the state senate who voted against the
Stubbs primary election bill and in ia
vor of the Fitzpatrick bifurcated bill
at the last session, and the politicians
are now wondering whether or not it
will be possible to Swing five of those
members and beat the Fitzpatrick bill
in case a special session is called.
The "a members who voted for the
Fitzpatrick bill are as follows:
Benson, Belts, Brewer, Buschow,
Caldwell, Carver, Chapman, COnnor,
Fitzpatrick Fulton, Griffin, Hamme,
Harrison, Haskell, Hughes, Lower,
Martin of Bourbon, Martin of Wood
son. Noftzger, Porter of Crawford Por-
ter of Montgomery, Stillings, Waggener,
Wilkerson.
Senator Stillings is abroad. and may
not be back in time for a special ses-
sion. The members of the lodge" who
would be most likely to waver are Ben
son. Brewer. Chapman, Hughes, Mar
tin of Bourbon. Lower, Hayden and
Carver. With Stillings absent, it would
be necessary to swing four more votes
to get majority, and it is doubtful
whether this could be done.
The more proba BILE solution of the
primary fight would be the enactment
of a new compromise bill, more liberal
in terms that the Fitzpatrick bill, but
eliminating the secret ballot and some
other features of the Stubbs bill which !
were put there as matters OF necessity |
to hold enough votes in line to beat !
the senate compromise.
If it should be found that the senate |
lodge was broken, even to the extent |
of losing its bare majority, the proba- |
bility is that the whole structure would
fall to pieces and would not be heard of
at a special session.