The Topeka state journal., 1908-05-14
KANsAS1 COMMENT.
GADDING GoyERNoRs.


h.a OK or eight western governors
nave become more or less celebrated
as slIver-tongued orators, and they
are almost constantly on the go, re-
sponding to the demands of those
VINO deslre to be entranced by their
meiod1ous fow of words.
IN fact, the office of governor has
become recognized as mere stepping
stone TO the lecture platform and the
natlonai school of elocution known as
the united States senate, and the du-
Ties OF good many chief magistrates
OF western states are discharged by
Ine lieutenant governors and other
functionaries
During the, summer season, when
tne CnautauQua people gather in the
green pastures and by the still waters,
the gadd1ng governors are seldom in
tracts at the present time which will
make It impossible for them to devote
more than a small proportion of their
time to the duties Of their offices.
1t Is probably all right. The var
ious states will sweep on to crimson
glory ana undying fame just as
vers helms, steering the vessels be-
tween Scylla and Charybdis. No
American commonwealth ever yet
went down to chaos because it's gov
ernor happened to be a thousand
| A away 4eCIuTluS TO a QellBuL00
| audience on the moral aspects Of
statesmanship.
But, speaking Of moral aspects,
can the gadding governors reconcile
all their journeyfngs with q conscien-
| t1ous regard for duty? Doesn't q gov
ernor go through the hollow form Of
taxing an oath to the effect that he
will perform the duties. of. his respon-
sible office to the best of his ability :?
And does that oath provide for the
performance of those duties by Ions
distance telephone?
The Gazette is merely asking for
information.
In its benighted condition things
which are perfectly clear to others
seem to it as complex as the riddle
of the Sphinx.-Emporia Gazette.
-
ARKANSAS THREE GOVERNORS.
The people of Arkansas are greatly
agitated because the state has been
! left without a governor. Recently the
acting governor left for Washington
| to attend the White House meeting of
governors called by President Roose-
velt. He said nothing Of his intended
departure to the speaker of the Ar
kansas house of representatives. and
as the state constitution provides that
when the acting governor is absent
/ the speaker of the house of repre-
sentatives shall be acting governor,
that worthy has taken the oath Of Of
| flee. Tas
This gives Arkansas three govern
| ors The real governor, who was
chosen at the last election lost his
mind soon after election. His afflic-
| ton is referred to for the sake of
politeness on the part Of the Arkan-
sas press as an Illness" but his con-
d1t1on Is such that an acting gov
ernor took charge Of the government
OF the state. The acting governor,
like Governor Hoch, mas gone to
Washington to attend the governors
| meeting and the speaker of the house
Of representatives who wants to be
governor for awhile now. has taken
Of having been ruler Of the Bear
state. Some people cannot get along
without governor, 1t is likely, but
the people Of Arkansas are fully as
| capable of getting along without a
governor for few days az are the
people of forty-f1ve other states
where the absence OF a Governor
| would not be noticed.-Salina Journal.