The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-17
POLITICAL GOSSIP
Governor HOch Makes a Fore
cast on Election.
Says Bryan Will Be Worse Beat.
en- Than Ever.
JACKSON'S GUESS, TOO.
Taft Will Carry Every Western
State But Nevada.
John Dawson, Back From Eu-
John Dawson, Back From Eu-
rope, Is Mentioned"

Here are two predictions on the out
come of the coming election, made by
two of the most prominent Repub-
hcans in the state.
Governor E. w. Hoch. who has put
in most Of the summer travelling over
Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Iowa, and
many other western states, says:
You can put this down as my po-
litical prophecy, and see how far I am
from right when the votes are counted.
predict that William J. Bryan Will be
a worse beaten man in the coming
election than he ever was before. He
will get a less number of electoral
votes than he ever did before. He will
fail to carry states that he has carried
before. Taft will carry Kansas easily:
he will not have such a big majority
as Roosevelt did, but he will have a
great plenty. This is my prediction"
Attorney General f. S. Jackson, who
has just returned from a trip to Colo
RADIO, Wyoming, Montana, and other
western states, in which he met and
talked to a great many people about
political conditions, makes this fore
cast:
Taft will carry every state west Of
Kansas with the single exception of
Nevada. 1 get this information straight
from western people who know what
they are talking about. Taft will also
carry Kansas by a big majority. Taft
will carry Missouri, and Herbert Had
ley, the Republican nominee, will be
elected governor of Missouri. My guess
on Missouri conditions is not based
simply on what the Republican news
papers print; it is based on what might
be called inside information of re-
liable character. Governor Folk will
beat Stone for the election to the
United States senate in Missouri"
John Dawson, assistant attorney gen.
eral of Kansas, returned Wednesday
afternoon from a six weeks trip to his
old home in Scotland. Mr.. Dawson is
now a resident of Graham county. but
his father and mother still live in Scot
land.
This is the first time that Dawson
has been back to his old home for
about Is years. He is a thorough
American citizen now, but he loves the
old hills and houses of Bonnie Scot
land as we'll as ever.
On his return, Dawson was surprised
to find awaiting him a life sized boom
for congressman from the Sixth dis
trict, to materialize two years from
date. 1t is not known whether Dawson
will stand for this boom.
Dawson is in line for promotion to
the office for attorney general when f
S. Jackson retires. 1t is likely that If
Dawson wants the attorney general
nomination in 1910 he can get it. But
maybe Dawson would prefer to go to
congress.
According to the Fort Scott Tribune,
a Democratic paper, a straw vote
taken by the trainmen and mechanics
on the Missouri Pacific division from
Rich Hill to Yates Center gave Taft
only one vote, while Bryan got the
large majority, with Debs running sec
ond to the Nebraskan. DebS drew his
strength from Taft, said the Tribune's
informant 1t would seem from the
above poll that the laboring vote of
the western railroad men is rallying
around Bryan. The railroad men de-
clare that the magnates of the trunk
| lines are trying TO mould sentiment for
| Taft and as the men are holder this
year than ever before, owing to the
| policy of retrenchment practiced ev-
| erywhere by the roads, they are ex-
pressing their sentiments rather freely
| in opposition to the wishes of their
cratic standpoint this story of the
| straw vote from Fort Scott is very en-
! couraging, but now some Republican
! is expected along with a poll of the
| men on some other Kansas railroad
| division showing a Taft majority.
Speaking of a straw vote as an in
| dication of which way the wind of po-
| litical favor is blowing, brings to mind
| the fact that at moving picture show
given in Topeka the other night a
color picture of Taft was thrown on
| the screen and received in silence by
! the large and representative audience.
| When the picture of Bryan appeared
| in its turn it was greeted with a whirl-
wind of cheers and enthusiasm. Ferd
| Funk, executive clerk in Governor
| Hoch's office, explains this picture
show incident with the declaration
| that Republicans are always quiet and
decorouS at public gatherings OF non
| political nature, while Democrats are
proverbially demonstrative and noisy
| Mr.. Funk spoke in a strain of utter
| disgust over the revival of the senu-
| ment that there is possible chance
! of a Bryan victory this coming fall.
Surely he said, 1.-THE people over the
! country generally ought to be able to
remember the last Cleveland admins
| tration when the country suffered the
four lean years under the BOURBON
| doctrines of free trade, free silver, and
free everything. only another dose OF
| those hard times will convince some
people of the fallacy of Bryan-opathlo
practice Is a remedy for national his
Mr.. Funk, by the way, is all to the
| candied violets as a public speaker
before Marion county audiences.
Hugh P Farrelly of Chanute. the
| Democratic nominee for United States
| senator, is in the western part of the
state making a lively and aggressive
canvass for public favor. He roasted
Bristow to a turn in his Garden City
| speech, declaring that the Salina ed1-
| tor was lodging the issue by refusing
to answer the F'arrelly list of ques-
| lions. There is also an unaccepted
| challenge for joint debate hanging on
| BriStow'S door panels.
Farrelly is appealing to the sore
Long Republicans and the independ-
ent voters of the state who had sup
| ported Bristow merely because they
could not stand for Longs Wall street
methods. There is nothing tame about
a Farrelly campaign speech this year