Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1908-07-01
senator Long and the Chicago Conven-
ton

one OF the truly great .IepuDllCanS
of Kansas, has the following in a
recent number of the Topeka Cap
ital:
Senator Long is supplementing
the work of his superb press bureau
by timely interviews designed to
impress the people Of Kansas with
his great prominence in national
affairs, and his fidelity to the West.
A month ago it was proclaimed
from Washington that he was the
choice of the administration for
chairman of the national conven-
ton and was to make the keynote
speech" The federal claquers used
this in Kansas for all it was worth.
But the national committee met
TO select a chairman and Long S
name was not mentioned. 1t was
then learned that Senator Bever-
idge of Indiana had been the ad-
ministration's choice all the time,
and Longs only connection with
that coveted and honorable distinc-
ton was in the felicitous imagi-
nation of his accommodating press
bureau.
Longs versatile correspondents
were prompt to tell the Kansas
people that the President and Sec
rotary Taft had invited the Senator
to remain in Washington to aid in
formulating the platform. The fact
is that Mr.. Taft invited Senator
Curtis to join a conference of few
trusted friends to outline the plat
form and he accepted the invita-
ton. Subsequently he had an i'm
perative business call to Topeka
and requested Mr.. Taft to substi-
tute Senator Long. Mr.. Taft
agreed to the substitution, of course,
and that is how Long inherited
this fictitious prominence that has
been SO flamboyantly paraded over
Kansas.
Mr.. Long completed the work, in
Washington, not neglecting to keep
the Kansas papers fully advised as
to what he was doing, and then
came to Emporia where he entered
a plea of guilty to the charges
made against him, and interposed
varied extenuating circumstances
in mitigation of his political
crimes. The federal benehciaries
of his patronage and few hysteri-
cal newspapers, according to a pre-
arranged plan, Immediately pro-
claimed this Emporia speech as a
complete defense" But the "sov-
ereign squats have been laborious-
~ reading and intelligently analyz.
ing that speech and with practical
unanimlty pronounce it a confess
sion Of guilt.
After this forty-thousand word
plea of guilty at Emporia, the Sen
ator went to Chicago, by way of
Fort Dodge, Ia, upon the hypocrit-
zeal pretense that he carried the
administrators commission to
find a candidate for Vice President.
Again the generous press boys got
the Senator's prominence into the
Kansas papers in a most attractive
style. But when the time came for
action, Long abandoned his candi-
date and joined the East in nomi.
mating Sherman, a man of eminent
responsibility, who is not at all
unsatisfactory to the Wall street
crowd. And Mr.. Long, forgetful
Of his sacred mission to find a
western man for Vice President,
now declares that Sherman's nom
ination is the very best thing that
could have happened. Aldrich and
Allison and Cannon all agree with
him.
The people of Kansas must still
further be impressed with the Sen
ator's commanding position in ma
tional affairs, so the resourceful
correspondents rendered him the
nomination for Vice President and
he promptly declined it. One cor
respondent made his report little
too definite and certain" by Civ
ing the personnel of the conference.
Five men were present when Long
was offered this job. Senator Long
OF Kansas and Senator Warner Of
Missouri were fIuO IF tho five ool
the nomination was offered to both
OF them. Just why it was not Of.
tered to the other three is not stat.
ed. 1t was kind in the FIVE men to
try to relieve the oo6 delegates from
all responsibility for the selection
OF vice presidential candidate.
But this diaphanous scheme was
good enough for several columns OF
insufferable rot, in the Kansas pa
Pers, about what a great man Sen
atOr I ono iS