The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-11-28
TELLS The SECRET
Senator w. S. Fitzpatrick and
the Famous Lodge.
How 1t Was Organized at the
1908 Session.
HAD BUT IL MEMBERS.
Made Up of the Supporters of
Curtis.
f. DumOnt Smith Will Move to
Hutchinson.

There was no senate lodge at the
1907 session of the legislature. There
was no senate lodge at the 1905 ses-
sion of the legislature. The only and
original senate lodge was organized at
the 1903 session, and did not exist ex-
cept during that session"
The speaker was State Senator w.
s. Fitzpatrick, of Chautauqua county,
the grand master of the senate lodge,
who retired from public office this
year to become a humble attorney for
the Standard Oil company with head
quarters at Independence.
Senator Fitzpatrick was in Topeka
Friday on his way home from 20
Broadway. He stopped over to talk
with the state tax commissioners and
there were rumors that the Standard
| Oil was about to start fight to knock
out the state tax law, or force a re-
duction in Standard Oil taxes. But
nothing happened on the surface to
indicate such a sinister purpose in
Senator Fitzpatrick visit.
Now that he is out of politics, and
out of the state senate, Senator FitZ-
patrick tells some interesting things
about the way big deals have been
made during the past six or eight
years of legislative history.
There really was good deal of fun
in being state senator" said Sena-
there having been a lodge at the 1907
session was all buncomb. We did have
a lodge at the 1903 session. 1t was
composed originally of II senators,
who had been closely associated in the
Curtis fight There were six Pops and
Democrats in the senate, and that left
the opposition crowd II senators. The
II of us who had been working to-
gether for Curtis wanted to get GER
tain things through the senate, and
we met and formed a close organiza-
ton, with myself for chairman, and
it was the understanding that we
would stick together after adopting
certain policy. We needed few
more votes, and we managed to get
them. Fred Dumont Smith was one of
the other crowd, but for the chair
manship of the judiciary committee
he agreed to stay with U.S. So we gave
him the craftsmanship, and got Is
votes. By putting through some local
measures for two or three other sem
ators, we were able to control their
votes throughout the session, and thus
every few days in some committee
room around the building to talk
things over, and agree on a policy to
be pursued. We seldom met in the
same room twice, and used to go to
the appointed meeting place by, ones
and twos so not to attract attention.
That year we really did have senate
LODGE -,
the 1905 or 1901, sessions. OF course
there were certain kindred spirits who
usually worked together, but there was
no definite agreement to do certain
things and no meetings. 1t was the
other crowd which was trying to or
ganize. We called the other crowd the
union and the union used to hold
meetings and map out plans of cam
paign' without number.
1T was Fred Dumont Smith who
started the talk about the senate lodge.
Smith had worked with us through the
1903 and 1905 sessions, but he broke
away from us on the primary bill, and
at once commenced to fill up the news
papers with talk about the senate
lodge The lodge had ceased to exist,
but Smith used the story for all it was
worth.
1.-The union headed by Jim Getty
and others used to meet in a room over
at the state house, and whenever they
held a meeting, we arranged to have
a friend of ours go into the room just
above them, and take notes on every
thing that was said. So 1 got reports
of the union meetings as soon as they
were over. The union used to plan