The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-25
w. Y. Morgan Tells Where Kan
sas Senator Stands,
Saying Attack on Him Entirely
for Political Purposes.
LONGS OPPORTUNITY
Says He Is in Position to Do
Much in Senate.
People of Kansas Believe in
Fair Play.

w. Y. Morgan OF hutchinson, one
Of the managers of Senator Long
campaign, has written piece" about
Long which is intended to counteract
the effect of William Allen White 8
recent Indictment of Long. Mr.. Nor
gan defends Senator Longs record as
follows:
Twelve years ago that most bril-
liant Kansas writer, Mr.. William AL
len White, contributed to the ltera-
ture of a presidential campaign an ar
ticle entitled Whats the Matter With
Kansas" The political conditions in
the state were portrayed in a manner
most unpleasant to the people who
resided within its borders and the
answer to the question in the title was
made that Kansas is a state where
economic vagaries are popular, where
demagogues have more influence than
the statesman and where prejudice
and passion are the proper emotions
to which to appeal in order to secure
success.
The indictment was not fair even
at that time, but the damaging effect
of this theory is that it has been too
much believed and the people of Kan
sas, an educated. well read and right
thinking lot, have been condemned
as cranks and curios and the state
held up as an awful example for 9TH
thority the author quoted. the err
roneous idea is regarded as true. that
to be a success in politics one must be
an hysterical advocate of something
new or a ud-mouthed opponent of
whatever is. The way to reform"
conditions or to get the job of some
other fellow and for oneself. has been
Incorrectly but frequently thought to
be made easy by saying that the
Money Power" and wall Street"
were seeking to sap the foundations
of liberty and that unless the party in
power or the statesman in office were
thrown out at once the pillars of the
temple of freedom would come tum-
bling down on a downtrodden people.
Once-tust once-almost a generation
ago. this kind of argument succeeded
in Kansas, and the politicians who
are out and want to be in have never
successfully made II work again
This year the biennial host that or
ganizes on the theory of Kansas insan-
ity is especially engaged in attacking
the senator from Kansas whose term
expires On the 4th of next March, Ches-
ter I. Long. In justice to most of the
leaders who are now endeavoring to
work up sentiment against Long on
this line, 1t should be said that they
are only using the political tools they
think fitted for the work and that they
are not a sulphurous and sanguinary
as they would seem to be. They grant
the honesty of character, the personal
integrity the constructive ability, and
the unquestioned success of Senator
Long. They are really proud of the
position he has achieved in the senate
of the United States and the confidence
shown in him by his colleagues and
by the president. Even his opponent,
Mr.. Bristow, was grateful to Long and
glad of that strength when three years
ago he was being dismissed by the adj
ministration from the position of
fourth assistant postmaster general
and the bleak prospect ahead was a
swift return to Kansas where political
enemies would make the most of the
unfortunate case. Long stood then as
Bristow's friend, regardless of the per-
sonal discredit such a position might
entail in Washington, and personally
and alone made the plea and took the
stand which enabled Mr.. Bristow to
come home with his face saved by way
of a temporary Panama appointment
relieved of the discredit which his
friends thought he never deserved And
in justice to Mr.. Bristow let it be here
set down that he was grateful to Sem
ator Long until he wanted Senator
Longs job.
An Appeal to Prejudice.
With no argument against the re-
election of Senator Long that would
reach reason or sentiment there really
was only one way to fight him and that
was to appeal to prejudice. On the old
theory of Will White that Kansas has
peculiar political insanity, something
that specialists might describe as Wall
streetitis. the cry was raised that the
senior senator from Kansas did not
represent the people of his state.
At first the charge was made that
Long did not stand with Roosevelt,
especially on the Hepburn rate bill
Kansas has always felt that the state
va ip1i in al ad 90 ms hx-t
mon carriers, that Kansas City, Chi
cago and st. Louis have had unfair
advantage over Hutchinson, Wichita
and Salina. and that the producers
and consumers of Kansas were
charged excessive rates. going and
coming. or course. the enemies said.
Long is with Roosevelt in other
things. He was a champion of Cuban
reciprocity when a lot of his beet
sugar constituents felt that such a
measure would hurt them, a theory
that afterwards proved to be wrong
Long is with the president on the
Philippine policy. the Panama canal
deep water improvements, the money
question. the irrigation experiments
the preservation of forests and all
the other measures which Roosevelt
has so vigorously advocated All of
this had to be granted and il was.
But he had declined to say in ad-
vance of the preparation of the rail-
road rate Dill that he would support
any measure that the president pro-
posed. And when the bill was under
consideration. in spite of the fact that
Long had worked and spoken and
labored day and night for the meas
ure, he had voted against a lot of
amendments. some designed to XIII
the bill and others that would have
had that effect. amendments in
troduced by Senators La Toilette.
Foraker and others, actuated by di-
verse motives. With this much evil
dence against him his political
: enemies in Kansas proceeded to try,
condemn and hang him on the indict-
ment of not standing by the president.
Unfortunately for the self-constituted
nrosecutorS and iudRes Rooseyelf