The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-01-05
NEW ISSUE ARISES
What Shall Kansas Do With
Oklahoma COnVictS!
Sentiment in Favor of Stopping
System Growing.
A STUBBS SPECTER.
EX-COngressman BOwersOck Dis
cussed as His Successor.
Increase in COburn's Salary
Meets With Favor.


A new issue has arisen on the KAN
sas political horizon. To keep the
Oklahoma convicts at Lansing. or not
to keep them. that is the question.
oklahoma has no state prison and
must let her convicts out to some
other state by contract until such
time as a penitentiary can be built
and equipped. 1t is admitted that
Kansas makes money out of her
boarding house contract with the new
state, but then it is advanced by Ger
tain political purists of the new
school that the morals of the Kansas
convicts will become contaminated by
coming in contact with the outlaws
of Oklahoma. This is a serious con-
sheraton and no action should be
taken in the matter until a
psychological expert has sounded the
ego of the men at Lansing and de-
termined by means of dissection of
the spirit just to what extent the in
fuence of the cosmos of the Okla
Romans has had in the past over the
instincts of the Kansas criminals. I'm
less these researches develop a kim
ship of the souls united for better
mainly, let all diplomatic relations
with Oklahoma be suspended The
time is ripe, anyhow, for is not the
Topeka Motor Boat club mistress of
the Kaw. and is not General Hughes
of Potwin still on duty at the Kansas
state house?
Even before Gov Stubbs assumes
the duties of his new office a specter
has arisen to haunt his ambitious
dreams of the future The Smith
County Pioneer points to ]. D. Bower
sock. former congressman from the
Second district and warns the public
that this gentleman will make a
strong man to trust with the breaking
q oil
senatorial hopes and fancies. Bower
sock wants to run on the issue of
lower taxes Ca tax levy limited to one
per cent for all purposes) and less
reckless extravaganza. And vet not
even the mighty Simpson of sockless
memory could run this state in more
economical fashion than it is being
conducted at the present time. State |
officials are travelling on IS cent meals |
and members of the legislature re-
ceive but three dollars per day for |
their services. This is Spartan |
economy.
All the machinery of the state has
been devoted to the enforcement of |
the prohibftory law. This is the /
popular thing for the politicians to |
make noise about just now, so there |
is no wheel left to squeak q protest |
over the unlawful act of the legisla- |
ture in denying legal representation to |
western counties of the state. Re
garding this matter the Seward |
County News makes the following
lament: ''WiIl some of those fellows |
in the eastern part of the state please /
give a good reason why they should |
hold on to our legal rights which they |
took from us a number of years ago,
when we were so poor and weak that |
we could not maintain a representa-
ton in this great and glorious state -
Seward county has nearly one thou |
sand votes and no Representatives
The state constitution provides that |
county having $50 votes is entitled to
a representative in the legislature.
This small matter will be attended to |
as soon as all the jointists have been |
put out of business,
The Topeka papers recently sug-
gested that Secretary Coburn of the |
state board of agriculture should have
his present salary of 81. 500 raised to |
$4,000. The members of the next legis-
iature are hereby notified that from
every section of the state county seat !
from the grass roots of the
west and the oil wells of the south and |
the cottonwood country of the north
west have endorsed this suggestion in
hearty fashion Here is a sample of I
how the country papers feel toward the
genius of the states agricultural de-
partment:
Kansas than any individual Kansan
since Kansas was admitted to the
Union. Let US as a state give Coburn |
his laurel wreath to wear. It will be a
mighty sight more comfortable and ap-
propriate than to put it on his coffin or
embody it in an obituary.
Here is a double picture that ought
TO adorn every home in the Sixth con- L.
eressionaI district of Kansas" re-