The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-17
WE DON'T BELIEvE TT.

| evening, wherein he makes some radical
statements, which are important IL
true, or If they tend to show, what he
says they do show, the sentiment and
prevailing opinion in Kansas.
| Mr.. Allen says: Kansas is anti
Taft and practically without dissent
Not because Kansas has studied the
but Kansas resents the assumed superiori-
/ ty of men who assert exclusive privilege
Of defining craftsmanship and party reg
And so Kansas has watched Mr.. Taft
with a sort Of lazy Indifference and OBJ.
wasn't making much of a figure in the
last session of congress. woke up and
his Winona speech, in which he practical
| " declared that the political wisdom in
the Republican party resided with Cannon
and Aldrich. and when Mr.. Taft. good
man that he is, made that declaration. he
| lost Kansas. Kansas has gone"
For Kansas is the barometer of the
nation. the reflector of the popular emo
ton. Kansas. because her public nerves
have been exposed to the open has come
/ to be an accurate thermometer of what
| otner states ana other communities VIII
| the way of public sentiment. probably in
a lesser degree, but in an effective degree
for all that
These things are certainly very, very
important if true. Kansas, according
to Mr.. Allen, is dead against President
| Taft who has just commenced his
! term; who has not yet had an expert
ence as president with any session OF
| congress. except the special session
called to consider one single subject,
| and that called just after Taft took the
oath of office.
| This whole tariff question is, says
Allen. not a matter of study or re-
| search, on Kansas part, but of re-
sentiment!
Mr.. Aliens statements mean. if they
mean anything, that Kansas has the
knife out for Taft; is against his adj
ministration and would slaughter him
tomorrow if it had the opportunity.
| 1t means that Kansas gives out the
word to President Taft f1atfooted tina.
| it is against him and there are no more
| ifs and ''ands'' about it: that it is
against him because Taft would not
permit a small minority of Republicans
and the Democrats to dictate the coun-
try's tariff olicy; because of that Kan
sas has no further for President
Taft
| Mr. Allen means to say, il he means
| anything, that Kansas is squarely Incl
up against President Taft and his adj
ministration, because Mr.. Taft in the
| tariff matter alone agreed with AZ Re-
publican senators who voted for the
Payne bill and disagreed with Z Re
publican senators who voted against it;
because Taft agreed with 143 Repub-
| lican representatives who voted for the
Payne bill, as the best they could get,
and because Taft disagreed with 20 Re
publican representatives or ''insur-
| gents who voted against it; because
| Taft agreed with g. or 9 Republican
Kansas congressman who voted for the
Payne bill and disagreed with the one
Republican congressman who voted
against it; the United States senators
from Kansas being paired practically
on the question.
Mr.. Allen says that on account of
| Taft's Winona speech Taft has lost
Kansas. Kansas has gone and as Mr..
Allen continues, LAS goes Kansas, goes
/ the nation" For says he, kansas
/ is the barometer of the nation an ac-
! curate thermometer of what other
states will get around to-"
We do not believe Mr.. Allen has
read the thermometer correctly, nor
i do we think the political barometer
| is falling as fast as he seems to think
| it is in this part of the country.
| Mr.. Aliens fears and prophecies
about Kansas remind one of the old
fears and prophecies of Kansas in the
| Populist days. In those times there
was cause for fear; there was cause
for a demand that there be change;
| there was some cause for political
revolution. because times were hard,
business was bad, prices were low,
farmers either could not sell what
they raised. or did not raise what
they needed. Everybody was blue.
Today things are different. Kansas
was never so prosperous Mr.. Allen
| will tell you this. Mr.. Allen was in
Kansas City, this very interview in
the Star says, on a prosperity mission.
If the times are SO badly out of joint,
how can Mr.. Allen visit Kansas City
Ito see about the steel and cement for
his new 10-story building, the only
skyscraper in Kansas, to cost $780,,
600. raised by popular subscription,
Mr.. Allen himself contributing $40,-
900 with 4S4 other contributors in his
own community
We don't believe Mr.. Aliens politi-
cal diagnosis of Kansas is correct.
The Kansas City Star, which is not
friendly of late to President Taft, and
is regarded as favoring free trade,
| rather than revision downward, says,
that in this fight against Taft: "It is
a fight for higher political standards"
Who pray, is fighting for higher
political standards than did Roose-
welt, and Taft who was desired by
Roosevelt to maintain and carry out
such higher standards?
Mr.. Allen says: Tomorrow if
Theodore Roosevelt should come back
from his African hunt and say he is
willing to be a candidate for the presi-
dency Kansas would be for him from