The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-06
AS WHITE SEES 1T.
Ilmporia Editors View of Stubbs-
Topeka Club Incident.

1.-The Topeka Club is the head un-
Ger which William Allen White dis
Cusses editorially in the Emporia Ga
zette "Spe eial Privileges He says:
''Hardshell. mossback conservatives
are always asking what the Republi-
cans who believe in progress mean by
special privilege. Well, here is a con-
rete case-one of hundreds-of spe-
cial. privilege. There is in Topeka
wealthy aristocratic social organiza
The Topeka club. Personally-like
all holders of special privilege-the
ioembers of the Topeka club are de-
cent, gentlemanly, Woodworking, debt
raging American citizens, conscien-
rious according to their lights and be-
ijefs. They are governed by board
Ct directors upon which board are the
attorneys for the Santa Fe. the Union
Pacific, the Rock Island, and man
.2rgely interested in the Missouri Pa
o:fic Also D. w. Mulvane is one of
the directors of the club-and Mr..
Mulvane's corporation connections are
vell known. This club believes in all
sincerity that it has the same right to
keep LIQUOR in the club house that it's
members have to keep liquor In their
homes. The governor of Kansas, as
private citizen, was a MEMBER OF that
club. A few weeks after W. r. Stubbs
became governor of Kansas, the laws
regarding liquor changed, and the at
torney general of Kansas gave 1t as
his opinion that club members had no
right to keep liquor in their CLUBS.
rhis ruling referred to the Elks, the
Eagles. the beer clubs in the larger
cities and the colored boys club, and
-hese clubs Immediately went out of
rhe liquor business. The law was ex-
pilcit; the attorney general was deh-
@ite. and the governor, as member
nf the topeka club, asked the presi-
dent of the club to conform with the
.tatute, and the ruling of the attorney
eneral, as the other clubs We're DONG.
But these rich men, used to having
special favors in other things, thought
they were in a class by themselves
They refused to obey the law. Tho
governor withdrew his membership, the
attorney general enjoined the cluD, ana
the club went out of the liquor ousi-
ness. Its special privilege was denied.
It was treated exactly as the Elks and
the Eagles and the poor mems CLUBS,
black or white, all over Kansas. so
the Topeka club was angry. But 1t
stopped handling liquor under the in
junction.
THE friends of Chief Justice john
ston were about to give a dinner in his
honor at the Topeka club. 1t was obey
ing the law The chief justice accepted
the invitation. The governor was IT.
vited: he accepted the invitation. The
club 1t had no special privilege
thanks to the governor and the attor-
ney general.
1.-THE Topeka club was angry. 1t re-
fused to admit the governor of Kansas
as a guest of the friends of the chief
justice. If he had refused the invita-
ton of the friends of the chief justice
because the dinner was to be held at
place that once had violated the law,
the club would have denounced him as
demagogue. But, having accepted the
invitation, the club barred the door.
Special privilege means getting
something that everyone cannot get
legally; holding something that under
the law everyone cannot hold; having
an advantage which the common run
of people cannot openly enjoy. Gov
ernor Stubs, on the stump before he
was elected. said he would smash spe-
cial privilege wherever he found it. He
said he would enforce the law against
rich or poor, black or white, and he said
he would not except the liquor laws.
For this, the rich mans club. dorni-
mated by railroad attorneys, has tried
to humiliate the governor.
"It is up to the people of Kansas to
say how they feel about this humilia-
ton. It is theirs-put upon their gov
ernor-not upon the man Stubs. The
man Stubs had nothing to do with 1t.
1t was as governor, not as private citi-
zen. that he offended the holders of this
special privilege