The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-04-24
POLITICAL GOSSIP
Lively Times Are Planned by
Square Dealers.
Have Their Eyes on Three or
Four Places in Congress.
STUBBS' SUCCESSOR.
McNeal, DOlley and Jackson to
Be ReckOned With.
Senatorial Contest Will Over
shadow All Others.

crimp in political deals in Kansas, but
it cannot stop the talk about deals nor
the efforts of the men behind the
screen to make a slate. The funny
thing about it al is that the square
dealers, the men who were supposed
to have knocked the daylights out of
machine politics in Kansas, are the
fellows who are now the busiest at the
work of fixing things political before
hand
The man who now listens to all the
talk and watches all the signs and por-
tents may look in a glass darkly and
see the future as it is planned.
1t is plainly evident that the men
at home have designs against the Jobs
of several Kansas congressman.
Knives are being sharpened for An
thony in the First district, Miller in
the Fourth, Calderhead in the Fifth
and Reeder in the Sixth. And here is
where the politics come in: If Tom
McNea1 can be persuaded to get into
the race aginst Anthony for the NOM
ination in the First district then the
witty state printer is eliminated from
the running in the gubernatorial race
and Sir Thomas has a large following
all over the state and is figured as
dangerous runner up in the race for
| the big prize in state politics. There Is
another besides McNeal to fear, and
he is Fred Jackson, attorney general.
at least some people think SO, and
| Jackson is to be thrust into the breach
| to storm the works of the Council
| Grove statesman and go away to con-
greSs to represent the Fourth district.
With these plans contaminated the
| decks are cleared for that ex-sailor, ].
n. Dolley, who can ascend to the hur-
ricane deck four years hence and take
| Stubs place while the latter moves
on to Washington to serve with Bris-
| tow. This is a great scheme, but there
will be some of the warmest fighting
ever seen in bleeding Kansas before
| these dreams are inscribed In the his
! tory of the state.
| In the first place, McNeal would
| rather be governor than congress man,
and then there is Robt. Stone to reck-
on with as a Shawnee candidate for
| Anthony's raincoat. Stone may be
stopped by a right hook in the shape
of the job of attorney for the railroad
| board, but this is not likely as Robert
is an energetic and pushing little man
and a powerful fighter for his size
| Jackson, however. is an easier man
to sidetrack, and the Fourth district
plan may go through.
| There is a horde of square dealers
ready to join any combination to beat
Reeder and Calderhead. The plan to
re- district the Eighth congressional
|
bingham a chance for his alley against
Vic Murdoch and thus reward the
Arkansas City man for the fight he
made for the utilities bill went estray
during the big fight in the last legis-
lature.
William Allen White has been plac-
ed where he will do the most good,
which is to say as running mate with
Stubs for second place on the ticket
There yet remains western Kansas to
care for in the person of Richard Hop
kins OF Garden City, who is being
groomed by the westerners for lieu
tenant governor. Dick is receiving
encouragement from the square deal
ers for this place, even though Will
liam the Mighty has been picked as
the one best bet
AS for Stubs and his senatorial as
pirations. we'll, the Lawrence man has
been fighting for the past six years
in Kansas politics and has won some
notable battles, passing in the eyes OF
all unprecedented persons as scrappel
from the head waters of Bitter creek
but he will have the rip-tearing fighr
of his life when he meets up will
Charlie Curtis, who is a mighty chief
and sleeping or waking, keeps his eal
at the grass roots.
1t would be one big joke if Bristov
appointed Cy Leland to the fat plac,
of pension commissioner for the To
: peka district. They say that Cyru.
has as good chance for the plum a.
any body at this time, not even ex
cepting Uncle Bent Murdoch who ha
l been promised the place by Gov
r Stubs and w. A. White. The ap
pointment of Leland would Iop off ;
: mighty limb from the machine forces
but it would also disrupt the souar
' dealers enough to make the acouisi
ton dear purchase.
The machine men in the RepubIica
CT to Il n
the passing of the primary law and tn
advent of the square dealers into til
inner places of the temple and it locke
for awhile last year as though the figt
was all over and there was only on
I creed and Stubs was its prophet br
the last session of the legislature dem
onstrated the fact that there was sti
another tribe in Israel The old ms
= chine men and their followers are re
pairing their intrenchments rearrane
. ing their forces, adjusting themselve
I to the new order of things in order
: be able to conduct the campaign ne1
year with their old time vigor Til
machine is weak because it is a ma
r chine. The square deal IS weak be
: cause its disciples play to the grand
stand. The voter will take his choic
The game of politics has been playe
the one way ever since the Atheniar
elected a successor to Agamemnon
7 has been called by different name
painted in different colors, and prepal
! ed by different recipes. but for 80
years every era of corruption has bee
!, succeeded by reform and every refor1
; has been recognized as the same o.
= human nature when the disguise We
torn Off The machinist worked fl
himself and the reformer worked fl
1 himself. They spoke in differel
: tongues and called themselves by di
ferent names but in the end it was II
S same The lust of power on the pa
of their leaders profits a party or
, people as little as the lust of none
After ALL the schemer who stands q;
and the reformer who stands on a fol
/ flush will both fall to the ground in Il
end and others will take their plac
Z and fall in their turn. The only benei
10 the people lies in the moment
transition from one clique to the othe