The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-18
BURTON is HEARD
Ex-senator Comments Caustic-
ally ON Allen Interview.
Says Henry Has Proved Himself
a Poor Prophet.
THE FIGHT is FOR PIE.
Thinks Little of Proposed
Change of House Rules.
BurtOn's Philosophy Of Politics
Is Pessimistic.

| the present status OF politics. The
Henry Allen interview at Kansas City
the other day was the last straw that
| caused Mr.. Burton to break silence. He
has criticism for most men in power to-
day and their policies. He believes
that a new party standing for ad-
vanced issues is needed to sweep away
the old order of things. In an inter
view with the State Journal today Mr..
Burton says:
Eyes, noticed the interview of Hen
ry Allen in the Kansas City Star and
was not little amused as we'll as IN
terested in reading It. Its dogmatlc
tone is striking. Its assumption of SUI
perior political wisdom could emanate
only from a man from Wichita. 1t Will
be remembered that Allen has not al
ways been al accurate prognosticator
of political sentiment. He missed 1t
terribly on several occasions In the
Second congressional district, and that
was a time when Allen lived In the
country, before he became poHllcal
provincial as every man must who lives
for any length of time in large com
mercial METROPOLIS.
ITO begin with. he calls Kansas
political Moses. The only time when
Kansas ever did anything to suggest
such a comparison was when she went
en- an occasion into the wilderness, but
we all remember that she went in
alone and never succeeded IN taxing
anybody in with her
ut is all right to have assurance,
but politically speaking, Kansas has
about as much to do in running the
United States as the state OF
chihuahua has in running the re-
public of Mexico. The government IS
Commercially, by that little strip of
territory east of the Allegheny noun
tains and north of the Potomac river
The balance of us pay the freight
without having anything to do with
running the road.
PLAYING Second Fiddle to Murdoch.
"Allen 1 see Is playing second
fiddle to Murdoch and seems to
imagine that Cannonism is a great is
sue and that the people OF the west
will go wild over Cannonism. In one
sense Cannonism does present great
issue. It is the elimination of a
political machine whose construction
was begun by Andrew Jackson ana
completed by Thomas B. REED, II
was seventy-five years in the building
and the cement used in its construc-
ton was patronage, founded on that
autocratic philosophy given to us py
that old autocrat. Andrew Jackson.
to the victors belong the spoils
"What kind of an assault IS BENG
made against this machine ana what
is it's purpose?
Its real purpose is to get the
offices away from Cannon and secure
the patronage that he controls for the
fellows who are making the fight
AGAINST him. This is readily under
stood. as 1 told Mr.. Fowler the other
day in Kansas City, by all men VINO
have had any experience in politics
and the people will not be SLOW 10
grasp the truth.
"For instance, the rules committee
row dominates the lower house of the
American congress. The reform pro-
Iosed by Murdock-Fowler ct al Is to
transfer the power now IN the nanus
If the speaker and rules committee to
a committee of committees, elected by
the whole house, or in other words, Tor
the house to organize exactly as the
enate is organized AT present the
PRESIDING officer of the senate. the vice
president of the United States, has no
rower whatever over that body, put
the steering committee, or the commit
lee of committees elected by the SEN
ate has absolute power in that Dody,
and AIdrich represents the power of
the senate as Cannon does the power
of the house.
$50, that if Murduck, Fowler and
the other insurgents should get what
thew want they would leave the po-
Jitical power in the hands of COM
rnittee as it is now, with TINS olHer-
>nce, that instead of the rules COM
mittee controlling, the committee OF
committees would control. But in
reality, as I have said, the whole fight
is over the pork barrel, and believe
It will be difficult to arouse the people
ever such a contest.
Kansas Is for Taft.
again. Allen says that if Roosevelt
comes back from his African hunt that
he could beat Taft in Kansas from
Atchison to Syracuse Allen Is Tar more
mistaken in this than he was in sup
posing that the people OF the second
district on an occasion were not for
Charles Scott for congress The oSty
places in Kansas that Roosevelt could
carr against Taft would be one ward
in Wichita and the northeast corner OF
Dodge City All other parts of Kansas
will go unanimously for Taft for a re-
nomination. Cummins, the leader of
insurgents sees this and the other day
at the White House, declared for Taft
and said that Taft would succeed him
self
"Just as soon as Curtis and Bristow
get into a fight for some of the jobs in
Kansas, Bristow will declare for Taft
If Henry Allen continues to run the
Wichita Beacon throughout this cen
fury and along into the next, he may
live long enough to see a Republican
president defeated for a denominations
but 1 doubt it. A man that has in the
hollow Of his hand five hundred thou
sand jobs and who is at the head of d
dozen politicians who control, absolute
ly, the legislative and executive depart
ments of government, will never bel
beaten for a denomination when there
is no issue between the Republican fac
tions but the spoils of office.
Outside of Wichita.
Outside of Wichita, and I had al
most said outside of the Beacon Office,
the balance of the people of Kansas
have found out Roosevelt and he can
not beat either Taft, or ANYBODY else,
in Kansas for the nomination for the
presidency. I do not believe that the
people of Kansas can be worked up
to white heat of enthusiasm over a
battle between the 'standpatters' and
the insurgents in Kansas.
"Stubbs has about played out his
string. He is a vest pocket edition of
Roosevelt. The people are finding him
out. His stock in trade, while he vas
"A