The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-16
REPLY TO WHITE.
Senator Brady Defends the
State Legislature.
Answers Attack of the EmpOria
Editor.
DECLARES HIM UNFAIR
Some of the Party Pledges
Redeemed.
Condition of Other Promised
Legislation.
DECLARES HIM UNFAIR

Lawrence. Kan.,' Feb. Ex-senator j.
L. Brady, in an editorial in his news
paper. the Lawrence Journal, makes re-
ply to the scolding given by William
Allen White in the Emporia Gazette to
the legislature.
Senator Brady's defense of the legis-
lature is headed 'tRedeeming Pledges
and is as follows:
William Allen White. in his En-
poria Gazette incidently and in the
metropolitan papers generally has
made a spectacular attack upon the
legislature which merits attention be-
cause of the prominence of the editor
and the seriousness of the charges.
However the senate branch of the
legislature a least is doing it's full duty
by the party and the country The
Lawrence Journal does not presume to
speak for the lower house but that body
is presided over by Mr.. Dolley the first
lieutenant of the square deal and he is
doing his work in a manner calculated
to bring success to his efforts.
There is an inclination to give the
lower house more credit than is due
and to give to the senate less than it
deserves. As a matter of fact both
bodies are composed of earnest men
and there is mighty little of the spec
tacular.
TT is a fact that most of the big re-
forms have already been enacted into
laws and the things left to do are only
TO strengthen the square deal.
THE last Republican state platform
pointed with pride to what had been
done and then digressed into national
affairs. 1t is not in the province of any
state legislature to take c0gnizance of
those plankS but the senate has done
its best by passing a resolution to in
struct our members in congress to vote
to have the United States senator elect
ed by the people. After all the national
affairs are disposed of and the business
reached we nj nj
distinct pledges. 1t might be remarked
in passing that in adopting a, party
platform few people realize the serious
ness of the work In the beginning of
a campaign it is so easy to make gilt
tering promises and it is so hard to re-
deem those promises by enacting sensi-
BILE legislation that the country has
taken a. decided and not unnatural
ever the Republican party in Kansas is
taking it's platform pledges seriously
and earnestly trying to enact into law
such Legislation as will be beneficial in
courts and the deliberate approval of
the people.
Those Nine Pledges.
Let us see about those nine pledges.
The first is to ascertain the physical
valuation of railroads. This is so far
along that it will become a law easily
but not in this radical, illconsidered
form that some of the more radical ex-
pected. Right here it might not be
amisS to remark that the Wisconsin
idea is being overworked. There are
those who think that whatever is done
in Wisconsin is a model Of perfection
and almost sacred. The fact is that
Wisconsin has more illadvised and fool
laws than any other state in the union.
1t has many good ones, models in their
way, but it also has illconsidered and
hastily construed laws that are the
laughing stock of all lawmakers.
1.-The public utilities bill. which is the