The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-31
GIVEN KNOCK OUT.
Regulars Score a Victory Over
the Insurgents.
Take the Reins of Power in
Kansas Day Club.
Overwhelming Approval of Taft's
Progressive Administration.
REBUKE FOR STUBBS.
Resolution Endorsing Governor
Is Voted Down.
Speech of Charles WhedOn, of
Nebraska, HOOted.
REBUKE FOR STUBBS.
Congressman McKinley's Plea
for Regulars Well Received.

The nineteenth annual meeting and
banquet of the Kansas Day club IS now
history, and like most history, may be
spoken OF as dealing largely with camps
ard battles. The regulars were in con-
troll from the beginning to the end.
Anti-Stubbs officers were elected
throughout, endorsement of the Stubs
administration was denied and c. w.
Whedon, an eminent insurgent from
Nebraska. was all but howled down at
the banquet and Whe 7on had been an
nounced as 'the speaker of the even
ing"
The meeting overwhelmingly adopted
resolution endorsing the wise. cour-
ageous, and conserVatively progressive
administration of William H. Taft
The meeting of the club to elect Off
GERS was the most sensational and the
lest attended in its history. They had
to adjourn from the supreme court
rooms to the Representative hall, and
that room was crowded to the doors.
The features Of the club meeting was
the appearance of Bill Hackney once
more in the spot light with rabid
speech, typewriter and prepared be-
forehand, and the fine appearance and
address Of Attorney General Jackson
ir the face of overwhelming odds. Fol-
lowing the Hackney speech Mr.. jack
son climbed upon one of the desks in
the rear of the hall and gained the at
tentlon of the chairman. His reply to
Hackney commanded attention and re-
spect from every quarter. White with
rage and in deadly earnest. Mr.. jack
son nevertheless kept himself in per-
feet control. He was alone in the
breach. like the guard at Waterloo,
with the rout of the army behind him.
hut he made as fine a figure as Cam
bronze did on that historic occasion.
His words came readily and they were
cd hot fro, IL cd a
manly and eloquent plea. He faced a
crisis which no one could avert, but he
made as fire showing in defeat as most
men do in victory. 1t was a great day
for the attorney general even though
the insurgents were routed, for he
showed his calibre in time of peril and
&Gversity.
There was never such a meeting of
the Kansas Day club and there will
likely never be such a meeting again.
1t had been announced beforehand that
the CLUB meeting Snd banquet would
be nonpartisan affairs in which fac
tionalism would not be countenanced.
But faction broke from its moorings
in the flood of personal feuds and swept
all before it. The regulars had been
beaten last year in the primary and
after spending q year on St. Helena
in exile they t)ok fall revenge for past
reverses. They outnumbered the in
sUrgentS four to one and they rubbed
il in without mercy. They elected Tom
Wagstaff. leader of the revolt to the
Office of president, by acclamation, af-
ter Shukers had withdrawn his name.
Then they elected regular as secre-
tary in the person of Henry Morrison
of Colby. All the vice presidents are
regulars. The speakers at the Saturday
afternoon meeting ginRepresentative hall.
who were called to the platform and
those who got the loudest cheers were
exiles returned from obscurity. 1t was
a revolution. When J. n. Dolley tried
to speak there was almost a riot. Dol
leys fighting blood was up. however,
and he spoke anyway and dared the
meeting to turn down the endorsement
of the StuhbS administration. The dare
vas accepted cheerfully and the Stubbs
resolution offered by Mr.. Jackson was
voted down four to one.
At the banquet Saturday night it was
almost as bad The young Kansans
on the program were listened to with
out an outbreak, but when Charles
Whedon, the Nebraska insurgent, un-
dertook to criticise the Payne bill and
uphold the action of the insurgents in
congress there was a lively protest.
The distinguished visitor was treated
rather discoureously and frequently
had to stop while President Allen re-
stored order in the banquet hall.
Later the crowd sat quietly and
listened to long speech by Repre-
sentative McKinlay of California in
favor of party regularity and protec-
tive tariff Mr. McKinlay did not stop
talking until IL o'clock and then the
crowd gave him great ovation and
called for more"
The wisdom of holding the banquet
in the Masonic hall was apparent when
seven hundred guests were comfort
ably seated and served at the ban
ouet. This hall is a room of noble
proportions and especially adapted for
a big banquet.
Among the new and young speakers
at the banquet whose talks were espe-
cially interesting and appropriate were
F L. Platt OF kirwin who responded
TO the toast Kansas" A. NJ. Erbright
of K. u, who talked from the sub
iect. ''The Young Republicans" and
o. H Foster of Garden City, in his
discussion of 1.-The Interpreter
President H J. Waters of the State
Agricultural college, one of the speak
ers. is a Democrat, and his address
was looked forward to with interest,
but he talked about the Meat Boy
cott.'' avoiding all political questions
entirely President Waters made a
good talk and it was we'll received.
Naturally the question of Saturdays
triumph of the regulars over the
square deal is the all important one
now in public discussions. How deep
do the surface indications go? What
will it lead to3 Is Stubbs on the run
These are the questions asked. No
certain answ r can be given until the
votes are counted at the next primary.
Eiie regulars had one good day and