The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-05

Who Was Nominated for Lieutenant
Governor Tuesday, by $4,000. Hop
kins' Rise in Politics Has Been so
Rapid 1t Might Be Called Spectacle
lar.
Speaking of the fall election the pri-
mary vote indicates that Stubs had
more votes Tuesday than Wagstaff and
Hodges the Democratic candidate com
tined.
Speaking of Joe Kramer. Secretary Of
the Wagstaff committee lit is only fair
to say that it was no fault of his that
Wagstaff did not win last Tuesday. This
was Kramer's first state campaign, but
lie banded affairs with credit to his
candidate and himself. Giving all his
time and energy to the work, ne was
Eatient and cool and courteous through
all the stress Of the campaign. The
newspaper boys come in close contact
with a campaign secretary or chairman
and they know pretty well what he is
doing and how he Is doing II. Chairman
Stitch was IN Independence during most
OF the campaign and the burden fell
Upon Kramer. He sent out over 100000
Pieces of mail matter besides circulars.
He was always on deck. always cheer
. ful always ready with fresh news and
he kept in close touch with every de
tail of the W1Sstaff campaign. They
lost the campaign. but the two young
men from Montgomery, Wagstsff and
Kramer. cid all they could to win, and
that was as much as any two men could
do.
1t has been said often that Congress
man Calderhead did not exercise care
and political judgment in his selection
of postmasters. He chose competent
men so far as their office work was
concerned, but they were generally in
different politicians. These assertions
IN.
of doubt when the returns from
Assaria precinct (Saline county, are
scanned closely. Rees got seventy
votes in this precinct, according to the
dispatches and Calderhead did not get
8 vote. The question naturally arises
Where was that Assaria postmaster on
election day? Was he sick in bed, OF
did he go fishing? What excuse can
he offer? Holding fat office and
dominating the community under the
protecting wing of his congressman
he goes to sleep at the switch lulled to
dreamland by the roar of the APP
preaching train. He retreated under
fire. Had there been one Calderhead
vote in that precinct the postmaster
could have taken refuge behind it. but
there was not one. How surprised he
must have been when he saw the re-
turns from Assaria. His sin has found
him out. There was no escape Ban
Quo's ghost peered and leered at him
from Denlno the figures on tnOSe IaIe'
full returns, and this postmaster
grown rubicund and fat from easy liv-
Ing, must have shrunk up like a mus
tard seed while he gazed with staring
eyes at the figure set opposite the
name of his benefactor. He must hav'
changed in a moment from a rounC
faced. happy old dignitary to a Ian
tern-jawed penitent, cadaverous anC
humble. Did he close his office tina
day and spend the hours in fasting
with ashes on his head and vested il
sackcloth? No one knows. He haC
been fed on loaves and fishes like tn,
multitude by the sea and he saw no
the hand that fed him. He treated
Calderhead like Pharaoh did tn
children of Israel and he may reap al
the seven plaques for his sin of omis
sion. His act has cast blot upon TIN
shields of all the army of postmaster
in this country who have been held III
for fifty years as the ideal of faithful
ness. Where can one go now to fin'
fidelity? The dog that Senator Yes
avenged before a jury is dead Por
the rest of the fellows who stood 70
loyalty incarnate have been sleeping
for many years, and now the postmas
tiers Of this republic are placed on tn
doubtful list. Verify we have com
upon strange times, and it would APP
pear that the seventh seal spoken o
by John in the Revelations is abou
to be broken.
The papers of Chicago. New York
Brooklyn. Baltimore and elsewher
point with pride to Insurgent Kansa
these days in their editorial column
and talk about the state in the sam
breath with Moses. The primary .
last Tuesday. according to these mould