The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-15
GET HIS PEDIGREE.
Committee of Fifty Will Inyesti-
gate Records of Candidates
Will See What a Man Has Done
and Made it Public.
ANSWER QUESTIONS.
QUESTIONS.
Candidates Give Policies and
Present Life Histories.
Black List Brigade Will Start
Out at Once.

1. Investigate public and private rec
ords Of candidates -
, To refrain from endorsing any one or
more candidates.
g. To call on city and county officials
l. 70 ask citizens to Vote down any
candidate who violates any election law.
.. To do their utmost in defeating and
prosecuting any candidate who is dis
honest in campaign.
8. To hold a mass meeting at the Audi
torium and have all candidates tell why
they are running for office.
z. To hold precinct meetings al over
the city ana give eac q can o,,Ie cit d
| his ideas.
The above is the complete cam
paign mapped out by the committee
! of fifty at their meeting in the city
/ hall last night. The above plans will
| be carried out to the letter and all
candidates who desire to dodge will
| have to leave the city.
The most radical action taken by
the committee of fifty last night was
the plan to investigate the public
! and private records of the candidates
| for mayor and commissioner under
| the commission form of government.
| The committee has appointed spec
| ial party of trouble hunters who will
| take a mammoth black list with
| l1lOIu anu jul OOWIl TIC lldiiAC VI CNSA
candidate who has proved himself a
disreputable citizen or man who
| has diSobeyed any of the laws of his
city and state-and has been caught
| at it.
James A Troutman has been given
the position of member at large" of
this COMMITTEE at large" Mr.. Trout
man displayed in the early part or
the meeting a detective instinct by
! springing upon the committee a type,
written list of the taxes paid by all
candidates. For this work he was
given a berth of prominence in the
BLACK List Brigade"
st know a certain candidate who
| has a number of chattle mortgages on
| little piece of personal property.
| He keeps filing them-and this same
candidate has informed the people
| that he will conduct the city business
on the same basis that he would his
own. I don't believe we care for that
| kind of business from Mr..
| Troutman.
"And that is not a1i-you might
look into the police court records"
i chimed Mr.. Barnaby.
| This created "a general laugh and
the name of the candidate was whis-
pered around the room.
| Then another member of the COM
mittee arose and stated that another
candidate resided in ST: Joe but would
move to Topeka if elected. Let's
|
ton" cried voice from the corner.
| This is fair example of the pre-
| liminary steps toward investigating
| the candidates for office. All can
| didates who are hiding their past will
realize what is coming. The "Black
List Brigade" has started out fifteen
strong and they will go through the
| files of the courts and the other
! places of interest where the affairs
Of business and private life are made
known.
The action of James A. Troutman
| in digging up the tax lists of the can
didates came as a thunderboit out of
a, clear sky to some To others it was
about the best thing that could pos
sibly have happened.
! However," said one of the COM
mittee last night. because a man
does not have lot of property is no
sign that he will not make good
commissioner. We just wanted to
keep this on record. 1t is not the
rich man who makes a good commits
soner-but 1t is the man who guards
| the taxes with at least little person
| al interest," The complete tax list
presented by Mr.. Troutman is repro-
| duced farther down in this article.
| The answers to the questions from
| the committee to the candidates were
encouraging to the members of the
] committee. Out of the possibly thirty
! five candidates, twenty-five sent an
swers to the questions sent to them.
With two exceptions all of them took
the answers as a requirement and a
good move. The others criticised the
| purpose and She actions of the COM
mittee.
! Here is what Mr.. P. I. Bonebrake
| said:
your request for my pedigree re-
ceived. Supp ose all men talked of as
candidates for commissioner answer
your questions What action will the
| committee take? Will they indorse
eight men, or what course will the
committee pursue? If you indorse
some and not others, won't it create