The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-02
POLITICAL GOSSIP.
Why Judge Buckman. Would
Like to Be Speaker.
Stepping Stone to Ambition of
His Life.
ON SUPREME BENCH.
That Is the Object at Which He
Aims.
How John Dawson Made Hit at
Washington.

The talk now going the rounds that
Judge G. H. Buckman of Cowley
county, would like to round out his
career on the supreme bench of his
state is attracting a lot of attention
and favorable comment It may have
considerable influence on the speak
ership fight. as the judges friends con-
tend that his elevation to this office
will give him a position of advantage
in his campaign to become a mem
Der of the supreme court
The judge is a man to be reckoned
with in either case. He has the faculty
of taking leading part in one faction
and at the same time commanding the
respect of the other faction by his
broad-minded discussion and his fair
ness. He is an able debater and a
pleasing talker. His talent and per-
sonality place him in the front flight
of Kansas men but up to this time the
| judge has never had an overwhelming
ambition to shine in politics He had
| poor health during the past five or six
years but during the past year has
been greatly improved, hence the ac-
tivity of his friends to push him for
ward on the firing line of state affairs.
| When he left Topeka two years ago
at the close of the legislature the
judge declared that he would not come
| back to the next session, but would
stay in Winfield and attend only to his
| health determined him to run for the
legislature a second time. He is sure
! to be leader of the next house. if not
| the speaker If he decides to enter
the 1911 primary for justice of the
supreme court he will have an even
chance with any man in the state for
| the place.
John Dawson, attorney for the rail-
road board, is lucky fellow. True.
f10 f1sa toll Il
help him along, bat nevertheless ne is
| lucky. The fact cannot be denied
| Take for instance his appearance this
week before the interstate commerce
commission at Washington on the long
and short haul case which interests
Kansas so deeply. The preponderance
| of the argument was against John,
| but he made his protest neverthe-
less. Up to this point Johns adven-
lures in Washington were no different
from what befalls the ordinary Kan
sas man. He protested, as was his
duty (and deligh) and he would likely
have been buried, protest and all, but
for his kindly fate that led a fellow
countryman. Angus McSween by name,
to the hearing in the capacity of spec
| ial correspondent for the Philadelphia
/ North American,
+ Angus McSween, what a namei 1t
smacks of the highlands and the low
lands. far and near, and the blue bon
ACt1 dllO tAo 1lcdlncI. D1Q R1COW66n
sit idly by and see clansman from
beyond the lochs slaughtered by a lot
OF outlanders? Not SO you would no.
tice it. He rushed in with claymore
pen and held up John Dawson's
Scotch hand before his enemies. Here
is the Angus story of the hearing as
printed in the North American:
There was one dissenting voice from
practically the entire line of argument
It was raised by John s. Dawson at
f0Tn6v for the Kansas railroad ,7r,1fS
sion, who has just been elected attor-
ney general of Kansas. While he agreed
with Judge billiard that the export and
J import proportional rates are affected
by the long and short haul clause. he
could not subscribe to Judge Dillard' s
view that general or blanket orders
could be made exempting the carriers
from the provisions of the amended
act.
Mr.. Dawson contended that February
II, 1911, every greater charge for a
shorter haul than for a longer haul
would require the positive sanction of
the commission or would become un-
lawful on that date. The Kansas at
torney contends that specific appli-
cation would have to be made and an
opportunity given to contest it, and a
specific order entered regarding each
specific violation.
Chairman Knapp asked Mr.. Dawson
to cite a rate to illustrate his point,
and Mr.. Dawson quoted the export rate
from Kansas City to Galveston via
} Wichita, and showed that that rate is 615
, per cent less than from Wichita to Gal
} weston. He said that possibly the rail-
roads could justify this lesser rate for
! the longer haul in part; yet the rail-
road should be required to make a
specific application to continue that
rate and obtain specific order to that
effect. Otherwise the provision of the
} amended fourth section. which is in
tended to cure existing mischiefs in
the long and short haul rates, would
be rendered abortive and of no effect y