The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-10-01
POLITICAL GOSSIP.
Senator Hodges Makes a Speech
at Manhattan.
Denies That He Has Taken Is
sue With Bryan.
WILL BE PRESIDENT.
Says Peerless One Will Yet Sit
in White House.
Turns His Feet Back to Pro-
gressive Platform.

Senator George Hodges, Democratic
candidate for governor, spoke at Man
hatton Friday night in the Commercial
club rooms to a fair sized and inter-
ested audience on the state issues of
the campaign. Guy T. Helvering of
Marysville, candidate for congress in
the Fifth district. preceded Senator
Hodges with a short speech on national
issues. Extracts from Senator Hodges
Concordia speech last Monday night in
which he attacked Bryan's conserva-
ton ideas and denounced certain Kan
sas reformerS as demagogueS and rab-
BILE rousers had attracted much atten-
ton over the state when printed in the
papers, and the State journal sent a
, representative to Manhattan to get the
full text of the Democratic candidates
utterances at full hand.
Senator Hodges did not deliver one
word of the printed extracts of the
Concordia speech. His reference to
Bryan was in connection with Jefferson
as lone of the great Dem ocrats." He
did not utter the word conservation in
his speech, nor the word rabble rouser
nor did he speak of the alleged efforts
of reformers to tear down the business
interests of the country. He has drop
ped the Concordia slogan even as
man let's go of a hot potato. The sena-
tor has turned his feet back to the
progressive platform where he first
won fame and appears to talk like
man who is willing to let the corpora
lions take care of themselves. He has
evidently heard from the Concordia
speech. He invited the regulars of the
Republican party and the insurgents
and whatsoever will to come and join
the ranks of the Democracy.
However, Senator Hodges is deliver
ing a rafting good speech. He has
been in the state senate since 1905 and
what he knows about the reform laws
on the statute books and the way they
4 D1rr7f
He has the details of state affairs at
his tongues end. He goes after the
state administration in way best cal
culated to inspire the attention and re-
spect of his audience, which is to say
in the manner of man who is big and
broad and informed on his subject.
st am not here to criticise,' he said,
"but rather to state the facts as find
them. When man rises to official
position then he is judged from his
life and character"
The senator read his text from the
book of Matthew. ct come not to call
the righteous but the sinners" he said
1--WE have a new political movement
in this state and it is called insur-
gency. The insurgent state admins
tration preach the doctrine of reform
and then act to the contrary. The in
surgents preach the Democratic doc
trine but despise the Democrats.
IF I favored a high protective tar
iff, which I never will, I would ally
myself with the regular wing of the
Republican party and not go rambling
around trying to start a little old third
party of high protection which would
have to die the inevitable death in
few months or a year"
Says Bryan Will Be President.
Speaking of Bryan the senator, who
had been quoted as taking serious is
sue with the peerless one, said: 81
honor Bryan and he'll be president
some day. You can not pick a flaw
with his record or his doctrine. He is
a great man.
The senator declared that the Denver
platform of the Democrats, adopted
two years ago, contained most of the
planks upon which the insurgents are
now standing and he couldn't see for the
life of him why they did not join an
old and legitimate party that had sur
Vived 50 years of stress and storm in
stead of trying to launch a third party
which could not in the very nature of
things long survive.
He paid his respects to William AL
len White whom he spoke OF as 1.-The
intelligence of the Republican party of
Kansas He said that when White
wrote his famous editorial What's the
Matter With Kansas" that he was in
spired by the planks of the old Pop
platform of that day. The initiative
and referendum planks started Whites
wall then and yet now he digs those
corpses out of a Pop-Democrat grave
and plays them up for the dominant
planks in the progressive Republican
platform which he drafted in Topeka
last August"
Senator Hodges declared that Cover
nor Stubs is 1.-The most adroit poll
tician Kansas ever knew" He paid
his respects to the governors conduct
Of affairs, pointing out alleged acts