The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-07
POLITICAL GOSSIP
Aspirants for Public Favor APP
pear to Be Few.
Scarcity of Office Seekers May
Be Due to Primary.
COST OF A CAMPAIGN.
Candidate for State Office Must
Spend Money.
Governor Stubs Not Likely to
Have Opposition.
COST OF A CAMPAIGN.

Inc year 1910 is only a week OLD, II Is
true, but being a campaign year there
has been plenty of time since its birth
for legion of political announcements,
yet only few aspirants for public
favor have come out with a definite
statement Of their intention to fight to
a finish for state office. OF course the
formal declarations are not made until
Kansas Day, Jan. %, but there have al
ways been well defined rumors of con-
Meeting men with events yet to be sew
erai weeks in advance of the big politi-
cal love feast. This year there seems
to be a hesitancy on the part of the
crusaders to rescue the state house
from the inf1dels
Is the primary to blame for this
scarcity of office seekers? Does it
necessitate the spending Of too much
money in the campaign for nomina-
ton?
Two years ago all the state offices
except that of governor were pre-
en1pted by their occupants for second
term. but this year all the state Offices
open for public bids. There will doubt
less be plenty Of candidates later. but
they are unusually slow to come out or
the woods. 1t is going to cost the aver
age cdlulQdL0 IEOn Sz,00U TO So,UUO "
make a thorough campaign for nominal
ton to a state office. In the case OF
the man who has state wide reputa-
ton and acquaintance and who is sit
uated so he can easily meet many peo-
pie the cost will not be so much. The
man best known will have the adyant-
age Of a let of votes to start out with.
But a man Of means can by energy
overcome this advantage by an active
campaign.
The primary may come high but it in
sures fair deal to every candidate and
the goods are worth the money. 1t
takes something more than money to
get in the public eye and stay there.
1t now begins to look as though
Gov. Stubs will not have any oppo-
Gov. Stanley has been about the only
offering the Stubs opposition had to
put forward with any chance of sue
cess and it now seems to have been
definitely determined that he will not
make the race. There is no one else
even talked of at this time. 1t is not
too late yet, but it is getting later
every day.
But the real opposition to the
square deal will be found in the con-
gressiona1 contests. The regulars
seem to have agreed to crystalline their
strength in the district fights instead
of the state primary. If they can re-
gain prestige by district victories then
they can enter the state primary two
years hence and fight the square deal
on more even terms
1t is expected that the governor will
take more or less active interest in
these congressional fights, as his sena-
toria1 candidacy of the future depends
in more or less degree on the out
come of this years effort to break up
the Curtis delegation at Washington.
The most important news of the
week from Lansing prison is to the
effect that ]. K. Codding, the reform
warden, has had one OF his toes
mashed while down in the coal mine.
This mashed toe is about the first
setback Codding has had since he
went to Lansing. The predictions
prisoners leading to the demoraliza-
ton of the prison discipline have come
to naught. The discipline has been
improved along with the decrease of
the punishment list It will be noted
that Mt Codding was hurt while
down in the coal mine and not by
the collapse of his arm chair in front
of the fireplace.
Superintendent of Insurance C. w.
Barnes has issued a certificate to the
Bankers Deposit Guaranty and Sure
ly Co., to do business in the state of
Kansas. This action was taken fol-
lowing the deposit by the company of
a check for $l00,OO0 to protect depos-
itors against loss.
This company was organized by the
national bankers as an offset to the
privileges afforded state banks by the
guaranty law which Wickersham. had
decided the nationals could not take
advantage of.
The national bankers then attack
ed the constitutionality of the guar
anty law and started out to organize
a guaranty association of their own.
They have succeeded in both UNDER
takings-
The state guaranty law is now tied
up by a federal court Injunction and
the national bankers ere now ready
to offer the guaranty of deposits as an
inducement to their patrons. But the
state bankers are not passive under
their reverses. They viii fight the
guaranty case through the courts and
failing in this, they will be pretty sure
to form an organization similar to
the surety company just granted a
certificate by the insurance commits
sioner.