The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-25
in CITY POLITICS.
Two New Candidates for Com
missioner This Week.
II. Il. Goodrich and s. r. Wells
Make Total of IL.
RUMORS ARE MANY.
City Officials Are "GOat" in the
"Mud Gossip
Other Items of Interest in City
Campaign.

For Mayor.
]. B. Billiard. J. W. F. Hughes.
| T A. McNeal Samuel LUX.
For Commissioners.
! H. P. Miller. Eugene B. Stotts.
| W. G. Tandy. c. E. Jordan.
NJ c. Holman. D. B. Fink.
| Roy L. Bone. Walter J. Arnold.
H. K. Goodrich. S. R. weIis.
| C. C. Booehr.
This week in city politics closes the
second act of the ''rumor stage" and
opens the first act of the ''peevtsh
stage" The ''rumor STAGE is when
each candidate takes turns at making
historical denials over stories that
have been circulated about him. The
"peevish STAGE is when a candidate
thinks his opponent is digging him in
the back and he Immediately gets out
his knife and thrusts back.
Candidates for congress and for ma
tional offices don't know the meaning
of politics unless they have in their
careers, made a. race for city office.
State politicians may think they have
gone through some hard fights but
their trays are like a game Of marbles
compared with the weary way of a
man who is after a city job.
Topeka is really a 'gossipy town. in
city political campaigns. Just as soon
as a man announces himself for a city
position the entered" candidates get
their heads together, their campaign
COMMITTEES meet and the new candidate
is discussed-with the accent on the
'cussed." Who Is this man, is he a
dry man or a "Wet" sympathizer,
have a pull" with a corporation head
who will pledge him his votes, is he
supported by any newspaper, does he
stand in with the colored people
everything is taken into consideration
and then way over in the corner
gray whiskered man jumps up and be-
gins:
when I first came to this country,
old Blankety Blank was the worst
'rounder' you ever saw, he gambled
and beat everyone out of bills
Fine! Finer comes back the chorus
of the room patting each other on the
back.
Then some of the men run home and
tell their wives and the rest of them
are more capable themselves.
1t must be admitted that the present
city commissioners are the goats in
the ''rumor stage" The last week has
seen the circulation of stories of the
widest nature against the lucky mon
who pulled through the election last
year. There is more than corner lot
sentiment in town to get rid of a few
of the present commissioners and in
vented theories are made to boost
them out.
For instance they say that Commits
sioner Tandy is planning to reappoint
W. S. Fulton as city engineer in case
he is reelected. Mr.. Tandy released
Fulton few weeks ago and appointed
another man at higher salary. OF
course Tandy denies it-and so does
Fulton who says he has a much better
job.
Then they say that Commissioner
Holman is against old soldiers, that he
hasn't any use for them in his office
and that he will make things hum
when he is given the office again-if
he gets it. Holman is as strenuous as
Tandy in his denial of this story
which bears the refutation on it's
face.
And Buffalo" Bone-there are
many admirers of this young com
missioner who claim that the Topeka
herd of buffalo is as tame as a family
moo-cow-moo and that Bone was sim
such a heroic effort to bring this fam
lily herd to the city zoo. And Buffalo"
Bone says that he can get fifty aff1-
davits in the home town of the herd
from people who will swear that the
animals were far from tame.
Commissioner Miller-here is man
who is practically immune from ru-
mors. When you mention plan to
defeat Pete" people throw up their
hands in despair. BEAT Peter Mil
ler!" they say. "Impossible-you can't
beat that man with a vacuum clean
err" and they dismiss the subject. But
in gossip circles they say that Miller
has lost friends because he gave out
an interview favoring the Sunday
theater: (But here is a secret-it
hn I,1r. -
who supported Sunday theaters and
baseball in Topeka-there are too
many laboring people in the city who
want them.)
The ''Other'' Men
But the candidacy of H K Good
rich, superintendent of the electric
light plant must be considered against
Miller: Goodrich wants the place of
commissioner at the head of the
waterworks and electric light plant.
This is the position on which his cam
paign eye is resting. Goodrich will
receive many votes on this account.
The people have learned to take the
commission campaigns seriously. It is
not question of electing a man to
othce-it is a question of hiring a
good man to attend to the business of
a $5O, 600 corporation. This means
that they are going to hunt for COM
petent men this spring and not poll
ticians. 1t means that there is some
thing else in the air besides 'twet" and
dry talk
Goodrich in making a straight cam
paign for commissioner of waterworks
and electric lights will see light ahead
of him.
Some time next week S. r. Wells,
manager Of the Novelty theater, will
make his announcement. Manager
Wells has been on deck for some time
but this is his first formal call to the
cabin His announcement will cause
stir in city politics.
In the first place it will revive this
Sunday theater falkland that is
enough to start anything humming in
Topeka because there are many labor
ing men and many voters who want
Sunday theaters and want them badly
In S. R Wells they will see q loop