The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-07-27
Plan to Abolish Primary in
Second District.
Supported by Square Deal Edi-
tors at Meeting.
SCOTT HEARD FROM.
lola Ex-C Congressman Comments
on Meeting.
Scheme Apparently Is to Let
Committee Nominate.

At the meeting of the Second district
Republican editors at Bonner Springs
last week it will be remembered that
resolutions were passed favorable to
vesting the congressional committee
with the power to make the congress
sional nomination for the party to fill
the Mitchell seat. AS Senator Brady
of Lawrence and ex-Congressman Scott
of lola, both candidates for the noml-
nation, were present at the meeting IN
their capacity as editors of influential
newspapers Of the district the resolu-
lions were regarded as most import
ant. But Mr.. Scott has story to
tell about that resolution
In a three column editorial comment
on the meeting Mr.. Scott declared that
both himself and Senator Brady pro-
tested against the adoption of the reso-
luton That on the final vote the res
olution passed with only one majority
of the delegates present. That a re-
porter for the Kansas City, Mo. star
cast a vote at the Second Kansas dlS-
trict meeting in favor Of a committee
and therefore against primary nOml-
nation plan. That most OF the pro
Eressive editors voted against the prl-
mary plan, while the regular editors
voted for that progressive principle
Mr.. SCOTS editorial in part follows:
ct was argued that the adoption of
this resolution as it stood, IN view oI
the discussion which had already
taken place in the press. would be
construed as a. virtual recOmmenda-
ton to the congressional committee 10
take into its hands the nomination OF
a candidate for congress, and pledge
on the part of the Republican editors
of the district to stand by such action.
How could such resolution be con-
s1stently adopted, 1t was asked, When
the Republican party of the district
had so emphatically repudiated ma
chine methods and placed itself on rec
ord as being unalterably in favor OF
having nominations made by vote of
the people? Mr.. Brady of Lawrence,
an avoWed candidate for congress- de-
clared with emphasis that he would
not support any candidate who was
nominated by the committee. On the
other side, it wa sargued that as the
primary law did not apply to vacan-
cies, there was no way in which a pri-
mary could be legally held, that it
would be a mob primary at which all
sorts of frauds would be perpetrated,
and that could bind nobody. The re-
Spouse to this was that the Allen-Scott
contest had been decided by a primary
before the law was passed, that no
charge of fraud had ever been made
in connection with it. that the defeat
ed candidate gracefully accepted the
result, and the people had set the seal
of their approval upon it by electing
the successful contestant. That is the
substance of the debate. which was
entirely good humored and which last
two hours as the Kansas City Star had
II. A vote was then taken upon an
amendment which proposed to strike
out the last clause of the resolution
and substitute for it a recommended
ton that the congressional committee
endeavor to find a way to hold a pri-
mary election for the nomination Of a
candidate for congress. This amend
ment was voted down by a majority Of
one. A motion was then made to
strike out the last clause Of the reso-
luton, and that also was voted down
by majority of one. The vote then
came on the resolution as II stood and
It was adopted by a majority of one
" course II was the 'progressives'
who voted to have the nomination
made by a primary, and the wicked
reactionary regulars who voted to re-
turn to the old machine method of
having 1t made by a committee. thus
giving the people no voice in the mat
ter No, gentle reader, alas MOI It
was just the other way The despised
regulars voted for the primary and
the 'progressives' voted against it.
And who was it that cast the decid-
ing vote, the one vote for the lack of
which the motion to adopt the resoIr-
ton would have been lost? Stopi Look
Listen! 1t was the representative of
the Kansas City Star! Just how a
reporter for g Missouri ne0vspaper
which while it has always denied be-
ing Democratic has never claimed to
be Republican. obtained title to vote
In Kansas Republican Editorial as
5ociahor might have been an interest
ing query, but nobody saw fit to raise
II. The important and significant and
UNNECESSARILY amusing fact is that the
vote was cast-cast once directly
against proposition TO have the can
didate nominated by a primary. and
cast again directly for a proposition
which was but thinly yelled demand
that the nomination be made in the
old machine way, by a committed OF
course the Star reporter may not have
had any orders from his home Office
to cast such Il vote, and in casting it
he may have wholly misrepresented the
sentiment Of that newspaper. If he
did, the Star will. Of course, take the
earliest opportunity to repudiate his
action. Let US wait and see"
Bert Walker, in his Osborne Farmer.
makes the following comment on the
Stubbs-Dawson controversy:
STUBS VS.. DAWSON.
THE present scrap between Governor
Stubs and Attorney General Dawson
is the outcome of simply one thing:
The overmastering desire on the part