La Junta tribune., 1912-03-16

over the rclns Of govrn"ment TO a
group OF politicians financed by the
railways. the packing houses. the Mis-
souri brewers, and the insurance con
panies is neither grand. gloomy. nor
peculiar, II Is common sordd story
that may be truthfuHy repeated by
IN" historian Of every state and Of
all The states. At the elimination
of tn" situation-lct us ray. ten years
ago-matters stood something like
this In every ward and precinct In
the state. four months or so be
fore an election. caucus was held In
the ward or precinct to name dele
gates TO be- voted upon at a primary
a few days later the delegates elect
ed AZ the primary went to the coun,
~ scat to attend the convention OF
the party that elected them. \ dozen
men out Of two or three hundred at.
tended the caucus, seventy.fiye or
on" hundred men attended the prim.
ary usually the same seyenty.nye
men year after year. sometimes the
seventy five divided into factions.
sometimes they were agreed. But
generally the same delegates. or near
ly the same delegates. annually went
from the precinct 10 the county con
yention There was no vote buying
Bribery Of the raw kind at the pri.
aries or AZ the polls has never troub-
led Kansas But money trickled down
into the precincts In a thin stream
TO pay for teams and workers and
cigars. and sonnet mes for a keg of
beer.
In the county conventions money
appeared But even here II was not
bribo money II was sent from To.
p"ka to certain local boss whose
business II was to swap and trade
delegations In the county conventions
50 that the unlntcrcsting and unim.
por'aui offices-county clerk, regis
ter Of de ds. county treasurer. survey
or, coroner and the like-mlEht be-
used as pawns in the game. the
game b ing the nominations Of Nom.
beers Of the legislature and the sclec.
ton Of delegates to the state con
vcntiun Money was ne -dcd by tho
local bosses who made these swaps.
To pay the expenses OF defeated local
candidates for the uuintcresting OF.
ficos above enumerated Generally.
factions appeared In the county con
yentlons that rad their root In the
Jealousy of leaders Ia state politics
And frequently at corn,y cony.n.
tiou two, and O casionally three. loca!
bosses were trading for legislators
and stat" delegations In the same
county convention And while each
local boss received money from dit.
f"rent boss In Topeka. yc, the To
pcka bosses. the satraps Of the
state got their money by lcyying
blackmail upon the same interests
And 50, when the state convention
assembled and put out state tick.
ct though there might be thunder
Ing row among the factions. the win.
ming faction always was bcholicn to
the same interests. and the state
central committee. shen II was organ
iz.d went to the same sources-the
railways, the Missouri brewers. the
insuranc" companies aud the packers
for campaigu co trihutlous And
In the legislator no matter which
party won. the state organization
stood as rex against any lcgisla.
tion adversely affecting the rail-
ways, the Insurance companies, the
packers and the Mis- ouri brewers
Kansas began to wake up In 1896
The awakening began as protest
against the dominant republican fac
tiuu Ia the state In the frs, fund
subscribed 10 throw of the domih-
ant faction one of the railway attor.
torncys put In subscription. and Il
IL likely that the other railways re-.
b' Va NH' Hi'Nfht'A' AZ Hlfl'iN n
quarrel between the factions That
was their year 10 sleep. So the "boi {
busters rs'-reform.rr. as they called
themselves arose. and ~ascd "a,
They controlled the republican state
convention nominated T. W iIoch for
governor, and named most Of IN.
state ticket, Tn. people elected
iioch. and the 'bo s-bustcr.'' con.
uolled the house OF representatives
In the legislature. and had n working
minority t. tn. stat. senate.
The reforms accomplished during
the administration Of Governor iioch
by the two boss buster" legislatures
led by s,ubbs were fundamental and
Observation-Disclosures they wcr. NOR.
largely political than economic. The
regulation al th. .fut. pttpt., ana.