The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-01-03
CHAPTER LxR.

[ More politics-l
/ Henry Allen and many Of the nev@-
papers, including this one. may be I'M
duly excited just now over politics. It
is quite doubtful if the great people
are really demanding that Colonel
Roosevelt. or anyone else, make the
i race aginst President Taft. The great
masses of the people are probably less
| concerned about politics than the
average editor, statesman or politician
seems to imagine. The majority of
the people are busy about their own
affairs and if they are reasonably
prosperous and the country is peace
ful and things are not going awry
there is a sort of disposition to not
be unduly excited over political mat
ters.
This paper believes that even the
farmers of Kansas are growing more
and more conservative; that is. that
they are not SO eXcitable over politics.
They are not demanding that this or
/ than man on the outside run against
| someone else on the inside, particular
~ if the inside man has made rcas-
onably good record in the office which
he holds.
Our friends. the insurgents. and this
paper has many friends in that faction
and this paper also believes in a great
many Of the insurgents principles, have
somewhat over-reached themselves in
their anxiety to secure control. Their
machine has not been we'll steered.
While the Taft automobile has been
going steadily forward in a reasona bly,
straight course toward a definite goal
namely, the welfare Of the whole peo-
pie, or as many thereof. as possible
the insurgents machine has wobbled
considerably and lost ground.
This paper believes in progressive
politics, to large extent of both
Roosevelt and Taft. It believes that
Taft has been wonderfully progressive,
and practically SO. 1t would take much
space to enumerate these progressive
results, but the insurgents know what
they are if they would not blind their
/ eyes to them. One of the big progress
sive movements which President Taft
has now under way is the Arbitra ton
Treaty with the Nations. What could
| be more progressive than to stop war2
To preserve peace by peaceful methods ?
LaFollette is out of it. There can be
no doubt about that. The "Insurgents''
and the alleged "Progressivesv admit
this, but LaFolIette and Bristow still
| cling to r. M. L. r. Henry Allen,
who is the original antf-Taft man in
Kansas, says in his circular editorial:
'LaFollette is the ideal of the Pro
| sreSsive leaders but the .eProgressives
leaders seem to think that an ideal is
one thing and a man who can beat
Taft another.
1t is intimated that LaFollette ought
| to withdri ' in favor of somebody. but
LaFollette says today through the As
ISOLATED Press, Chicago dispatch, that
| he has no intention of withdrawing.
It is also observed that dispatches from
Kalamazoo, where the Wisconsin sena-
| tor is today. state that on account of
! the strain of his speaking tour a re-
/ ception in his honor has been aban-
doned. President Taft does not seem
to be asking that the many receptions
in his honor be postponed on account of
any strain. The fact of it is Taft is
about as strenuous as they make them.
BY the way, if President Taft, if
the reader will excuse this continuous
reference to politics, should not be
nominated by the Republican Conven-
ton, isn't -that the biggest black eye
! that could be given the Republican
party to begin with, and wouldn't the
party start in the campaign with one
eye closed? President Taft is undoubt-
eddy the leader of his party. If you
are going to kill off the leader. what
are the rank and file to do? The
Democrats could say that the Republi-
| cans repudiate their own policies. pro-
gEessive and otherwise. The 'Insur-
] gents" are today furnishing the SIN oke-
less powder for the opposing party.
This paper is pretty Independent,
but it believes it can see through a
milestone when there is a hole in it.
If the Republican party can not win
with Taft, it is altogether likely that
it can not win at all-even with so
strong a man as Colonel Roosevelt.
| This paper is a great admirer of
! Roosevelt, but it recognizes the fact
| that even he has enemies; and that.
with all of his power and prestige,
| courage and ability, he was unable to
! governor in New York fifteen months
ago, after a most strenuous campaign
for his friend Stimson. whom Presi-
dent Taft had no difficulty in electing
! into the higher counsels of the nation:
naming him. as YOU know, to be secre-
tary of war in his own cabinet.
The news dispatches make it quite
evident today. that President Taft is in
the race. Now if Mr. Bristow, Mr
White and Gov Stubbs would just
47,o Vx-o,o, ,I