The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-08-02
THOSE ROOSEVELT ELECTORS.

| THOSE ROOSEVEl(I ELEClOtSSs
| Although the decision of Justices
vandevanter and Pitney Of the United
States supreme court in the now fam
Gus Kansas Roosevelt electors case"
was of such a nature that will permit
the gentlemen involved to enter the
forthcoming primaries as candidates
for places as presidential electors on
the regular Republican ballot of nex'
| fall, it in no way passes on the merlts
of the controversy. This is matter
that the supreme court as Whole
will take up at it's next regular SEES
sion in October. And there is a prooa-
bility, of course, that the nations court
of last resort will decide that 1t mas
no Jurisdiction in the case.
That has been the attitude of the
state supreme court in the two pro-
nouncements it has made in the case
The state court held that the question
involved was of purely political scope
that was not covered in any way "S
any of the election or primary laws
of the state After its first announce
ment in the premises, some OF the
more loose-tongued of the KooseVeA'
leaders in the state had the teHcl.'S
to make speeches to the erect tnat tue
supreme
their contentious that it was perfectly
~eou1ar end proper for men who ia !
vored Colonel Roosevelt to run TOT inc
a1ectorsT,ins of the regular Republican
marty In its second announcement GU
+ba ouestion the state supreme cc":t
was most particular to deny that II
had given any such endorsement. me
court explicitly stated that 1t gave H.
exnression of opinion as to the resu-
Iaritv or the irregularity of the conduct
of any political faction or party
Ana so. while no legal procedure mas
been effective to keep the Roosevelt
.,,nnorters from running as candidates
for the presidential elector nomlna-
lions To he determined at the regular
Republican primary, there mas neeh
no decision by any court sustaining the
Conventions of the Roosevelt enthusl-
asts that they have either lesal VI
moral right to indulge in the brand OF
.oIitics they are playing. AS far as
the state supreme court was con-
corned If merely decided that there
was no law covering the question IN
viewed and therefore it would not at
+ernnt to decide the merits of the con-
troVerSy.
Surely there are few men. who are
hcnest-rninded, that can sec any moral
right in the endeavors of certain erst-
while prominent Republicans in Kansas
To eniov the advantages of staying in
the Republican party and fighting on
the outside of it. They want to re-
main Republicans for the mere purpose
of achieving personal political prefer
ment in the matter of state Offices AT
the same time they want to fight the
national ticket because
thew are better pleased with the prom
ises and policies of Theodore Roosevelt.
And the only way they can do both IS ;
to attempt to steal the machinery and
the prestige of the state Republican
party for the Roosevelt cause. Until
this present contingency arose among ,
the double-dealers in Kansas who have j
been in the Republican party in times '
past and who continue to pose as Re !
pubIicans, there was never any sugges-
ticn that state wide primary could be +
used as an agency for determining how '
CO Ddidates for the position of presiden- {
tial electors should vote in the electoral {
college if they should get there. That's :
a matter that is properly determined on ;
election day. And to say that it is {
proper to use the coming primary to Sc
lect candidates to go on the regular Re :
publican ticket as presidential electors
would vote, not for the candidates I
Of the Republican party If it's ticket 7
should be successful at the November I
election, but for the presidential candi- {
lie te of an entirely different party, is an
Of Kansas.