The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-08-10

| The reason for General Sears chang
| ing his mind from entering the field
| for the state legislature to that for
a seat in congress is very interesting.
| He is member of the firm of Sears
| q Nichols, Gamers, with a large fac
| tory at Pentwater, Mich. For the past
| conspicuously in Republican politics of
| his district and state. He aided in the
| election of William Alden Smith as
! United States senator and worked
| hard TO get Mr.. Mclaughlin in the
| house. When the Roosevelt wave
! struck Michigan, Mr.. Sears advised
| both Smith and Mclaughlin to join
| the progressive movement. Smith was
| slow to take any such advice, but Me-
Laughlin soon became identified with
the progressive forces. But after the
| nomination of Taft at Chicago Mr.. Nc
Laughlin returned to the regular fold
! of the party. The result of his action
caused a demand for the nomination
by the progressives of General Sears
to succeed him in congress. and Gen
eraI Sears readily fell for the demand,
dropped his candidacy for the state leg
islature, and few days ago was nom
mated for congress by the Republican
Progressives of the Ninth district or
the state.
He Is an Orator.
The greater portion of Michigan is
inoculated with the progressive feVer,
particularly in the Ninth congressional
district and naturally, the outlook for
General SearS's election appears at the
present time exceedingly rosy. sears
is a splendid orator, forceful IN ms
arguments, while Mr.. Mclaughlin.
good lawyer, is not what would pc
called a good campaign speaker:
General Sears, who is in washington,
saws he is still friendly to both Senator
smith and Congressman Mclaughlin.
"Rut I can't occupy middle ground"
he said Having gone into the new
movement must follow it all the way
1 had hoped that Roosevelt would De
the nominee at Chicago by the regular
Republican convention and that
through him we could be assured Of
getting the government into the hands
OF the people.
wilson cannot accomplish anything
if elected, because the Democratic party
is in the hands of the Understandable
bosses Just as much as the Republican
party.
MY conviction is that We must have
a new deal to get the power into the
hands of the people. We must have
presidential primaries, direct election of
United States senators, primary nomi- |
ma tons of all important officials, the
initiative and referendum and recall
and a strong corrupt practices act. |
These instrumentaIities will enable the
people to run things their own way
without referring to the bosses.
Naturally, the corporation-contro
bosses do not like instrumentalities for
their own undOing, and so the old party
which they controlled cannot be ex-
pected to legislate the necessary re-
forms.
Populist Organize in Kansas.
MY first vote was for the Greenback !
party, the ticket on which my father /
was a candidate for congress. When |
the best policies of the Greenback party /
were absorbed by the Democrats, 1 |
went with the Democratic party. Later,
was one of the organizers of the Pop
ulist party in Kansas. Thereafter
was a Bryan Democrat. I am a great
admirer of Theodore Roosevelt and
would have supported him had he Sc
cured the Republican nomination at
Chicago. I think most of -, however
attach too much Importance to party
Affiliations. My adherence always has I
gone to principles, rather than parties"
General Sears will return to Michigan
this week to actively commence his
campaign for congress. His son com
pieted post graduate course in law at
the Kansas State University last June.
Sears, himself, is a graduate of that
institution.
The president has nominated William
c. Markham for reappointment as post
master at Baldwin City, Kan
Kansas postmasters appointed by the
postmaster general are: Edith Hardin
Gem; David w. Hargrave, Urbana:
Wardneigh T. Rogers, Bird City.
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