The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-12-18
Bull Moose Party Born in
Kansas Dec. IL, 1912.
Feast to Celebrate the Event
on LincOln's Birthday.
WOMEN HAD A PART
Significant Feature of Meeting
Their Pledged Support.
At Large Meeting Divorce Was
Decided On.

Amid the shouts of $50 enthusiastic
Bull Moos-rs. the Progressive party in
Kansas was launched Tu sday after
noon at meeting in representative
naH- Men and women-both on an eot. n
rootlng in Kansas politics since the No
Vemoer election-cheered the birth OF
the new party and testified concern-
ing their fealty to the cause. u. 8.
sartin, of Wyandotte county, the new
provisional chairman of the Proeress,v.
party, presided at the meeting follow
ing the preliminary organization.
Formal organization of the new partv
VIII be completed February 12 when
the Progressive leaders will hold their
first annual banquet in Topeka In
the adoption of a resolution bv VIII
lam Allen White, the provisional Off
GERS OF the new party will arrange for
an organization in every county and
every township in the state. County
cha1rmen, secretaries and precinct com
mitteemen will be selected and at tho
time the meeting is held in February.
1t is believed the party will present a
solid state wide organization. such
county chairman as do not withdraw
from the regular Republican commit
tee, White declared, will have their
places at the heads OF the county COM
mittees file by true Progressives.
White expects 46 chair1nen of Repub-
lican county central committees to re-
sign and unite with the new party
More than $50 Progressives came TO
Topeka from all sections of the state
to assist in the launching of the new
party They came from Wyandotte.
from Edwards, from Doniphan. from
Cherokee, from Crawford, from Reno
and q score of other counties Such
opposition as existed concerning the
baptism of the new party into Kansas
political affairs, were quelled in the
flood of oratory favoring the new cause
And so, for thrco hours, the Progress
sive leaders talked and laughed and
yelled. The women were given a prom
inent place in the councils of the new
party and Mrs. Lila Day Monroe and
Miss Hele. Ecker promised the Kan
sas Progress1ves that they would have
no cause to forget the honor conferred
on the new voters. For the first time
in the history of the state a woman
landed place as an officer on a state
committee when the Bull Moose leaders
placed Miss Ecker in the secretary's
chair of the new Progressive state
committee. And Mrs. 1donroe won the
distinction of being the first woman to
receive the privileges of the floor in a
state convention.
White Started Enthusiasm.
William Allen White was at the
helm for the Kansas Bull Moose. His
plan was clearly defined and nothing
slipped. From the minute that White
began to preach his gospel of Third
party, and from the minute that he
declared that the Progressive and the
Stand Patter could no longer feast at
the same banquet table-from that
minute the Progressive chieftains were
calling for the new party.
Two wOmen-Mrs. Eugene Pulliam
of Atchison and Miss Helen Ecker OF
Lawrence--were among the ten mem
bers of the committee which spent
20 minutes in selecting nominees for
1f1 - L. rae1<%- AL erA1 -
mittee. While the eight men and two
women were debating as to the per-
sonnel of the new state committee, the
Progressive orators were busily cult
waiting enthusiasm. Governor Stubbs
hayed the Republican Regulars Ar
thur Capper testified for the new party
and Mrs. Monroe thanked the men
voters that Kansas women had been
placed on an equal political footing
with the men. And Mrs. Monroe went
further. She hoped the Progressive
practice would be all that its platform
policies implied and that Kansas wom-
allegiance with the new cause.
Governor Stubbs perhaps aroused
more enthusiasm than any one speaker
on the days program. He was BIT
ter in his denunciation of the Regu-
lar Republicans and urged the need
of the Progressive party in Kansas
politics.
No Apologies From Stubbs
1.-The stand Patters have no Use for
the Progressives except to help them
to elect their men to Office" declared
Stubs in his discussion of the political
situation. But now, after the cleo
ton. they are holding out the olive
branch. That is pretty cheap bait and
It will not appeal to the man sincere
ly and honestly trying to work out the
problems of our great commonwealth
For four years / have been boss. I
never went into Office with a political
promise to give a man job tied to
nv neck and / never named the bank
commissioner to get votes. 1 am right
well pleased with the campaign.
told the naked truth. And I didn't
promise any Stand Patters any jobs.
either. And now, I will tell you hon
zen in the ranks of the Progressives
in Kansas than a Stand Patter n the
United States senate
Stubbs' remarks were often interA
rupted by applause. Progressive en-
thusiasm was at it's height when Tom
McNea1 went to the speakers plat
form and began to read the commit
tees selection for places at the head
Of the provisional committee of the
new party.
Sartin. concerning whose truly Pro-
spirit. White offered personal
testimony, was called to the speakers
table to accept the nomination as the
chairman of the new state committee.
The Kansas City man reaffirmed his
allegiance to the Progressive cause and
declared that the Wyandotte Progress
sives were in the fight to win-not for
office alone. but for a principle.
Kansas Women Are Progressive
T1aY, I-f.1rr