The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-10-29
POLITICAL GOSSIP
Democratic determination to
Fight Stubs to Finish.
1t VIII Affect Legislative Can
didates in the Election.
SENATORIAL PRIMARY VOID?
Ii the Fight Is to Be Carried to
the Legislature.
TrOutman-Barber Controversy
Dawson, Pride of Sixth.

Now that officers of the Democratic
state committee have refused to sign
an agreement that they will support
Stubs in the Legislature in event he re-
, ce1ves the popular majority, the cleo
ton of legislature becomes the
more important in the closing hours of
/ the United States senatorial contest in
Kansas. III other words, the refusal
of Martin and Pepperill to enter a
peace pact with Stubs, means that
they reserve the privilege of defeating
Stubs in the Legislature, even though
he receives the popular majority in
next Tuesdays election. And again
Stubs has a similar privilege. If he
loses the popular majority, there is
nothing binding to prevent his win
ming the senatorial toga in the legisla-
ture next January.
Judge Thompson, Stubs opponent,
{ clares that he will not permit his
name to go before the legislature in
event he loses the popular majority.
Martin and Pepperill cOncede that
Thompson is possessed of this priv
lege; but they insist that the Demo-
Gratis intend to win if they can. And
thereby and on this basis the Stubs
Thorn pson agreement is unsigned.
This checks back to the voters the
legislative fight. If the agreement had
been signed, Stubs legislature
would have been bound and tied to
support Thompson if he won the
popular vote. Democratic legisla-
ture would have been bound to sup
port Stubs if he won. But now it is
different. The political and factiOnal
tendencies of the legislative candidate.
unless he signed statement No. l. will
almost entirely determine his election
or defeat. The voters who are OPP
posing Stubbs will naturally oppose a
Stubbs legislature. And the Stubs
followers will most assuredly endeavor
to send men to the house and senate
who will not overlook the rights and
privileges of the Kansas governor.
Already there has been q bitter fight
in many districts concerning the cleo
ton of legislative candidates. Now
that Martin and Pepperill have viz,
tually declared that they will take
their chances not only in the general
election. but in the legislative halls and
will carry the fight to the last ditch, the
election of a Kansas legislature will
be one of the big fights in the APP
preaching election.
While the spirit of the Kansas law
tends to assure the winner of the pop
ular majority the United States sena-
tOrial job. the law is in no way man
datOry. 1t is really more of a gentle
mems agreement but in reality is sub
ject to all manner of infractiohs in the
hands of an obstreperous legislature.
So far as the real wording of It's
Kansas statutes are concerned, the
members who are not bound in their
vote by former agreement, might con
clude to eliminate both Stubs and
L
vote to give the job to the loser OF
the popular majority. And in the re-
fusal of Martin and Pepperill to sign
the Stubs Thompson agreement, al
most anything may happen. It is plain
that the fight is to beat Stubs. Ii
Thompson desires to hand Mr.. Stub5s
the enatOria1 job in event he himself I
should lose the popular majority. Mar /
tin and Pepperlll have no complaint /
70 file with ThompsOn-but they re- |
fuse to become a party to the act. |
And again, if Governor Stubs can win |
before the legislature, officers of the |
Democratic state committee concede /
him that perfectly legal right.
And with this condition facing the /
Kansas voters one week before the
election, what will be the complexion (
of the next legislature?
The refusal of the Democratic lead |
binding may work to Stubs advantage !
as did the primary law in his fight !
with Curtis. In fact. the agreement /
was more in favor of Thompson than |
it was Stubbs.
This week Congressman L D. Young |
sent lengthy telegram to J. S. Dean, /
president of the Republican League, /
in watch the Sixth district congress- I
man urged that he did not vote for
the resolution to keep the names of
Taft and Sherman off the Republi- .
can ticket In a reply to this tele- +
gram, Dean wrote Congressman Young
in substance that his vote against the |
Stone resolution and against the reso-
luton to keep Taft's name from head
ing the list of Roosevelt electors then
On the Republican ticket, was really
"a F1G