The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-10-14
LEAHY TO JAMES
Governors Secretary Replies
to Attack of Editor.
Says Stubbs' Enemies Attack
Him at Strongest Point.

David D. Leahy, secretary to Gov
ernor Stubs, has issued a .repiy OI
some six typewriter pages In Wnlch
he covers the charges against Stupps
by the Independence Reporter. Leahy
declares that the charges OF Editor
James are the same that were uSed
in the Wagstaf campaign in 1910 anc
denies most emphaticaIly that the
Stubs administration has been AFRO
giant oppressive and extraVagant.
In his reply, Leahy says in part:
1.-THE crowning stupidity Of the men
who are seeking to eliminate Stubos
from public life lies in their persistent
determination to attack him at polnts
where he is VIGOROUSLY strong Ihey
might strike at his credit as a busl-
ness governor for hundred years
without Teasing it. They might ham
mer at his reputation for sincerity OF
nuruose until the crack of doom Win
out making even a dent in 1t All inc
political sappers and miners OF stdHu-
nattism from Kansas City to Coonu6e
might tunnel for a generation into MS
fame and honest law enforcer Wllhout
making a breach big enough TO run d
cambria needle through The mos
vicious among his enemies-and tneS
constitute a fellowship from the low
est bootlegger of the slums to the
smoothest rascal that ever stuneu q
ballot box-have never yet nad 'He
shamelessness to even intimate Tia
he lacks fairness, frankness, honesty
and courage in meeting the puO'i0
duties he was sworn to perform.
..Durine the entire four years he mas
been governor, no man has attempted
to point to a dollar misspent or 10 an
of1cial privilege misused- the brewe e.
les alone would willingly spend Soo'ooo
10 find a single error in his private q
public life through Wnlch 10 ui9Oie0
him.
Now then, let me take another view
of this matter Does anyone believe
that if Governor Stubs IS the coio
hlooded. selfish and calculating pc /
4iCian that Colonel James says he is. he
would have turned down such great
opportunity to add another fine cog >
tine machine that Colonel James says
he has? 1t is not necessary to diagram
this for Kansas readers.
1T would be idle to take up in detail
tie preposterous reasons Mr.. James /
sets forth so deliberately to justify his
opposition to the Governor for the once
OF United States senator His hrat
reason is that the governor is support (
ipe the Bull Moose crowd. There Was
no Bull Moose crowd two years ag
and Yet Mr.. James was violent in his
opposition to the governor. But of
course he believes now that if MI.
StUbbs was supporting Mr.. Taft he
would be all right. This must sound
cry funny to people who read Mr.
James attack upon the governor
closely. For instance. lie charges the
gcvernor-falsely, of coursa-with with
holding his opposition to he Canadian
reciprocity bill. How, IN the name of
common sense can Colonel James con-
sistently be opposed to a man alleged
to have been opposed 70 Canadian
reciprocity and in the same breath says
Ie is against him because he is not
for Taft-the originator, promoter and
strongest advocate of the Infamous
reciprocity bill. It seems 20 me that
Efr. James has bottled himself up badly
in this matter.
His next complaint against Mr..
Stubs is this. that he has manipulated
politics in a hurtful way Maybe Mr..
Stubs would confess to this. AS for
myself, I am inclined to think it is
true. The governor might have hurt the
Standard Oil company when he did not
appoint Mr.. James coal Gil inspector.
He might even have hurt the Standard
Oil bank in the same way He might
have hurt the thieving stock peddlers
who We're robbing Kansas citizens out
os three million dollars annually when
he signed the blue sky lew. He might
have hurt the master politicians of the
Cl6 machine when he helped to cut
them out of the con. a1tiors. He might
have hurt railroad candidates for the
United States senate when he put his
strong shoulder to that Wheel of good
fortune that turned out statewide
which enables the people to
select their own state officers, congress-