The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-01-22
CHAPTER LXXX.

roads. Well, of course, a judge mus
decide one way or the other. The
writer has no doubt but that ly COINS
through Judge Hooks decisions some
of them would be found to DC unfav-
orable to the contentious of the Santa
Fe and other railways. Certain Insur-
gents, and others as we'll, ave often
times prone to assume that because a
! judges decision is favorable to rail
road. or other corporation, that that
judge is accordingly under the in
fIuence or domination of those partic-
ular corporations.
Fair minded people should not take
this view, neither should faIr-minded
newspapers. One of the principles
that Governor Stubbs, William Allen
White. and other Insurgent leaders in
Kansas have annunciated over and
over again is the desire for a square
DEAL This has been used particular
~ in connection with the people
These speakers and writers have said
that the people ought TO have
square deal"
Such a statement is absolutely unas-
sailable The people ought to have a
square deal" but so should the rail-
roads and corporations. There is no
more reason why a corporation should
not have a square DEAF than an in
dividuaI It ought not to be a crime,
political or otherwise in Kansas to be
friendly to the santa Fe. But, of
course, if the Santa Fe is shown to
have done things which are illegal,
the decision of the court or the people
should be averse to that same Santa
Fe But where a case is brought
against the company, and it is shown
that the contention of The prosecution
was not sustained. a judge. a court, or
the public should be permitted to agree
with the company's contention without
being charged in a critical sense. with
being friendly to the company or to
put it Governor Stubbs' way mot I'M
friendly to the company that is
to say, politicians are prone to use this
sort of expression when they mean TO
infer the company or corporation can
count upon friendly decisions or opin-
ions, regardless OF the merits, or facts
or the law of the case There are GER
tain statesmen who have made these
charges. and there are cases where
such charges were unwarranted, and
should have been left to the dema-
gogue, or other unprincipled politicians.
Even the Emporia Gazette, which at
times is supposed to '-eat railroads up"
has this in its issue of Saturday even
ing:
The railroad was said to have con-
hscated commercial coal. a charge it
denies. The officials say their COM
pany did not use d single car of coal. !
over thirty cars of its coal for the
use of citizens in towns and communi
ties where they were short of coal. In |
A rkanSas City, last week the in
place. got out of coal aud the Santa, |
Fe furnished it ccal to keep its dyna- |
mos going. The power plant in Okla |
lOma lily experienced a like difficult |
-y, and there the Santa F'e arranged |
10 furnish coal, which kept going the |
ars. lights and business enterprises de- |
pending on electricity. In Topeka the |
santa Fe turned over twelve cars OF /
,Oal to the local dealers because the |
.ity Was out Of coal 1t is easy to make |
he railroad company the goat but |
when company laboring under con-
;itiOns such as the Santa Fee expert
,nced last week and does all it can
o supply he mines with cars, and /
move the loaded cars tc points where
-oal is needed. and turns over coal it
nay need badly before the winter is
'ver, to communities out of coal, l.
hould have the credit due II and not
,e censured for not doing more
This. of course. is sensible and fair.
Tow if William Allen White in the
1mporia Gazette would be as fair to
William Howard Taft, our president,
3 he seems inclined to be to others in
he public eye, readers would have a
air and more sensible understanding
# the presidential situation.
We regret to say it. but Taft has
cen shameIessly abused and misrepre-
ented by the Gazette, which claims to
e fair paper, but which certainly
las not been fair to President Taft.
Perhaps the Gazette and some other
apers will reform in this respect.
hey ought to at any rate. Perhaps
hen the Gazette thinks it over care
uny, and should perchance see a list
f the many fine things President Taft
as done, it will consider. under all the
circumstances, inasmuch as Roosevelt
not a candidate and does not want
} be, and was the man to recommend
aft, that perhaps. after all, the Re-
ublfcan- party could go further and
are worse, if they did renominate
aft. /
The fact of the matter is that Kan {
as is full of newspapers and people
no are approaching the high char
cter of the excellent service President
aft is giving to this country. They
re writing and saying and printing !
undreds of expressions of all this Sort
ut these expressions do not get into
he Kansas City Star, Topeka Capital
lmporia Gazette. Wichita Beacon. the
alma Journal and some other Insur-
ent organs.
Why should these papers not re-
MEMBER that their first duty is to the
ublic, not to the politicians? Let the
ublic know the truth. and the politi-
ians will then come to know it. Many I
{ them lSnOur il Ira d.r hit H.