The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-17
POLITICAL GOSSIP
SideIights on the First District
Convention.
Roosevelt Forces Made a Show
of Strength.
WENT TO The LAST DITCH
Voted "NO" on Taft CurtiS-An-
thOny Resolution.
ID, w. MuIVane Man of the Hour
at AtchiSOn.

The Atchison convention is over and
Kansas, the home of insurgency and the
whirlpool of progressive ideas, has III
structed her first two delegates 10 the
national convention for Taft. The IL
linois blow and the Pennsylvania disas-
ter did not feaze the First district
Republicans in charge of the conVen-
ton. They answered the 1lllnols 90
and the Pennsylvania IS with their little
old two-au they had to offer.
Two delegates are not many out tney
are all Kansas has selected up TO TINS
time 1t was first blood for Taft, anu
the news was doubtless welcome, ever
though received following the big losses
in the two big states mentioned.
There were one or two features 10
the Atchison convention. In the first
place it was known beforehand that
the Taft men had a majority OF II
votes and this fact tended to make l.
a cut and dried md dull affair of the
old steam roller type But the Rooss-
Welt victories of last week had stag
gered the Taft men in control and cor
respondingly heartened the Roosevelt
men to desperate resistance to the
pressure of the deadly majority.
On every question before the conven-
ton the five Roosevelt counties voted
solidIy their So votes in opposition -
the Taft IS from the three big counties
of Shawnee, I.eavenworth and Atchison.
They voted against the Taft, Curtis
and Anthony resolutions. They voted
against the organization slate prepared
by the Taft men, proposing the name
of Lon Thompson of Jackson county
for chairman They named their dele
gates, DR.. Murdoch of Sabetha and NJ
NJ. Beck of HoltOn, and gave them %
votes each. They tried hard for places
on the resolutions committee and went
down bravely in front of the roller
with their boots on and were buried
where they fell.
Another feature of the convention
was the strength shown by Judge
Stuart of Doniphan. who is a canal
date for congress against Anthony IN
the Republican primary contest. Judge
Stuart held a caucus in his room at
the Byram hotel before the convention
and mustered there the strength of
the five counties of Jackson, Jefter-
SON Nemaha, Doniphan and Brown.
Judge Stuart is a Roosevelt man and
the delegates from these counties
pledged him their support through
the convention in opposition to the
slate prepared by Congressman An
thony and his friends for Taft.
1t was reported in the morning that
the Stuart men had secured reflections
from Shawnee and Atchison TO help
them oppose the Anthony endorse
gates to have turned the trick. but
the Anthony delegations held firm to
the man.
But the feature of the convention,
after all. was the artistic and elabor-
ate straddle staged by Frank Ryan,
candidate for governor. AS finished
diplomat and a master of the art of
compromise, Ryan demonstrated that
he is travelling in the van alone. Ryan
was called on for a speech and he de-
1ivered the goods. He started out by
declaring that T. Roosevelt was the
greatest American, yes, the greatest
man in the world today. His state
ment drew a storm of applause from
the convention. In fact, it is worthy
of mention that cheers at this point
eclipsed in noise and volume any out
break of the afternoon
Then Ryan, after winning the hearts
of the Roosevelt men, proceeded to
add the Taft men to his staff by de-
claring himself for Taft for renomina-
ton. Ryan's position was carefully
chosen. and once intrenched there he
was unassailable. Consider his states
mauship. He had placed Roosevelt on
q pedestal above all living men. What
Roosevelt man could oppose such an
enthusiastic admirer of the colonel?
He had pledged himself to support
Taft. What Taft man could fail to re-
spond to this public declaration of
faith for the president? And after all,
Ryan made a good speech. After he
had made his famous stradd1e he made
a clean cut talk on state issues.
1t is a fact that few candidates or