The Topeka state journal., 1913-11-07
POLITICAL GOSSIP
Two Candidates for State
Superintendent of Schools.
President Huesner and Supt.
Risdon Talked OF.

Two probable candidates for the
Republican nomination as state sup
erintendent Of public instruction
against Superintendent w. D. Ross
are being mentioned by the teachers
who are attending the State Teachers
convention in Topeka this week. One
Of these candidates is W. s. Huesner
of Salina, retiring president of the
association. Another is Charles H.
Risdon, superintendent of the Inde-
pendence city schools.
While the teachers attending the
Topeka convention. have shown any
thing but open opposition to Super
intendent Ross there Is a strong SEN
timent among many OF the more
widely known educators of the state
that the present superintendent will
most likely go into the 1874 primar-
les with opposition for denomination.
OF course Superintendent Ross hasn't
said that he will run as a Republi-
can. But considering that he was
elected on the Republican state ticket
last year, there is the general as
sumption that he will again be
candidate on that ticket. And in his
ambition for another term, Superin-
tendent Ross will most likely have
company in the race.
Huesner Is Non-Committal.
One Of the candidates mentioned
by the teachers for superintendent
on the Republican ticket is w. S.
Huesner of Salina, who today re-
tires as president of the State Teach
ers' association. But whether Hues-
ner will run next year is still a mat
ter Of speculation and a question on
which the retiring president declines
at this time to throw any light.
1T is too early" said Huesner
when asked about his ambitions for
haven't anything to say now. If I
have a statement to make, 1 will let
you know
That was all. Huesner dismissed
his superintendency boom by renew
ing his activities in shaking hands
with visiting teachers and the inter-
view was at an end.
Huesner has a strong following
among the members of the state as
sociation. He has made a good rec
ord as president and is a clean cut,
competent and. aggressive man.
Should he make the race next year
he would be a candidate to contend
with both in the primaries and gen.
eral election, should he win the nom-
inatiOn.
Ross-Huesner Deal Rumored.
On the heels of the Huesner boom
for state superintendent is the rumOr
that the Ross following may try to
sidetrack the Sa1ina mans political
ambitions and induce him to wait until
1916 to make the race, allowing Ross
a second nomination And that rumor
leaves the Huesner boom suspended
in midair. Only the Salina educator
himself, perhaps, can untangle this
question and all that Huesner has to
say at this time is that it is too early
to talk politics.
RsdOn Is Mentioned.
Then there are the Risdon boosters
to be considered. Down in Montgom-
cry county, Charles Risdon is recog-
nized as really big man in school
work. This general opinion has spread
quite generally over the state and at
present there are few men in the state
with a higher standing in school cir
cles than the superintendent of the
Independence schools. But Risdon
has not mentioned his plans even to
his own immediate friends, 1t is said.
Politically Risdon is recognized as a
Huesner-Ross deal materialize and Risdon
become candidate, there would be a
clean cut issue in the 1914 campaign be-
tween the Independence man and the
present state superintendent Because of
his support of Roosevelt last fall and his
vote against the Stone resolution in the
Republican party council, Superintendent
Ross would doubtless hold the Progress
sive element. or Roosevelt element voting
in the Republican primaries. while Ris-
don would doubtless have the following
of the Regulars in the Republican ranks.
Democrats Are Busy.
But while the Republican teachers are
whispering one to another about plans for
the next campaign. the Democrats are
openly declaring that they will fight for
the election of the next state superin-
tendent. Possibly Mrs. Anna Arnold OF
Cottonwood Falls is at this time the
strongest Of the three candidates mention
ed for the superintendency. Mrs Arnold
is attending the teachers convention and
while she is not boosting her candidacy.
she has made no open effort to block the
well defined boom which she has received.
Miss Alma Calvert of Atchison also has
a strong following for the superintendency
and among the teachers from western
Kansas s. P. Rowland of Hutchinson is
a big favorite. Whether all of these can
didates will seek the Democratic nomtna-
ton next August is as yet matter of
speculation. The Democrats are really
trying to harmonize on this particular Job
in the hope that they may win the NO
vember election. Many of the teachers
seem to favor the nomination Of q woman
candidate and in realizing this desire:
there will probably be no shortage of
material from which to make q selection