The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-12-01
POLITICAL GOSSIP
The Senatorial Middle More
Complicated Than Ever.
Hodges and BristOw-What
VIII They Dot
NO ONE kAows-YET
In the Meantime There Are
Plenty of Candidates
And No One PreSumeS to Try 10
Pick q Winner.

Not since the primary election law
was enacted in 1907 and the nomination
Of state officers placed in the hands of
all the people and taken away from the
little crowd charged with debating the
conventions for a generation, mas Nal
aas faced such a complicated poHIiEai
situation as that which surrounds the
nomination Of United states sehaloi .,'.
candidates seeking nomination on we
three neutrality-suspicious., Progressive
and Democrat-which will place fuii
state tickets in the field next year.
The attitude of United States Senator
Joseph L. Bristow in withholding an
nouncement of his polltical aHliialloliSs
is worrying both the Progresslves anu
the Republicans, while the failure OF
Governor George H. Hodges to stare
whether he will be candidate Ior the
senate or will seek renom1nat1on as
governor, leaves the Democratic .esu-
ers doubtful and uncertain as 10 tne
future. Until these matters are nh
.I1v determined. the senatorial align
ment in Kansas may result In the
elimina ton CT a half dozen OF the pres
ont rrospective candidates or multiply
their number.
Await BristOw's Decision.
That the Progressives will put full
ticket in the field next year, was maj
Iv determined at their recent state wlov
Conferences in Topeka. William Allen
White, Progressive national commit
teeman. claims Bristow will be the Bull
Moose standard bearer in the senatorial
fight On the other hand. many RepuD,
Iican leaders contend that Bristow Will
either seek denomination as a Repubh-
can or Will WltnurdW AIoii |iAS '
torial contest.
Bristow's record of five years in the
United States senate, however. 1ndl-
Gates that he will probably align nm
self with the new third party In Kan
sas rather than with the old crowo IN
the Republican party, which last year
bolted Governor Stubs in the sena-
torial fight and supported Senator Will
liam H. Thompson the senatorial ROM
inee. Senator Bristow was the nrst
man nominated for United States sena-
otr in state wide primary IN Kansas.
He owed his nomination to William
Allen White, Walter Roscoe Stubbs,
Henry J. Allen, Victor Murdoch. Fred
s. Jackson and others OF the then IN
surgent wing Of the Republican party.
These men are now strong in the FRO
pressive party faith in Kansas. In that
bitter opposition of the so-called re-
dictionary wing of the party and was
nominated and elected.
In the senate Bristow has voted con-
sistently for progressive and reform
measures-the same measures that
were opposed by tHe HleI WIZ Aou6.ie
Bristow for his nomination when he
unseated United States Senator Chester
I. Long, Bristow has never had the
support Of the regular crowd in the
Republican party and will not receive
it next year if he runs as a Republi-
can candidate. For Bristow has fought
the things the old crowd wanted and
stood for the things they did not want.
In the campaign Of 1912, Bristow voted
for Roosevelt and made Progressive
speeches.
But for six months Bristow has wav-
cred and no man in Kansas politics
pretends to say with certainty or abso-
lutte authority the ticket on which the
senior senator's name will be found.
Progressive Second Choice.
Yet the Progressives are not waver-
ing in their course for next year. They
will give Bristow nomination without