The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-20
W. A. WHITES IDEA
BristOw Better Stick to the
Progressive Party.
His Best Chance to Win, Saws
EmpOria Editor.

Writing from California for his EN-
poria Gazette, William Allen White
national committeeman from Kansas
for the Progressive party, declares
that United States Senator Joseph L.
Bristow will be found in the Pro-
gressive ranks in the 1914 campaign and
that the senior Kansas senator will
not be led aStray by the harmony over
lures White goes to some length to
make clear that Bristow joined the
Progressive party when he sent greet
1ngS to the new party leaders at their
Topeka banquet last winter and re-
Gently declined an invitation to attend
the harmony conference in Chicago.
Should Bristow now decline to make
the race as the Progressive candidate,
he would probably be beaten for re-
nomination in the Republican pri-
maries, says the Emporia editor. Even
should he be nominated, White de-
clares, he would be beaten in the cleo
ton by the same element that defeated
Stubs last November. So there is
really no place but the Progressive
column for Bristow to go and White
make a straight open fight in the COM
ing campaign and put a full ticket in
the field
Discussing the political situation in
Kansas White says:
when the Kansas Progressive party
Senator Bristow of Kansas sent his
hearty acknowledgment of his invi-
tat1on to be present, and his unquali-
fed Endorsement of its aims. He Joined
the Progressive party then. He was
invited by Senator Cummins to attend
the Chicago harmony meeting, and the
Associated Press reports say that SEN
ator Bristow declined the invitation.
He sent no other word. No one pre-
sumes to speak for him yet.
There can be no doubt but that
Senator Bristow will run for re-elec-
ton next year as a Progressive can
didate on the Progressive party ticket
and the law forbids his name to be on
the Republican ticket or any other
ticket. If Senator Bristow should not
run on this ticket, there will be no
trouble finding some other Progress
sive equally aggressive to run for
United States senator. If Bristow runs
no opposition, in all likelihood. But
if he goes after the Republican NOM
ination he will be opposed by some
strong man like Curtis or Scott or
Long, and with a majority of the men
who nominated Bristow four years
ago, voting in the Progressive primary
this year. Bristow as a Republican
candidate will be defeated at the pri-
mary. But even if he should have
the nomination without opposition on
a harmony slate, still he would be OPP
posed by some strong Progressive.
Then the Progressive vote of the state
would be split, and the Democrats
would get the standpat vote, just as
Thompson got it two years ago, and
the Democrats would win. The same
thing is true of governor.
There is just one way to elect any
Progressive on any ticket next year in
Kansas, and that is to go ahead, name
a Progressive ticket, put uncompro-
missing Progressives on it, headed by
and let the Republicans name
a standpat ticket, and let the Demo-
Gratis name the same kind of a straddle
they named last year. The standpat
vote will then be split The Curtis
vote will go Republican, the Demo-
cratic old line party vote will go|
Democratic, and the Progressives of
all parties will line up with the Pro-
gressives. Senator Bristow is no fool.
The harmony talk doesn't deceive him.
1t only deceives a number of excel
lent gentlemen who have high ideals
and low temperature in their feet.
The harmony meeting will be the cold
toes brigade of the late Republican
nartV."