Barton County democrat., 1914-04-10
REPUBLICANS HARD UP.
Anything Goes For Political Thunder
With the G. o. p. Just Now.

mlLU006 mas come and WeN LkS
the King Of France, they marched
% the hin and then marched bach
again" The assemblage was digni
fled by being called a State Commit
tee meeting, but in truth the num-
Der of members of the Committee
present was not encouraging to those
who pin their faith of securing poldt-
ical jobs on the coat tails of the Re
publican party.
The expected turmoil between tn
factioaS for and against the writing
Of a tentative platform was reduced
to the minimum, and although Char
leg Scott and a few of those who be
heVe in the traditions of the Repub-
,lican party, who have always bedleV-
ed that every maan asking for sup
port at the hands of the Republican
party. should make his position clear
ON the leading questions affecting
the coming campaign, fought valient-
Iy, in q vain effort by thee dove OF
peace to promote harmon y, instead
Of a tentative platform being draft
ed a set of resolutions has been pre-
ceuted to the Republican voters OF
Kansas, which are remarkable for the
glittering generalities they contain
and the positive statements they
lack. !
OF course the main issue in the res
olutions is the failure of the Demo
cratic administration, both state and
national. This is in itself enough tc
cause a ripple of considerable laugh
ter to float over the Kansas pradries
because it is an undisputed fact that
the administration OF Pres. Wood
row Wilson is universally conceded
to be about the best ever. The tar
iff bill, of course, comes in for an at,
tack which again is amusing be-
cause Of the promises made by the
Republican party in 1908, and the sub
seqDeut failure Of fufillment Of the
promises by that same party. No 9th
or action on the part of the nation:
al administration or no other enact
ment Of the national congress in the
past year is mentioned.
Coming down to state issues, they
in truth present an amusing specta-
Gle, denouncing the Democratic ad--
mimistgation, they fail to attack any
single enactment passed by the last
Legislature or fail to criticize the
Democratic party for the fadlune to
fulfill the one single platform pledge
that was made IN the campaign OF
1912, and which was not fulfilAed for
the want of twothirds majority on
the one hand and the failure Of the
Republicans and Progressives in the
Legislature to stand by their plat
form pledge calling for the initiative
and referendum on the other hand.
While complaining of half mil
lion dollar excess appropriation over
the previous session, they are wise
enough to fail to point out that this
excess is due to the increased appro-
priations- to the educational institu-'
tions and for educational matters; /;
willing, indeed, to have the people
believe that the legislature was ex-
travagant, yet too cowardly to pOin'
out that the appropriations went as
above stated.
They. point to a long Dist Of pro-
gressive enactments passed under Re
publican rule, and again the thought
that by this time impress one, thai
they came together to afford amuse'
meQt For the reading public, becom'
es more pronounced, for in substan'
tiation of that statement they are
respectfully referred to an editorial
in the Topeka Capital of February
12th., 1914, in which Arthur Capper
says, ON commenting ON progressive
legislation, and in speaking of the
old time Republican machine, sn6
Progressive legislation, says;
!: Nothing could have been accom-
plished in the Successive Legislator
es that hit the old machine so hard
and finally laid it ON the scrap pile
but for the reserve brought up BY
the Democratic party at the critical
!. hour"
But the action of the Democrats u
supporting progressive measures il
Republican Legislatures has knowing
ly been forgotten and the resolu-
tionS committee following in the wax
'Iof former Governor Stubbs, Is noE
claiming credit for everything in tn
way Of progressive legislation tha
has ever been enacted in Kansas.
= In calling attention to the enact