Barton County democrat., 1914-04-03


Once q week regularly several can
didates for state offices on the Re
publican ticket this year hold caucus
IN one Of the principle offices 10 the
building. It is a sort Of ways and
means committee. At these me dngs
some story is concocted with which
to attack the Hodges administration.
and in a day or so it appears over
the signature Of the mythical Re
publican State Central Committee. }
So far these stories have fallen flat.
First, they tried the tariff and point
ed to the importation Of Argentine
meat and eggs and sent out the alarm
that the price Of Kansas beef and
hen fruit was sure to fall, but It was
pointed out that all the meat and
eggs imported in a month would not
furnish more than one good meal fCI
the people of New York. The COM
mittee was laughed at. Then they
dug up a lot of dope on the number
Of state employees and let poor Bob
Stone explode It, but when it was
shown that Stone wasn't even faInil-
lar with his own political record in
the last legislature. that fell flat
The next thing was an attack ON the
Board Of Control, but that failed to
attract attention. The attack on the
Board Of Educational Administration
has been made ridiculous by the un
disputed success with which the bic
educational institutions are being
managed. Then they sent up Q
Macedonian cry because as a result
of destructive fire the penitenhary
board has had to borrow $4,000 to
carry that institution through the
fiscal year, but when 1t was pointed
out that in the previous year Of the
Codding administration when there
was no big fire and no drouth to cur
tail the products of the penitentiary
farm, there was a regular deficit oi
ten or more thousand dollars year
and that the Hodges administration
not only paid one Of these Coddine
deficits of something like twelve Of
fourteen thousand dollars, hut re
built the twire plant and reeStab
lished all the shops and equipment
which was burned out by the big fire
and notwithstanding the droutf
which destroyed the usual big crol
Of potatoes and o5her food stuffs, tht
Board was only compelled to cove
a shortage Of $4,000, the so-callet
Republican State Central Committee
dropped the subject, and when it wal
further pointed out that out Of tn.
revenues Of 1894, $4,000 has beel
set aside to apply on the state debt
while it took the Republicans ter
years to save $4,000, the silence il
deafening. The fact is that the Re
publican party in Kansas is wtthouf
an issue and without good reason fol
existence, and that perhaps account:
for the remarkable political apath.
that prevails IN opposition Circles.
/ The Press Bureau has never en-
: gagged in recriminations with the very
few members of the party who hayt
imagined that they have a grievance
against the administration and have
sought to air them either in the op
position press or in some party pa
per. Every governor is bound tt
: disappoint somebody. Where ther'
is one office and fifty applicants
t somebody is sure to be sore. Elk
Governor Bailey had much trouble O
this sort and they defeated him for
second nomination. Ex-Governor Hocl
5 had more trouble of the same sor
and they came near beating him fol
D a second term. Stubbs also had hi
. troubles in this line and his majorit!
= the second time was only 10000 whil'
! the rest of the state ticket rec iv
/. an average Of about 10000. What haI
pened to Stubs when he was a can
=. didate for senator it too we'll knowl
to require restatement. Governo
. Hodges has had less of this sort o
trouble than any Of his Republican pr
2 decesSos, and a careful canvas
I among the leading Democratic worker
of the state developes the fact tha
the opposition to the Governor in hi
own party is a negligible quantity
while he has gained Immensely fnor
, the ranks Of the Republicans an
Progressives. The Governors stand
ing in his own party is a tribute t
2 his tact in handling men. He has nc