Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1914-01-30
OFFICIAL COUNTY PAPER
GOVERNOR HODGES.

g eeek reelection to the office OF gov
srnor, and not become candidate
SER United States Senator, not only
<sAasGred the atmosphere on the guD
1Srnatorial question, but also reVealeO
10 the people of Kansas just no"
Ssss = man Governor Hodges really is
1t Is laudable ambition for amy
,suan to want to go to the UNITED
States Senate; and viewing Kansas
gpSaatics Of the future, from the Kan
sssapOAtics Of the past, it would seem
Aat this year carried the chance OF
q life time for any man to go to the
'iDaited States Senate, should he Sc
eaeUe his party's nomination for that
eaSRG1bed position.
Hundreds and hundreds of proml'-
SSaent Democrats have for months
.s&ea urging Governor Hodges to
aGke advantage Of this opportunity tt
20 to the United States Senate where
-&he could be Of vast service to this
sstate, These people have urged him
ny letter aud by personal solicitation,
send during the recent Bryan baa.'
%6uet, the executive offices were al
ways crowded from morning till night
BY ardent admirers and enthusiastic
supporters of the Governor, urging
him to make the race.
That he could have been the nom
inse Of his party goes without say
ing, and as above stated, this was
the chance to win that place. How
: ever, while fully approaching the
good will and efforts of his friends,
: after due deliberatiOn he decided he
owed it to the Democratic party and
70 the people Of Kansas to be cam
didate for reelection. He felt he
owed this for the reason that, if he
had declined to be a candidate for
reelection, it would put the Demo-
cratic. nominee absolutely on the de-
'sensive in the coming campaign; for
the opposition would use every aid
that they could command to discred-
1T the Democratic party by saying
that their stewardship had utterly
tailed, or if it had not, Gov. Hodges
would have been a candidate himself.
Not only that, but as all students of
Kansas affairs know the Democratic
platform of 1912 contained certain
planks which made radical changes in
lsome OF the departments of the state.
sFor instance, We will mention two: !:
- One being the Educational Board
Aef Administration, and the other be-
Ing t1e State Publication Of Text
Books. These two departures in the
SS6fairs of our state were advocated
= by those who stood upon the Demo.
cratic platform in the last campaign,
and in. compliance with the commits
sion giyan by the people of the
ASta6e Of Kansas to the Democratic
party. when they elected Hodges Gov
Sranr, and gave him a Democratic
= legislature; these planks were en-
acted into laws.
One year, or even two years, is no
sGfficiedS time in which to prove tt
she pei9le Of Kansas that thes'
changes were for the bettermeut O
our coilAitions generally, and tha
the administration will eventual,
save mcAeg in conducting the state I
educational institutions, and that tn
other would save money for the par
ents who have children in school.
II will take time to work thes.
problems out, and it will take tn
man who advocated them from tn
!. beginning, and under whose admins
!$Fatiou they were started, to Civ
his continued close supervision t
these matters so that no misake viii
be made.
These are only two Of the man,
new features IN connection with tn
administrstion Of the affairs of thi
stale for which Governor Hodges AM
the Democratic party are responsible
and IN order that they may Prov
the success 6 these changes, it Il
NecessarS, end seemed so to the Gov
ernOr, that he should stand for re
election and continue the excelleni
WoFkohe started in our state affairs
This shows on his part a loyalty t
tAe people Of Kansas that is. IN
qrsstloned. It also shows that b.
suboydinatsd hts own personal ambi