The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-12-14
May Force Through Appoint
ment without Capper.
me IS SLATED TO Walk PLANK
Member DOped to Leave and
Make Way for BristOw.
Senate Leaders Declare They
Will Not Stand for 1t.

check Arthur Cappers efficiency and
anti-spoils system up to him early in
the coming session of the legislature.
according to plan being Matched oy
upper house members. The first gun
VIII be fired by the Republicans. If
tentative agreement is observed, Re-
publican members of the senate will
ask for the confirmation of John NJ.
Kinkel Republican member of the util-
tiles commission, appointed in January
for term of three years. Kinkel is
slated to walk the plank, according to
the dope sheet from Capper headquar-
tiers.
Among number of the old line Re
publicans in the senate, there is a de-
sire to have kinkeI retained on the util-
tiles commission. This desire was in
tepsified when it became generally
known that the new governor had Of
fered one of three places to United
States Senator Joseph L. Bristow and
that Judge Foley was likely to remain
as the minority member of the commits
sion. Now a trap is being laid for the
new governor and it is not improbable
that the coming session of the legisla
ture will see strategic move to hold
up the Capper appointments and to
force through the senate a confirmation
of kinkel without the recommendation
of the new governor.
Slated to Go.
KinkeI. be it generally known po-
litically, is not an especial choice of the
new governor for a member of the COM
mission. In January, 1913, when Gov
ernor Hodges named Kinkel to serve
recess appointment, the Capper publ
cations insinuated that Kinkel wore
horns, that he was a tool and conf
Dental adviser of the railroads and
soulless corporations and several other
II
tempt for the Republican member of
the commission.
With it all, Kinkel has stood high
in the counsels of the old line Republi-
cans. But that fact has not material
ly aided his chances of a reappoint-
ment at the hands of the new gov
ernor.
conceived by few of the old line Re
publicans in the senate-and in their
efforts they hope to enlist enough
Democratic votes to constitute a ma
tority Early in the opening days of
the session, Kinkers certificate of ap-
pointment will be read on the floor.
That appointment. signed by the retir-
ing governor. says that Kinkel shall
serve for a term of three years from
January "a, 1914. Under that ap-
pointment, Kinkel has more than two
years good time to his credit. But the
law requires a senate confirmation of
utilities commission appointment.
That is the one thing Kinkel needs
Then Confirm Him.
The Republican members of the
senate-some of them, aided by Dem
ocratic votes-expect to confirm Kin
KEEL.
That action will throw the entire
state patronage system into a puz-
zling tangle. 1t will mean that the
and do just as it chooses with such
appointments as the new governor
may sent to the senate And the
Democrats, having a clear majority
in the senate, may confirm or reject
any appointee whom Capper may
name.
1t is all source of much worry and
some alar-I to political observers.
Should the present tentative plan be
followed out, it means that the SEN
ate through it's Democratic majority
may refuse to confirm any appOintee
| unless the Lew governor agrees to the
| retention of all Democrats who hold
senate con -rmations from the 1913
session. 1t means, too, that the old
| line Republicans, or some of them,
may join hands with the Democrats
to force through combinations of yet
unconfirmed officials. 1t means the
opening wedge to a big, new political
row. And the man or woman who
| is keeping a weather eye open for
trouble this winter, should get nice
soft seat in the front row of the SEN
ate gallery.