Barton County democrat., 1914-11-27
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Dack IN power IN Kansas, the first
md sticks its head out is appeal
ing for higher railroad passenger
.TateS. Nothing short of 8 cents |
a mile is the new demand. The
cry of higher taxes with which
Republican spell binders miSrep-
resented and belied Governor
Hodges during the late campaign
Is as nothing to this new tax which
is being demanded by the rail-
roads Of Kansas the moment that
Arthur Capper'S election is GER
tain. The people of Kansas are
now contributing something like
sixteen millions of dollars a year
to the steam railroads of the state
IN passenger fares. This new tax
on the travelling public means an
exactiOn of five millions of dol
lars. 1t is significant that no ef-
fort or move was made for an in
crease until the Republican party
is assured of coming back into
power, and even now it is stated
IN the press dispatches that the
railroads do not expect to get this
increase from the present Board
Of railroad commissioners, but
are laying the ground work for
putting the thing over when the
new Board is appointed and this
increase in passenger rates will be
one of the first glorieS of Mr.. Cap
,perS administration.
Speaking of the Public Utili-
ties Commission it is stated that
GoyernOr-elect Capper is having
trouble in settling the appoint
mentS of the two members whose
places are to be filled by him. 1t
has been current gossip about the
state house for a long time that
Secretary of State Sessions, who
Is rated as a Stand-patter, and is
also Topeka correspondent for
the Kansas City Journal, and
therefore under suspicion of be-
ing more or less closely related
to the Santa Fe railroad interests.
was promised one of these Jobs.
1t is also given out on very good
authority that Henry Allen and
. William Allen White have been
to see MIR. Capper and have used
the hammer on Mr.. Sessions as
plrationS. There is also very we'll
founded rumOr that the Governor
: elect wants to appoint Senator
BrlStow to one of these places.
Both Sessions and BriStow cannot
be appointed, for the reason that
one of the new members must
have had experience in the hand
ling of public utilities, for which
place neither BriStow nor Sessions
can qualify. This is making from
bic.
1t is significant also that the
men who have the latch kew to
,Mr. Capper'S office are StubbS,
Dolley, Jackson, Allen, and White,
", while the old line stand-patter
like Mort Albaugh, Farmer Smith,
Geo. Clark, John Dean, and Dave
Mulvane are conspicuous by their
absence in the come and 90" at
the GOvernor-electS headuuar-
terS. Ii anyone wants to find The
latter bunch of gentlemen, they
are likely to meet them at the Of
lice OF Secretary Of State Ses-
SlonS, and so at the very begin
ming there appears to be breakers
ahead for Mr.. Capper.
This brings the Press Bureau
to another we'll founded line of
political talk. 1t is being whis-
pered around that if MIR. Capper
should appoint BriStew, the SEN
atOr cannot be confirmed. The
Democrats of the Senator are very
bitter against BriStow because he
has grossly inSuIted President
Wilson, and referred to him con-
temptuOuSly as an Idiot" and a
"hypOcrite." Leading Democratic
Senators say that this will be suf.
tlcient reason for refusing to vote
for BriStOw'S confirmation. On
the other hand there is a bunch
. OF Stand-pat Republicans who are
only too anxious to join the Dem.
ocratS in such a movement, but Of
course for quite different rea.
son, and the turning down of Ses.
slOns by the appointment of Bris.
tow would only accentuate the
hostility of these Republican
Senators to the "GhoSt Dancer
from Salina.