The Topeka state journal., 1914-01-19
WHITES RoAS1.
II ssDOes" Senator Bristow to .
Nice Brown Turn. +
He Deserted Party, the Party
Did Not Desert Him.

In a statement over his own sigma
ture, William Allen White brands Sen
ator Bristow as betrayer OF the
Progressive cause and quoting his own
correspondence urges that the senior
senator's desertion was for price ana
that price the votes Of the men those
political Affiliations are determined by
habit, tradition and tnherffance." White
declares that the Progressives did not
desert Bristow, but that he deserted the
party to which he had vowed allegience.
In his characteristic manner. White
says that the Progressive and Repub-
lican parties have not changed. but
that Bristow has changed and his
change was for political gain.
Discussing Bristow's desertion. White
says in part:
"Bristow was a Progressive-a men,
Der CT the Progressive party. He cam
pafgned against the Republicans and
introduced certain bills in congress as
the representative of the Progressive
party, More than that, he told q Kan
sas City friend that he intended to
run for reelection a. Q Progressive.
That was In June. A few weeks later.
in July. he wrote to the national COM
mitteeman Of the Progressive party in
Kansas, stating that he would run az
member OF. the Progressive party. Still
later. in October. he Is reported as
among the guests at the Roosevelt
farewell receptions strictly party Oc-
casion. Late in 1912. Senator Bristow
suggested that the best way to organ
ize the Progrcssives was through Pro-
gressive clubs.
When Bristow- Changed.
But in August, when Senator Bris-
tow declared that he was going to run
for United States senator as a Progress
sive, the Kansas national committee
man and the state chairman proceeded
with the work of party organization
with renewed vigor.s A few weeks later
Bristow wrote to Kansas friend that
he had changed his mind The work
of organization was going on. A few
weeks later than that he came home for
his December vacation with his mind
made up to desert the Progressives-
He il. in other words, asking his Pro-
gressive friends to play q nonparttsian
game which he is afraid to play him.
self. He has deserted us. We are
where we were.
There should be no mistakipg the
reason for Senator Bristow's desertion.
He claims he has not changed his views
He will not claim that the Republican
party has changed its views. He did
not believe in the Republican party
last March when he campaigned against
the Republican party in Michigan. nor
in June, nor even in August when he
said he would run rs a party Progress
sive.
"Yet he has changed his position.
and for a consideration. That consid-
Grafton is the unthinking, stupid,
meaningless vote Of the hidebound
partisans who stand for nothing in
government For those votes. say
fifty thousand in Kansas. Senator
Bristow has deserted his party and
his friends This Is q brutal thing to
Say,s
Wooang AHidehonnd Partfsans."
ITO prove it We shall put Senator
Bristow himself in the stand. In q
letter written at Salina, and dated
Jan. 8, 1914-note that date-Senator
Bristow writes to c. A. Stannard of
Emporia:
"I am as ardently Progressive as
ever was; but i think 1t is better for
the cause which we stand for. for us
to remain in the Republican party,
thereby holding to our cause the sup
port of men whose political affilia-
tions are determined by habit. tradi-
tion and Inheritance
"Now we Progressives have no
voters who do not believe in our
cause. We have no votes held by
habit, tradition and Inheritance to
swap for Senator Bristow's allegience.
We are seeking no voters who do not
believe in our cause. Senator Bris-
Republican ticket, does not believe as
those voters, believe who are Repub-
licans by habit, tradition and inheri-
tance,' and whom he is trying to cor
raj. We Progressives hold that in de-
serting the Progressive party Senator
Bristow is seeking to obtain votes un-
der false pretehses.'