The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-04-27
LAST wAsHBURN APPEAL.

The great ten-day Washburn
Campaign was scheduled to close
yesterday. 1t did not, and could
not. Weary as were the 400 So
IicitOrS, not one was ready to quit.
All felt that the cause at stake was
too real, too vital to halt $4,000
away from the goal. Yesterdays
noon rally was a unique spectacle
i'm TOpeka's history. Probably no
city event has ever brought to-
gether so diverse body of work.
ers, and fused them in ten days
into SO absolutely a single mind as
this campaign. This arresting
fact is on exhibit: the sober Icolx-
ing into the real merits of this
great cause by these 400 workers
has made a convert of every one.
They all see the need, the justice of
the campaign. and the absolute
necessity of fighting 1t through.
From this strenuous hour, WASH
burn has no more eager rOoterS
than this half-thousand of tagged
out, but determined solicitors.
So, while the enthusiasm OF yes
terday was so high-preSSure that
il would have blown up il anybody
had tried to cork 1t down, vet moth
ing is further from the truth than
to think that all this pep and ''go"
was mere frOth and foam. 1t was
a tide of tremendous earnestness
and purpose on the part alike or
sober business men and women,
high school and college youth, and
that purpose was to finish the job.
So the campaign was unanimously
extended to Wednesday night, to
end with a great rally at the
Auditorium, and these two extern
sion days will he crowded with
giant effort. which ought to- sweep
in every lover of Topeka.
Now $4,000 is a big bite for our
city after $122.O 900 has been taken
out. Clearly. the score or more of
our veaIthicst men are lined up in
their own minds for the still larger
campaign which must follOw,-for
the S27O,OOO, to secure the added
100000 from the New York board.
Now il is perfectly evident that a
very considerable number of strict
Iy large gifts must come to meet
these conditions. Topeka need not
deeply worry about that phase OF
the campaign. But it looks just
now as though these $4,000 or
$4,000 gifts were not to come in
today. But granting this. is there
any necessity for this city cam
paign to fail? Not at all Every
body has noted, all the way
through this campaign, that the
sums daily reported have been the
generosity of people of moderate
means and of the fairly wealthy,
but. all. in response to actual cam
paign solicitation. But here is an
other fact: That solicitation has
lacked much of covering our city.
There remain far more than fifteen
thousand seif-respecting and loyal
citizens who have never been ap-
preached. There are still enough
Iarge-hearted people, who, in one
day "Wednesday, the Mayors
"Washburn Day') could pick up
the entire deficit in relatively small
sums. as volunteer subscribers.
Let us look at this proposition for
a moment. This campaign is not
for spot cash as much as it is for
permanent friends for Washburn.
The pledges are convenient for
lesser giverS,-'payable i'm five an
nuaI installments," beginning Sep
tember 4. 1915; the second, on the
first of February, 1916, and other
payments on the same date for
three later years.
Now, any man or woman who
deeply feels what our great college
is doing, and who has even a mod
crate earning power. could give
$500 per year for five years or
$1,000 for five years, and have all
the more Self-respect and happi-
ness because of that gift. This has
been pre-eminently the campaign
of the small giver: shall not a
Watchful state see this fine spec
tacle today and tomOrrow,-ten
thousand "unsOIicited" givers,-
volunteers, who this day will send
i'm their pledges to the campaign
treasurer, Chas. $. Elliott, Capital
Building and Loan Association) of
this city? Let every man and
woman of Topeka, who as yet has
had no chance to express loyalty
to the Blue, make their chance in
these closing twenty-four hours, by
volunteering pledges or cash gifts
from S1.OO to 500 as conscience
and the needs of our city demand.