Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-08-30
That Is View Taken by De-
spairing Democrats of the
SunfIoWer State.
ROLLING IN PROSPERITY,
BUT ON TOES POLITICALLY
Kansans Sympathize With President,
But Republicanism Is Bred in
Their Bones.
BY N. O. MESSENGER.

BY N. o. MESSENGER.
KANSAS CITY, Mo, August
3o.-Some years ago a distin.
gulshed Kansas editor wrote Z
notable editorial headed '"What's
the Matter With Kansas?" Yoa
remember it. 1t went the rounds
of the press and the changes were
rung on it for weeks.
If Mr.. Will Allen White should ask the
question now, the answer of despair
ing democrats would be, "Nawthin' ex-
cept the blamed state is going re-
publican" and that's the truth.
Father of Prosperity.
Outside of that, there is nothing the
matter with Kansas Looks as if Kan
sas were the father of prosperity itself
A succession of bumper crops and big
prices for cattle, hogs, alfalfa and
the kindly fruits of the earth have
made the material conditions plump
as a partridge. They say facetiously
that the locomotive engineers on the
overland trains complain that they
they can't see the semaphore signals
1or the dust raised on the country
roads by the farmers automobiles.
Yet In Kansas this condition is not
MAKING for political apathy. as in
some other states, possibly for the
reason that political activity is in
digenous to Kansas and perennial in
crop bearing. Anyhow, Kansas at
present is "on its toes" politically and
they are republican, heads that are
crowds.
Reunion Accomplished Fact.
Reunion of the progressive and repub-
ltcans is fact accomplished and be-
yond dispute or disparagement. Henry
j. Allen. who ran for governor on the
progressive ticket in 1914. and polled
$4,000 votes. is stumping the country
for Hughes. and predicts Kansas will go
for Hughes by $4,000. William Allen
White probably will support Hughes in
the end. although he does not find him
at present an ideal candidate. There
was only one real militant bull mooser
left, Victor Murdock. and he has gone
to China to get some new material for
the Chautauqua circuit against the time
when lot of former politicians will be
looking for gate receipts. Kansas at
present is just naturally republican
state because there are more voters, men
and women. of that political faith than
of any other. The fact was demon
strated in elections and primaries in the
past four years.
In 1912 there were $4,000 democrats
and $4,000 combined progressives and
regulars at the polls.
Women Increase Ratio,
By 1914. after women were admitted
to suffrage. the ratio of republican n
gain increased. Capper, republican n
candidate for governor. received 20a,-
900 votes against 10000 for the demo-
crat and $4,000 for the progressive
tive of conditions was the August pri-
mary for selection of gubernatoriaI
candidates. Republicans to the number
of $4,000 went to the primaries for
the lone republican candidate and the
two democratic candidates drew out
only 1900 democrats.
With the preponderance of republican
votes the G. o. P. hope to make a clean
sweep of the delegation in the House
of Representative and elect the eight
servatice estimates here give the dem
ocrat a good fghting chance in the
second. fourth and sixth districts. The
second district especially is thought to
afford the democrats the best fighting
ground.
is there, then, no democrat senti-
ment in kansas?' may be asked. The
answer would be there Is unquestion-
ably plenty of Wilson sentiment in the
sunffower state, and the democrats are
pinning their forlorn and rather at
mainly.
c4 p..4
He kept US out OF war" echoes free
iy over the prairies and among the
woman voters. He draws sympathy for
the problems he has had to face, and
even republicans don't like to hear him
icriticised too severely. Lambastinp the
praa,S.,. aoa. -. ,.
wen Win nan
sas, ana local politicians do not indulge
in it, Not that the administrations
co,r.. is h,, .u ~ ~, ,-x-,,.,,
M, Tina oS :,ar,s,na 'siu iniasilpie - e
NAV inducas "a tba saaIi, npis or laii
den, Wilson has bsd 80 "at -
or,Iinarv sbare Of trn,,b,ns h nan az
The fa rp nradits Hi is noa.h ~ ah9uider
T. basn,t GOT ,,nder NV 70 ou'
- :, tr,,rar Suiiciehtiy &c