The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-20
NOTHING To IT
State Journal Has Not Organ
ized Roosevelt Propaganda
As Charged in Article in Morn
ing Capital.

tai under a Hiawatha date with a
head line over it saying that 'Cussin'
Tom Smith is Opposed to Roosevelt"
The item is wholly and absolutely
untrue so far as its reflections on the
publisher of the State Journal are
concerned. and no other publisher
could have been in the mind of the
correspondent.
This paper cannot believe that Mr..
Smith should have authorized any
such statements for they are wholly
false, SO far as reference to Mr.. Mac
Lehman is concerned, with the one
minor exception, that Mr.. Smith did
receive a letter from him. Here is
the false piece of news circulate! by
the Hiawatha correspondent, whoever
he is:
"Hiawatha, April 19.-Today Cussin.
Tom Smith, of Hiawatha, one of the dele
| gates Large to the Republican national
convention, received a letter from a Topeka
publisher who has recently organized a
Roosevelt propaganda. The letter request
ed that Smith support Roosevelt at the
coming convention and stated that a sim
liar request had been made 10 all the other
delegates Smiths reply was that Roose-
| Velts own utterances during the past four
years most surely would remove him even
as a possible candidate for the nomiua-
ton"
In the first place the publisher of
this paper has not recently organ
lied Roosevelt Propaganda" We have
absolutely no authority, directly or
indirectly, from Colonel Roosevelt or
any of his friends to do anything of
the sort. Colonel Roosevelt and zone
of his friends knew anything about
the editorial until after it appeared or
that its writing was planned. The ar
ticle was written as an independent,
honest expression that the writer felt
should be made at that particular
time, last Friday, April IA.
In the next place. the letter did not
request that Mr.. Smith support
Roosevelt at the coming convention"
The letter absolutely did nothing of
the sort.
Neither did the letter state, as the
C.-pital item says:
That d similar request had been
made to all the other delegates" Now
here is the letter, word for word. lust
as it WAS written and the reader can
see the injustice done the editor of
this paper by the effort to compromise
him or his friends, by the publication
!
Topeka, April II, 1916
| ''Mr. Il. d. Smith. Hiawatha Kansas
| My Dear Sir:
Il am enclosing a section of the State
Journal Of Friday last, containing an edi-
| torial ON the political situation.
While you may not agree with me, 1
hope you will go over the article carefully
1t is submitted as food for thought
If the spirit moves you to write me
note as to how the article impresses you,
whether favOrably or not, l would appre-
ciate 1t. Yours very truly,
(Signed) FRANK 2. MACLENNAN."
The State Journal people are fairly
we'll acquainted with Mr. Tom Smith,
and have not been unfriendly to him;
in fact, we knew that at one time Mr.
Smith, just like the editor of this
paper was at one time. favorable to
Colonel Roosevelt for the Presidency.
The State Journal regretted that the
colonel ran for the office in 1912, but
it did not lose it's admiration, nor its
proprietor his friendship, for him, nor
hold other views than that he was
and is today our greatest American,
the biggest statesman and the best
equipped man for the presidency
Now, the writer was under the i'm
preston that it was perfectly proper
to submit to Mr. Smith any new light
there might be upon the subject, or
that might call to his notice the won
derful trend and tide that is setting
in, in Kansas and all over this country,
toward Col. Theodore Roosevelt as
the man of the hour. 1t was thought
that possibly even Mr.. Smith, like the
writer might have a change of heart,
in view of changing conditions. Mr..
Smith is an uninstructed delegate and
presumably has an open mind on the
subject, and will cast his vote at the
proper time. in the way in which he
believes he may best serve his coun-
) try and bis party when the Republican
convention meets in Chicago in June
The editor of the State journal has
not heard from Colonel Roosevelt
personally, directly or indirectly. since
his return from the West Indies
So far as the State Journal knows
Colonel Roosevelt may favor the NOM
: ination of Justice Hughes. Were con-
ditions normal in this country; were
diplomatic relations satisfactory; were
our relations with Mexico and foreign
countries not in a strained condition
extending over a long period of time,
, were the Brandeis incident not to the
; fore, and other new lately developed
situations presented, Hughes might be
ideal. We think Roosevelt the man
, now. That's an opinion not an incl
? dent to any propaganda
I Up to a short time ago, the State
z Journal confesses, it believed Justice
Hughes the man; not now, however,
/ good as he is