The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-10-28

topeka, the guide, philosopher and
friend OF all of us; Farmer Murphy
ives IN New York, the correspondent
there of the Chicago Tribune Lind
say, Tomlinson, Montgomery. Rowley,
F&ther Baker, Cliff Baker, Marsh
Murdock, Roland Murdoch, Noble
Prentls and Butts have died
was stationed here for twelve
years. Soon after 1 came, the news
! paper corps began to change; old COM
raoes disappearing and new men COM
ing in Harvey Fowler became a
preacher Jay House soon came
| among us to do state politics and 9TH
er stunts on the Capital and now. in
addition, is mayor of the town and we
all are very proud of him. Charley
| sessions came on the Kansas City
journal, and, still holding the job,
manages to run the Republican party
IN the state. Fred Bullene followed
| me Tor the Star, and now is in bfsi-
ness for himself in Kansas City. Jesse
Leach, than whom no buster youth, or
a more capable, ever did state politics
Tor a newspaper, came to help me,
and afterward Bullene, on the Star;
and now having outgrown the job,
| owns the Bartlesville Enterprise and
a half-section of oil wells. has a boom
| b1ennially for governor. and has been
given the title of colonel" Bully for
Jess! In place of Bullene, Cecil Howes,
industrious, painstaking and bright,
has come for the Star. Bully for Howes
tool
You fellows who man the guns now
might profit by reading the stuff of
some of the elders whom have named
especially commend Prentis and
Butts, and Greene. In Prentis's Bat
tie Corners is a story of the Civil war
in Kansas. Indian Territory, Arkan-
sas and Missouri of intense interest
In this volume is a collaboration by
Prentis, Greene and Eugene Ware,
descriptive of the battle of Wilson
| creek; revealing especially the emo
tons of green soldiers on both sides
going into battle, and their conduct
under fire. The book will be found
on the State Historical society s
shelves
The state house reporters of the
present lack one great advantage,
which we of the period during which
I labored here possessed: the power of
the pass, the railroad pass. For by
the pass, without the business mana
ger Directing, we were able to get out
over the state and obtain information
early and first hand. BY the same
pass, political prophets of local honor
were able to come to Topeka frequent
ly, to be caught unwary by newspa-
per men lying in wait Lik ewise, the
pass took US to state, district and i'm
pass brought delegates numerously to
these conventions and we met them
regularly. The politician who did not
| possess an annual pass was not worth
while; but all who could muster force
enough to be elected delegates, re-
ceived trip passes This was not fair
| for the railroads, but it was a way
Kansas politicians had, and the custom
was not broken until statute was en-
acted forbidding it. Early in my
ter on the power of the pass and OF
| the tragedy which came to the politi-
| clan who, down and out, no longer
! was worth the recognition. 1 thought
| quite we'll Of it, but since 1 never have
clipped and preserved any of my own
stuff, it is buried in the files of the
| paper, and 1 presume 1 never Will be
able to resurrect it.
The pass, besides helping newspa-
per correspondents and politicians
caused an acquaintance among mer
widespread in the state. By this &C
uuaintance, public men aspiring &c
| office became Familiarity known, and
so il was easy for the people to pick
land leave intelligently when they
came to the selection of candidates
For. from Doniphan county to Morton
and from Cherokee to Cheyenne ano
all the country between, the peopie
came to know men who sought public
favor and to select the most worthy
Now. instead of the convention, we
have that maudlin invention, the
primary and the party council. BY the
primary, mediOcr1ty ana DomDaSt OF
ten beat ability and genius in the
race. and the party council consti-
tued of the candidates nominated BY
the primary, forms platform only
designed to get in on"
Getting back to the railroad pass
it was an agency which, for me, and
I am sure for my contemporaries or
the lob as well, to form many friend
ships which last to this day. The
politicians were not all bad. The com
mon run of them were good, and they
were useful in their little part in the
worlds work. Sometimes one turned
up breaking faith, but politics was
war in those days, and all was fail
in war. However, few politicians
broke faith with me. and even fol
that few I bear no resentment
| NV association with Kansas politi-
clans began with Cyrus Leland and
Continued in all parties thru John ]
ingalls,, Preston B. Plumb, Breiden-
thai, Judge Horton, Judge Johnston
J. K. Cubbison, Judge Lobdell, w P
billiard, A. NJ. Jackson, Jake Shep'
pard, George Findlay. Bob Turner, A
Munger, Taylor Riddle, George A
Clark, Judge Allen, Judge Doster, Ed
Carroll, Mack Love, Bale Waggener
Jim Orr, Billy Sapp, Hodges, Mulvane
w J. Fitzgerald, Fred Smith, Ton
Kelly, and Albaugh to Lansdon and
Capper. These are only very few
of the scores of politicians whom
have known intimately, and altho the
most of them have been Republican!
recollection the whole procession liv
ing and dead.
MTGHTVE r. TIN