The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-10-29
DEMOCRATS ISSUE.
CONTINUED from Page One,

son caused to be Introduced IN congress
the military preparedness bill. to prepare
for whatever might follow. And, to arouse
sentiment to sustain the bill. the president
came west and, on February . 1916. he
previously. on September 10, 1915, said in
the Topeka Capital:
They call it national preparedness and
against attack. it is also preparedness to
do murder on the greatest scale known TO
man.
'When the president cnme to Topeka he
was confronted with the following edi-
toral in Governor CAMPER, papers the To-
ESPECIALLY in the matter he has come
to talk about the sentiment of Kansas is
known to be opposed to him, and this
| most strongly opposed in the country. We
do not expect to see Kansas sentiment
bg The essf nist to this
I'm the ,J president roneka
things: clearly out of sympathy. the gov
We pray we shall not be led into
| weekly. Of February 5. 1916. Governor Cap
per sought to defeat the president by
| printing the following appeal to his read
You can take big part in this eontro-
versy about preparedness You have rep
Write them nrgins them to vote o against
| the plan to spend hundreds of millions
OF dollars for military purposes Don't
in congress. write today
SO upon the first move OF the war the
refused to sustain the president but nr-
| lively sought to defeat him. Senator
Thompson voted to sustain the president
| bill passed. We gained many months in
| war preparation by this foresight. Gov
ss to Pey his s ssa aH MAS
| loyalty to the president then: If not then,
| why is it safe now"
More Anti-War.
Then comes the second big episode
| in which Capper's opposition to the
decla ration of war is further reviewed
| To quote again:
Despite Germany's promise that Ameri-
can ships would no longer be sunk, the
| airy 30, 1917. the promise was withdrawn
and notice given that. beginning on Feb
Would be sunk n pithont notee and tbs
| was followed by the sinking of American
s Or sr ST h This Was waf
| Germany, and the president could not but
accept it as such. and urge congress to
necessary provision for hostilities. Nat,
with war then upon us, on March %, 1917
ys oeore his
Kansas stands by the president in any
national crisis. This does not mean tnat
Kansas and its representatives in congress
will vote n declaration Of war but because
| the president asks it. 70 evident good Is
at this time Neither does standing by the
president mean necessarily that lie Will he
| supported II he should desire to form an
"On the next day, March 90 1917 Gov
ernor Capper further said, in his Topeka
''If the western members Of congress-
| represent their constituents they will not
be favorable to an immediate declaration
| of war
so on the second great WI, measure
tbs not hut eny to to
him senator Thompson votel to sustain
the president, and sustain American indie
! lowing pertinent: when the last great
German drive was crashing thru all before
and had 50 nearly rahea PaF hnt
Wson wsh the
and American troops been on the ground
| Capper's advice had been followed can we
say that American troops would have met
pers saeacity and loyalty to the president
| they now:''
and the war revenue bill follow with
quotations from the governors paper
set in blackface type. Again read the
extracts just as they were extracted:
The third war measure urged by the
questioned the presidents sincerity in the
| following editorial:
1T Is evident that the greatest
| celebrity in getting a trained army Is not
| the thing desired but that what is desired
, is to introduce the unpopular system of
! eonscrfption into American practice.-To-
peka Capital. April II. 1917.
Senator Thompson sustained the presi-
dent by voting for the bill the only
! method of putting the poor boy and the
| millionaire on n leref.
| I'm April 1917. the fourth war measure
| n revenue bill. urged by the president te
provide war funds, was pending In con.