The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-18
Four Hundred Kansans Take
Political Capital by Storm.
Leave National Hotel Lobby
Empty to Morgan and Keene.
HE LEAVES IN A FEW DAYS
May Return a Full Pledged
Near.GOvernOr of Kansas.
Every District Represented at
the Big Meeting Today.

More than $50 men and women IN
Republican affairs in their home COM
munities and in the state promised
this afternoon to keep Henry ]. AL
lens gubernatorial campaign going
while he is in France. The meeting.
held in the packed assembly room OF
the National hotel, was one of the
most significant political gatherings In
Kansas in years.
Men prominent in both the pro-
gressive and old line crowds of the
party were active in the meeting, and
pledged loyal support in the primary
campaign. Fred E. Stanley of Wichita,
Republican national committeeman Tor
Kansas, was chairman of the meeting.
Stanley has been ranked with the old
crowd. Miss Matte Beck of Holton.
staunch progressive and we'll known
| newspaper woman, was secretary.
William Allen White of Emporia, who
spent several months with Allen in
France, was among the many promi-
nent Kansans in the meeting.
Resolutions pledging support to Al
len while he is ministering to Ameri,
can soldiers in France were adopted
! with a whoop. The big crowd arose
and gave Allen noisy reception when
he entered the hall. In a speech he
told the crowd his friends and sup
porters at home must direct his cam
paign while he is in France for the
Red Cross.
w. Y. Morgan of Hutchinson, and
A NJ. Keene of Fort Scott, two other
| candidates in the coming primaries,
were left in the hotel lobby deserted
when the Allen meeting was called.
There isn't the least bit of uncer-
tainty about the plan for booming the
Allen cause. Some of the best known
political organizers and strongest Re-
publican workers in the state were in
today'S meeting which pledged every
energy and every endeavor to Aliens
success. The fight will be made by
the men at home while Allen is witF
the American Red Cross near the
trenches on the western front. = Every
faction and crowd in Republican poll
tics in the state was we'll represented
in this afternoons meeting. There
is not a district in Kansas which
| was not represented.
Trains today brought many Allen
supporters from almost every county
in the state. There is not a district
which is not represented by men of
prominence, power and standing in
political affairs of their communities.
| The men came to Topeka to assure
Allen they would provide the organi-
zation to carry his gube-natorial cam
paign thru the pre-primary fight. 1t
will be the bit" which his Kansas
friends will perform IN recognition of
the service which Allen is giving the
organiZa ton
He'll Leave in n Few DAYS
Allen will leave in few days for
| France. where he will probably spend
| five or six months looking after the
| comfort and welfare of tn American
| soldiers. Several thousand Kansans
will be lover there" before Allen re-
turns to Kansas. And the heartbeats
of several thousand Kansas mothers
and SweetheartS will be for the men in
the trenches on the western front. 1t
| will be for the comfort of these men
! that Allen will give his time and ener-
gies. And Allen will be the only man
at the front for the Red Cross So
| ure or comfort for the boys from
Dodge City or Concordia or Herring
| ton or Independence or Atchison, or
| any one of a thousand other Kansas
| towns. the folks at home won't forget
| that Allen is a candidate for governor
| In the hot summer days to come the
| little organizations in the country
/ towns and in the city precincts will
| sort of keep the cause alive in spite
| of the advantage the politicians at
| home may have in talking patriotism
or explaining the geography of the
campaign map of Europe.
| Large delegations came today from
Wyandotte, Douglas, Franklin, Allen,
Sedgwick. Sumner, Harvey, Harper,
Ford, Riley, Atchison, Montgomery,
| Crawford, and a score of other coun-
| ties The purpose of the meeting is
| to perfect a statewide organizat ton
! which will relieve Allen of the reSpon-
sibility of campaign while he is in
| France In short the boys at home
will take over Aliens political respon-
sibilities while he is providing care
and comfort for the American soldiers.
/