The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-07-22

/ was the story of one of Topeka's cleo
/ ton campaigns. It was from the pen
of Jay Z. House. former Topeka news
paper man, now with the Philadelphia
Public Ledger. and was an account of
his experiences in the two campaigns
which he made-successfully can
didate for mayor OF Topeka. Houses
| Second Thoughts" appear daily in
The State journal
Houses article does not mention To-
peka by name, but labels it as the
capital Of one of the earlier of the
aqua-pura commemorative" The
writer does not use the exact names
of the characters in his story, but
Grapes them with only very thin wells,
so that the Topeka reader, familiar
with civic politics, is able without diff
ficulty to pierce the disguise.
One real name. that of Harve Par
sons, at that time column writer on
The State Journal, and now serving in
the same capacity on the Daily Cap
| ital, is given. House tells how Par
sons, in a kidding vein, nominated him
for mayor thru his column. He con-
tinues to narrate how he accepted the
nomination thru his own column.
Parsons Fired First Gun. e.
aHarve Parsons drove the first thin
wedge" reads an extract from Houses
article. Parsons was the columnist
on the afternoon paper. l performed
a similar service for its morning con-
On duh days We joshed each other A
municipal campaign was coming on.
One afternoon in July preceding the
election in the following April Parsons
nominated me for mayor 1t was
dull day in my column, so wrote a
paragraph in which 1 accepted the
nomination rendered me by Mr.. Par
sons, contingent upon his willingness
to serve as chief of police. 1 looked
upon it as a bit of fraternal repartee
IN Uvh I
my copy upstairs. 1t is a part OF this
chronicle that the first appointment 1
made after my election as mayor was
that of Harvey Parsons as chief OF
DoIice He bore that invidiOuS dis
tinction thruout my first adninistra-
ton. But his heart was bound to his
newspaper work and at the end of two
years the cubby-hole which he had va
Gated reclaimed him.
Il was amazed to learn that the
Joint effect of Parsons and myself to
enliven a. dull day had reacted serious
" upon the public mind. Coming
down town the following morning,
half q dozen or more of my acquain-
tances, representing as many walks OF
life, spoke of my possible candidacy
rendered their support and expressed
the opinion that 1 could be elected
The thing caught me off my balance
and made josh of it. But the talk
persisted all day and for several days
heard it, Two or three letters came
from state and ward leaders pledg-
ing their support still stalled
with those who chose to mention the
matter, but the seed had been planted
1t had finally occurred to me that
things might SO shape themselves as
to permit me to engage in an expert
ment in municipal politics. 1 think
that's all that did occur to me.
don't remember that the thought of
holding office. appealed to me at all.
A any rate it held no glamour for me"
Tells Inside Story.
House tells the inside" story of
how the candidacy of Tom Borman,
whom he calls tom Bowman" was
nipped even before it had begun to
bud. In this connection he mentioned
Dick Hodgins: as Dick Hosklns ana 40
Uncle John" the latter referring to
John r. Mulvane; also the leaders of
the progressive element in the city
Republican party. Harry Wright Gin
the story as Harry Light. Bill Fulton
(BiH FuIlington), Jim Wilson (Jim
Wyer) and Frank Snyder Crank
Didier.) Wright served later as
Houses campaign manager.
Among his opponents, House men
lions Beaky, evidently camoufIage for
Blakely, whom the writer character
ICES as follows: "Beaky was right on
Z
! the cigaret, the church, mothers day
and all the other vital issues. He was
for the curfew law and early rising
and against midnight lunches, I'M
/ chaperoned picnic parties and gusta-
/ tory excesses.'
He also refers to J. B. Billiard, an
| opponent. as Willard. He writes of
/ Frank, P. MacLennan, publisher of
| The State Journal. as Colonel Nc
! Kisson, and narrates the fight waged
| on his candidacy by both of Topeka's
papers.
Rabble Rousing State.
Following are few excerpts from
| Houses article.
/ The state of which I write sat
1 astride what I am pleased to desig
nate as the emotional belt of Ameri
| can politics. It was a community re-
sponsive to the hghtest word the
/ cheapest rhetorical trick of the rab-
BILE rouser.
/ THE so-ca1led law-and-order ele-
ment was a factor in every campaign.
/ It's candidate had pretty nearly an
I even chance and not infrequently was
) elected. The opposing candidate, no
/ matter what-his chara cter. was always
lstigmatized as the candidate of the
liquor interests and the other vicious
Ielemen of society. e.. The emotion
al excuses of that fringe of citizenry
to which I have just alluded had al
ways irritated me and I had made
much good-humored sport of its col
planted and nurtured in its collective
mind the thought that I was immoral
and vicious. Very many excellent
1aopIa neIieva6 me To he a rake. some