The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-05-28

to aIlot the few hundred tickets at my |
disposal.
tickets 1 had to turn down absolutely
or cut to a pair. Some men asked
me to give them as high as hundred
tickets. 1t simply could not be done.
cations in order and handled them as
fast and as satisfactorily as we could.
To Use Standing Room.
| GAS soon as / realized that the de-
mand was out of all proportion to the
| supply, 1 sent out word of the agree
ment reached by the committees in
| charge of the debate that even the
rights of ticket holders would be dis
regarded after s O'Clock. No seats
can be held in reserve after that hour
land the doors will be thrown open.
Provision has been made for standing
room that will accommodate several
hundred persons and l have already
taken up with the fire commissioner
| the matter of determining exactly
how many can stand in the house
without violating the provision of the
fire law against overcrowding. The
police must be counted on to stem the
excess crowd at the door.
| This action of throwing the doors
open was decided on as the best way
to serve the public. The distribution
of few hundred seats among several
Thousand persons is an impossible
job"
Hugh F'rayne, chairman of the COM
mittee of five which has been handl-
ing the arrangements for Mr.. Com
lpers's supporters. said he had distrib-
uted all the tickets he had three days
before the debate and could only Of
fer standing room to late corners.
There has been considerable specu-
lation on the turn which the debate
will take. The long controversy over
the subject of the contest prevented
any definite presentation of the issue
in the editorial columns of the news
papers and the general attitude of the
public can hardly be said to have been
represented.
All New York is not convinced that
Governor Allen will win the debate.
Of course there are plenty of Kansas
hackers who are offering their sup
port, but Mr.. Gompers has the advan-
tage of a longer and more general ac-
quaintance in the east. Both men are
speakers of recognized ability, but the
New York supporter of the labor lead
er will not concede that his candidate
cannot, oratorically speaking, wipe
up the EARTH with the silver tongued
Kansan.
go Thru Allen.
Governor Allen has to remember,
when he gets on that platform to-
night" said one of Mr.. Compress
close friends today, that he is not
going up against an amateur. He is
going up against a man who knows
his thesis and who has argued 1t sue
cessfully against the most powerful
, anti-labor men in this country and
abroad. 1 predict that Gompers will
give the governor the thrashing of his
life. We labor supporters believe that
Governor Aliens attack will be super
fetal and that Mr.. Gompers will go
thru it like moving machine. In our
opinion, Governor Allen is abroad
where angels ought to fear to tread.
Among the supporters of Governor
Allen the tune is different. They look
not only for the complete vindication
of the industrial court law and all 1t
implies, but they expect to see Gov
ernor Allen boosted by his victory into
a popular favor that will do much to
boom his dark-horse presidential pos
sibilities. They regard this as the
governors opportunity to spring into
the limelight il a powerful way on the
very eve of the Republican national
convention in Chicago.
In Kansas circles in New York there
has been inspiring activity The honor
of having the governor of the Sun
flower state come here in such a con-
Spicueus cause has aroused an interest
comparable to the activity of New
York Kansans last summer in well
coming Homecoming soldiers.
Kansans in New York.
B. F. Wollman. president of the
|
been in charge of the part to be
played by the Kansas element in MAX
ing the governors visit a gala state
affair, predicted today that more than
two hundred Kansans would have an
opportunity to meet the governor of
their state again personally and to
wish him success in the platform bat
tie. Mr.. Wollman estimated that
! more than one hundred and fifty
tickets to the debate had been dis
tributed among Kansans in New York.
These, he said, were in addition to the
tickets being held for the Kansans ar
irving on the special train from the
west,
Governor Allen expects to leave
New York either late tonight or early
been forced to refuse no fewer than
ten luncheon and dinner invitations
extended to him. In every case he
insisted that engagements in other
cities necessitated his cutting short the
stay in New York.
(By Frank p. MacLennan)
Praise for J. H. Lee.
New York, May 2s-Every Kansan
aboard the special is highly pleased
with success of the trip. Kansans in
New York registered true pride over
the spirit of their home state folks
in running a special train half way
across the continent as an expression
of loyalty their governor and the in
dustrial court act.
J. H. Lee, president of the Kansas
Day club, has been in charge of the
special. He organized the trip and
managed the routing and scores of de-
tails connected with the run from To-
peka to New York. When the train
arrived in New York today Lee was
i the recipient of congratulations and
words of praise from men and women
! aboard the train as well as Kansans in
, | New York