The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-04

Dick Hopkins do CeciPs thinking for
him, it isn't much use to go to Cecil
for advice. That isn't a reflection on
Cecil. either. Often I think he would
do a lot better If they just left him
alone. So maybe you can stop playing
long enough to combine your Kansas
understanding and Quaker town gen.
tIeness and give me a few tips for the
Kansas Is in Danger.
1t looks as tho Kansas is just about
to lose her birthFight. There are a lot
of stories about corrupting influences
that are working to destroy u.s. Fred
Trigg and Fire Alarm Bill White have
already warned the state. There are
so many evil influences coming to
town next week that it doesn't seem
possible any one can maintain even a
fair degre of purity and decency. I
don't know how Lucy CASTOR and Liz
zie Wooster will be able to get any
news space when every one has to go
home at shutdown for fear they will be
seen with one of these horrid lobby
lists. And il Bill Sort comes to the
legislature and buys new suit of
clothes, it doesn't seem possible that
he will be able to find enough funiga-
ton fluid to remove the stencil of
graft when he goes home.
You remember back in 1911, some
thing like this happened. That was
the time Dave Leahy started some
thing of the sort You remember it.
rotary. The standpatters had the leg
islature. The reformers thru Vic Muir
dock and Fred Jackson and others
had recommended removing the pow
err from Uncle Joe Cannon. Well, the
Kansas senate tried it on Dick Hop
kins, then lieutenant governor. They
nameld all of Dicks committees and
Y - =
book that Mr.. Roberts wrote, they ap-
pealed and change his decision.
Everything Went Bad.
That was the winter things went
bad with the initiative and the refer
endum and the recall. 1t looked as
tho honest people simply wouldn't be
able to live in the state. The Kay See
Star urged fond mothers to take their
babies to other states that they might
ences. The style of reform recon-
mended for Uncle Joe wasn't going a
bit good when tried on Hopkins-since
Hopkins had been found by the Star,
Stubs, Bill White and Joe Dolley.
Everyone knew something had to be
done. Dave Leahy did it. Dave has
always been able to hit in the pinches.
And this time Dave smelled pork. It
was a corrupt pork barrel, being built
knew a man who had a friend who
had learned from his landlady of a
man in a barber shop who had talked
with fellow who knew positively that
a Representative of the Interests had
Paid Money to a Legislative Employe
to Do Something. The Star and Bill
White made an awful fuss. There
was an investigation and the state
stayed uD nights to learn the names of
the criminals. Dave Leahy's memory
broke down under the strain and Bill
White testified that when he smelled
smoke he yelled fire"-whether he
could locate the fire or not.
Gave Up All Hope.
The investigation might have lasted
many months. Only one day Senator
Cook, an old-time populist. combed
drowsily at his beard, looked at the
calendar and decided it was nearly
time for the spring blowing. Besides
the fifty days had. passed, the legisla-
ture was working without pay and dis
appointed searchers gave up hope of
finding their share of the slush fund
and voted to adjourn.
1t seems that the evidence at this