The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-11-25
Woods Full of Candidates for
House Leadership.
Members Flooded With Appeals
From Ambitious!
WOMAN FOR THE MINORITY?
Miss Nellie Cline, of Pawnee,
Democratic Candidate.
Several "Dark Horses" in Case
Regulars Fall Down.
BY a. L. SHULTz.

Will prospects OF at lGdSr a ndlI
dozen avowed candidates for the
speakership the fate of the house
gavel next winter is almost as uncer-
tain as the future of the industrial
court With the legislative session
more than six weeks away there is al
ready a speakership field that looks
like the preliminary scratch list In
a Kansas governOrship contest.
In the last ten days the speakership
aspirants have been bombarding new
members with letters. The candidates
started their crusade as soon as first
returns from The legislative election
were received 1t is possible that one
or two of the men now in the running
may step aside in the finals On the
other hand there is an equally strong
chance that the list may continue to
grow
While the Republicans VIM control
the speakership this winter. the Demo-
crat leadership is a bit of RESPONSE
bility that will receive consideration:
become tha Bourbon floor leader and
thus Will be trusted with the house
affairs of Governor Davis
Two minority possibilities are al
ready on the slate One is John
O'Laughlin. of Ellis county. The
other is Miss Nellie Cline. of Pawnee
county, who is returning for second
term Miss Cline is a lawyer and
one of the characters of the state bar.
Need Friendly Speaker.
Just as soon as the retiring ad-
ministration decides where it will pin
a few roses. the fighting lines in the
Republican speakership fight will be
more clearly outlined Governor
Allen and his friends want a speaker
who will select committees in a way
to insure saving OF the retiring ad-
ministra ton pets from the ash pile.
Unless there is a somewhat friendly
speaker the absence Of an elastic state
affairs committee may be seriously
felt.
The importance of a state affairs
committee in Kansas was never really
appreciated until Governor Allen came
to Topeka. During two regular and
a Snecia1 session the state affairs COM
rnittee was the strong right arm of the
administration in the house When
there was a possibility that a desired
IN sure might be held up In an un-
friendly committee or be returned TO
the calendar in a more or less enact
originate the proposal in the state af-
fairs committee Y
Beard Has Good Chance.
On the surface it looks as tho Ezra /
Beard. of Sedgwick county. may have
the call for Allen support in the COM
ing speakership fight Beard Is from /
the retiring governors home county,
he is a state appointee. a farmer and K
served as speaker pro tenn in the last
session.
= Charles z. Mann, of Osborne, may
also he close up for favor of the Allen
forces. Mann served in the house in
1919-2O-21 and is now editing Bert
Walkers Osborne Farmer He was
one of the popular house members and
usually had a choice seat in admins
tration circles.
None of the other candidates are
on the blue books OF The retiring adj
minis.. ton. Charles Mosher. of Ford
county. an avowed speal1ership con-
tender. voted for a number of admin
bills. but he also baked and
refused to be lead or driven yVhen a
varied assortment of Allen selections
came before the house. Mosher has
4 big call on the strong Seventh dis
trict delegation and with the excep-
ton OF Mann in the sixth may be the
only western candidate in the field.
Some OF the home district support
of Ezra Beard may slip away by virtue
of the candidacy Of X NJ. Geddes, or
Butler county. GedSes was friendly
to the big Allen bills in the house only
on rare and select occasions It was
Gedaes' oratory which helDed beat
down number of the proposals which
came ON the governors office and
Allen goes home he ill leave many
earnest requests to nelp the lawyer
ca pair~ re from his neighborinS county
Sen F. Endres. of Leavenworth. one
of the veterans of the house by reason
of an ei~I7- years service. will be IN
the speake-ship fight Endres. who
made clear. clean cut administration
record in 1880. came back to the
and PERSISTENT opponent of almost
everything the governor favored In
political circles there is a rumor that
1ndres and the governor broke In
j $50 over state prison policies.
In Dark Horse Class
In the dark horse class-and stand
ing rather prominently, tools John
of Pratt. Whitman is play
ing a return engagement in the house.
He is farmer and only on rare occas-
ion has been an ardent Allen follower.
whitman had a lot of strength in the
house in 1919 and it is not improbable
that he will get into the sneakership
affair this time 1t is not likely. tho.
that he will split the Big Seventh vote,
tho. until Mosher has had try-out.
Three protein candidates may be
presented One is II. w. Sh'deler. of
Crawfo- d. who strongly supported the
Allen legislative program in spite of
the fact that he came from the big
mining country. Another possibility Is
Dallas Knapp of Montgomery county.
Knapp. who made the recent cam
court. was not listed as an administra-
ton member in the lest session Dur
Ing the winter of 1921 Knapp was I
perhaps the outstanding character
among the new men in the house
A third protein possibility is Clark
-oniiing. OF Rice county. There is a
rumor that the veteran newspaper
man has ultimate speakership ambi-
lions and that his friends in the house
nay push him TO the front this winter
Is a candidate for the protein job.
Most OF the 6opsters are still trying |
o dete- inc the complexion of the /
lew house as affecting a vein of Svm- /
lafhy for the retiring administration.
NhfI tho lower legislative body IS
Renubfican and is GER
ain to support Republican policies |
here is a decided uncertainty as to