The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-14
Sixth District Ne1Us Notes
Items and "reminiscences by An Old Timer With His
Ear to the Grass Roots.
lar to the Grass Roots.
BY HARRY ROOT.

The 35th senatorial district as early
as 1876 was the scene of as lively and
exciting political contest as was ever
staged in that section of the state.
IA that time the district embraced the
counties of Ottawa, Mitchell, Osborne,
Rocks and the unorganized counties to
the west line of the state. The con-
ventiou was held in Cawker City. The
candidates were the then incumbent,
Horace Cooper of Mitchell county, CAL
vim Reasoner, Osborne county, and w
A. johnson, Ottawa county. Some of
the participants in that convention are
still living, and they claim that it was
as lively and exciting as any senatorial
convention ever was, and more so than
the most of them now are. Each of
the candidates had their friends on
hand. The convention met on Monday,
and they didn't make a nomination
until late Friday night. Several hun
bred ballots were cast, many of them
not showing a change. On the final
ballot johnson was chosen unanimous
ly. Among the political "pullers"
from Osborne were: A. SaXey, r. r.
Hays and S. B. FarWell, and while
they were not on the delegation,
they were friends of johnson, and
worked hard to swing the delegates
to him L. J. Best, Capt. w. H. Mitch
ell, Col. w. c. Whitney, Clark A. Smith
and ]. w. McGhee were on the Mitch
ell county delegation. While they were
friendly to the home candidate. Cooper,
who wanted a denomination. they were
also friends of Johnson. Lafe G. Smith
headed the delegation and was for
Cooper Neither was the delegate from
Cawker City a busy man for Cooper.
and was very friendly to johnson.
During JohnSon'S two terms as state
senator both ingalls, and Plumb were
chosen United States senators. Prior
to his election as state senator he
served in the lower branch of the
legislature, from there he was chosen
to the state senate, being elected in
1876. T. f. Hersey, founder of Beloit,
was his Democrat opponent. He was
chosen to the lower house in 1875, and
served one term. While serving his
senatorial district he was appointed
assistant United States attorney, when
he moved to Topeka, where he has
been ever since. While serving this Of
! flee he was nominated and elected
attorney general, serving two terms.
In December, 1884, he came on the
bench, by appointment and has been
reelected seven different times. Since
he has been on the bench the pro-
hibitory law was adopted, and he has
at all times been an ardent supporter
of the law. He came to Minneapolis
in May, 1872. At the end of his pres
ent term he will have served the SUI
preme court forty years, and been a
resident of the state house since Jan
I
spicuous men who figured in this sem
atorial convention are now dead, Rea-
soner, Saxey, Cunningham, Lafe c.
! Smith, Clark A. Smith, Horace Cooper
Lew ]. Best. Capt W. H. Mitchell,
McGhee, Whitney and others, having
passed on years ago Hays and Far
well are living in Osborne City.
| Ex-Judge J.. c. Ruppenthal. of the
| Twenty third judicial district, has an
| I1ie 4T7a
now held by Isaac T. Purcell, who
succeeded Ruppenthal in the 1918
election. While he served several
terms and has many friends in the
| district he will find pitted against him
| if Purcell is a candidate for re-elec-
ton an officer who has made a splen-
/ did official and has a wide acquaint-
/ ance. If both these men get into the
! race the campaign will no doubt be
lively.
! J. P. Noble of Oberlin, lawyer, hav-
ing business before the supreme court,
was a recent Topeka visitor. He is
well pleased with what is going on in
| his part of the state. He hasn't heard
| of any opposition to w s. Simmons,
| judge of the Seventeenth judicial dis
trict, and in his opinion he is giving
satisfaction turnout the district. The
office went to Simmons by appoint
ment until the regular election.
Jake P. Noble of Oberlin, one of the
prominent attorneys of northwest
Kansas, who has business before the
state supreme court most every ses-
sion, was Topeka visitor last week.
Your correspondent and Noble have
been friends for nearly half a century
| We recalled the trip we made from
Atwood TO Oberlin by a Ford convey
| ance after the Rawlins county court
had adjourned. and he invited the
Sixth district correspondent to accom-
pany him to Oberlin, a distance OF
thirty-five miles. He knew the road
wei, he claimed. and he wanted to
stop a short time in Ludell and Hern-
don, which was easy sailing that dis
lance 1t was getting late in the aft
ernoon when we left Herndon, and