Evening star., 1923-09-02
WHEAT AND KLAN
ISSUES IN KANSAS
Stand Out as Major Problems
for Officeseekers as EIec- y
tions Draw Near.
Special Dispatch to The Star.


TOPEKA, Kan, September l.
Politically, Kansas Is struggling this
fall with two complexes in the year
preceding the national campaign-the
wheat complex. more or less chronic !:
and <u klux Klan complex, which
may or may not become acute by the
time the campaign really is on. klan
leaders believe it will, although Kan
sas is not an especially good hating"
ground.
The wheat situation is expected to
be a big factor. Western and central
Kansas depend on wheat for a living.
Eastern Kansas and Kansas City are
business. Whether political leaders
like 1t or not, wheat and wheat markets
cut big figure in political campaigns.
IL crops and markets are good. the
party in power gets the benefit. If
they're not. the party in power is on
the defensive. particularly if this con-
clifton has extended over several years
Not that wheat and farm conditions
always are dominant factors. A moral
issue may obscure them entirely with
the descendants of New England that
form the backbone Of the Kansas state
of mind.
Democrats Hopeful.
With this condition in mind, kansa S
democrats ire looking forward hope
fully toward good year They
elected dirt farmer governor
Jonathan NJ. Davis, last year. although
otherwise all state offices and the state
legislature went republican. The
Minnesota election also further en-
couraged Kansas Democrats. The
Democrat News, a. weekly democratic
publication, is carrying n series of
articles on the old populist days, and
finding parallels in conditions then
and now. There one has the Kansas
democrats reasons for feeling opto-
miStic over 1924.
The only thing certain about the
senatorial situation at this stage. of
the game appears to be that Senator
Arthur Capper, Republican. will be a
candidate for recollection. He may
have opposition in the primary. but
so far no name has been mentioned
as a possible opponent Party lead
ers VINO might like to see Capper
displaced believe that but for Capper
Kansas might follow the lead of
Minnesota and elect another Magnus
johnson, and as result the junior
Kansas senator may get by the pri-
mary without much of a fight Three
democratic possibilities are being
considered for the senate a this time,
Judge Ed Sapp of Galena, on another
raise more he'll and less corn plat
form: Gov. Jonathan ". Davis, and
Representative w. a. Ayres of
Wichita.
Davis Is Doubtful.
Present indications are that Gov.
Davis. just recovering from an attack
OF typhoid fever. will prefer to try
to be governor again. after a favor
lite son" vote in the Democratic ma
ttonal convention for president, and
that Ayres Will run again for con-
gresham from the eighth. the only
district to be represented by a demo-
crat in the coming session of Con-
gress.
The seven republican congressman
from Kansas will be candidates for
the party nomination for reelection.
unless Representative J. " Tincher
of Medicine Lodge, seventh district.
finally decides to run for governor
w X. Stubbs of Lawrence, governor
from 1909 to 1913, whose wife made
the salt raising bread" for Theodore
Roosevelt, has announced himself a
candidate for the republican nomina-
ton for governor in 1924. Whether
Tincher will care to run against the
red headed man from Lawrence is re-
garded in political circles as doubt
ful, especially as party leaders In the
seventh are laying down on Tincher
to run for Congress again.
Battle Is Forecast.
The sixth district represented by
Hays B. White of Mankato, promises
TO be battle ground in the primary
campaign; Apparently large section
of Whites constituency intends now
to run against him for the republican
nomination. OF course, if the nearly
dozen mentioned do Get into the race,
Whites denomination will be assured
If the opposition should narrow down.
say to Charles r. Mann of Osborne
speaker Of the 1923 Kansas house
White would have a real primary fight
on his hands.
Mann will be a candidate if some
hn1
about to enter it withdraw, but not
otherwise, he says. Among the sixth
district republicans definitely in the
race are State Senator John NJ. Gray
of Kirwin, Judge c. =. Falconer of
Rawlins county; others present include
Arch c. Coolidge of Smith Center, a
cousin of President Coolidge and
former chairman of the ways and
means committee of the Kansas house;
State Senator Henry NJ. Laing of Rus
SELL. Mrs. Ida NJ. Walker. member of
the Kansas house from Norton: Judge
Charles A. Sparks of Goodland; and
Fred Jensen OF Trego county. The
democrats are considering John b. Con-
Motley or Colby, former congressman,
and Frank w. Boyd of Phillipsburg,
who already is campaigning.
without Opposition.
James G. Strong of Blue Rapids and
Homer Hoch of Marion, representing
the fifth and fourth districts, respec-
lively, so far have no opposition i'm the
primary, and Hoch may not have any.
Stories from the fifth are that Strong
probably will have, but the opposition
has not centered on any one at this
time.
The third district. the Balkans Of
Kansas politics, Is quietly, though
not wistfully, watching to see what
w. II. Sproul will do in the coming
session. Sproul put Representative
Phil =. Campbell out of business in
the primary last year. after Campbell
apparently had a life lease on the Job.
While all Is quiet now. it is pretty
certain that whatever Sproul does.
he will stir up row The third is
that kind of a district; but political
good taste seems to demand that
Sproul be given his chance before anv
action is taken. Incidentally, Kansay
is taking similar attitude toward
President Coolidge. in spite Of the ef-
friends last week to make him a
presidential candidate. Senator cur
tbs promptly sat on the plan.
The storm clouds a present are not
lowering close to Dan Anthony of
Leavenworth. representing the first
district. nor over Ed c. Little of
Kansas City, from the second An
thony is sitting pretty. politically,
from the fact that Shawnee county,
the largest in his district, has two
InlIeu CtdteS sendtorS at WaShin ng-
ton now, and friends of these
promptly squelch any Shawnee can
didateS for Congress.
The ground swell of discomfort that
the democrats see coming SO plainly.
il it is real, should produce some
active opposition for the seven Re-
publican congressman from Kansas in
the near future, if it really exists.
of course the voters might sit tight
and swat, but If that is their inten-
tfon, some enterprising young men
with congressional aspirations should
be able to discover 1t pretty soon and
start their campaigns. Meanwhile