Evening star., 1944-01-29
Elder Statesman.

In MS later years ne was an elQer
statesman of the Republican party.
Only once in his long career did he
swerve from his party loyalty-in
1912, as a Bull Moose, he supported
his good friend, Theodore Roosevelt,
for President.
Roosevelt bit me and I went
mad" he explained years after
wards.
Only once did he seek public ONCE
and he was unsuccessful. That was
In 1924 when, in the midst Of bitter
fight against the Ku Klux Klan,
which he branded as un-American
and cowardly, he ran independently
for Governor of Kansas, because the
Klan had Endorsed two other candi-
ates for that Office. White finished
third in the race, the Klan soon
died out and he felt he had won his
objective.
He possessed the gift of writing
exactly what he wished to say in
clear, concise and sometimes homely
language. He could write with wit
and Puckish humor, with profound
wisdom, with biting sarcasm or with
gentle tenderness.
Editorials Won Fame.
A sarcastic editorial, whats the
Matter With Kansas" written in
1896, skyrocketed him to national
prominence. A poignantly tender one,
written in 1921 after the accidental
death of his daughter Mary, became
a classic.
In a busy life he somehow found
time to write numerous books, most
of which concerned politics and po-
litical figures. In Masks In a
Pageant" he reviewed the life and
times of the 10 Presidents he knew
intimately.
He was born In Emporia on Feb
ruary 10, 1868, son of DR.. Allen
White, a country merchant and doc
tor, and Mary A. Hatton White,
pioneer Kansas teacher.
He grew up in El Dorado, attended
the College of Emporia and later the
University of Kansas. learned the
printing and newspaper business in
Ell Dorado, later was a reporter In
Lawrence and, when he was %, went
to the Kansas City Star as an
editorial writer.
On June /, 1895, he borrowed So
900 to purchase the Emporia Gazette.
And there he acknowledgements
leading citizen.
Believed in Luck.
He always insited that luck played
a big part in his career.
Lady luck was good to me-" he
said once, adding, whenever she
looked at me, I gave her the wink
and away we went"
Sheer luck put me into the news
paper business" he wrote in re-
counting that in 1885, while stu
dent at college, he sent three letters
asking for iob-one to a grocer,
one to a merchant and the third
to the editor of an Ell Dorado paper.
The grocer and merchant knew my
desultory ways and rejected my
job suggestion, T. P. Fulton knew
my father and took chance"
Luck, plus his gifted pen, also
gave him his start in national
politics.
In the summer of 1896, while
waiting for a train to take him to
Colorado for a vacation, he became
engaged in a street corner debate
with local Populist. The argument
centered around the Mckinley
Bryan campaign, the young editor
taking the Republican side, the
Populist, reinforced by bystanders,
the Bryan cause.
Spurred Editorial.
In the midst of the argument he
remembered he had some editorials
to write before train time, so he
dashed to the Office and still boiling
mad" sat down and wrote whats
the Matter with Kansas" 1t was
scathing piece, flaying the Demo-
cratic leaders.
He then forgot the editorial. But
it found its way to Chicago and
New York. BOSS" Mark Hanna,
Republican national chairman, liked
it, had 1t reprinted and distributed
throughout the country. When the
editor got back home from his vaca-
ton he found himself famous.
Many years later he said that
perhaps he had been too harsh in
that editorial-that at another time
he would have spoken more softly.
After McKinley's election, party
leaders asked him what he wanted"
and he astonished them by firmly
insisting that he wanted nothing
However, he did establish national
contacts which kept him in intimate
touch with leaders and affairs.
Frequently he was called on to
aid in drafting Republican national
platforms. In 1896 he laid down his
editorial pen and worked for the
presidential nomination of ALI M.
Landon, fellow Kansan, who WAS
defeated by Franklin D. Roosevelt.
That year he was chairman of the
party's Resolution Committee.
He admired Mr.. Roosevelt but
llCNCi gave llAll llAo kO1AtACdA oup-
port, especially for the third term.
He did, on occasion, support his
policies.
Once he suggested to Mr.. Roose-
welt that he appoint Felix Frank
furter to the Supreme Court. Some
time later he received this telegram
from the President:
Dear Bill: I have done 1t"
what the devil does he mean?"
ne asked one of his editors. A few
minutes later the editor showed him
an Associated Press dispatch an
nouncing Justice Frankfurter NOM
ination.
Married in 1893.
On April 27, 1893, he was married
to Miss Sally Lindsay of Kansas
City and they we're ideally happy
They worked, played and travelled
together and on their golden we'd
ding anniversary they even came
down with influenza together.
The greatest tragedy in his life