The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1870-08-18
ALL SERENE.

ALL SERENE.
Our State for many years has been govern
ed by corrupt and INSCRIPTIONS political
ring, of which the leaders were Pomeroy
and Clarke, and which was represented in
every district by office-holding dependents OF
-ome sort, and in number amounting to some
two hundred persons. These leaders and
their slaves have controlled Legislation in
Washington and controlled it in the interest
of corruption, and they have managed poll
teal Conventions at home in such a manner
as to keep themselves in power, Office and
ready money.
The first successful opposition to this hun
dred-armed organization was made in the
election of our last Legislature, which was
in the main composed Of true men, and
which expressed the voice of Kansas in in
structing our delegation in Washington to
oppose various frauds which it had favored.
OF course the instructions were disregarded,
but the purpose of the Legislature was good
one and really represented the popular will.
That was good beginning. This has been
followed by movement made by the people
To make the next Republican Convention
really representative of the people; large
enough for the popular voice to be heard,
and 80 large that it would Ike impossible
Tor the Clarke ring to buy its delegates with
money or with the promise Of Office. No
more fair or just proposition was ever made
by the people or opposed by the politicians
and office-holding ring. We showed that
large Conventions were the rule of both lolit-
ical parties i'm other States, and that any OPP
position to 50 plain and fair a proposition
must come from interested and dishonest men
men who wished to rob the people ofpower
in order to aggrandize themselves.
But the Clarke Pomeroy men and newspa-
pers steadily, persistently, and with amazing
meanness and stupidity opposed this just de-
mand. They wished to have the Convention
as small as possible, and to give no represen-
tation to the one hundred thousand Of new
settlers and the twelve thousand lately en-
franchised colored citizens. They adhered
10 the old programme, over ten years old,
and set themselves in the path of progress.
This opposition was begun by them months
ago and was adhered to until ii was beaten at
the last hour, in the Committee room, at
Lawrence, ON Tuesday night
The Lawrence Tribune of John Speer and
Sidney Clarke fought this reform movement
from the beginning to the end. John Speer,
forgetting his account with the Government,
which has stood many years unsettled, had
the bad taste to appear before the COMMITTEES
and make speech against Convention in
which the voice of the people would be
heard. The same thing was done by d. W.
Houston, who holds the fat Office of u. S.
Marshal by Geo. w. Martin, who has a
Land Office by E. L. Akin, whose father
has a Land Office and JEFF. jenkins, a
member of the Committee, voted against pro-
gress, reform, and the people on the promise
of Land Office
Sidney Clarke himself had private room
in the Eldridge House, into which he in
vited members of the Committee and begged
them to vote for small Convention and
against the wishes of ninety-nine out Of every
one hundred members of the Republican
party in the State Of Kansas. That wretched
spectacle was visible TO all, and our opinion
is that it was one of the very last occasion.
in the history of Sidney Clarke when he will
appear with bribes, menaces and promises to
thwart the popular will. But his purpose
did not prevail. Six out of the ten voted
right, and did honor to themselves, the
party and the people.
down-begginS for petty caucus instead u
agreat popular Convention afraid ofthe leo
pie who had honored him and who had
thrice elected him to position in which an
honorable man would have made a name
illustrious to him and the people whom h
served. We look upon this as Waterloo
defeat of Sidney Clarke and triumph Of tn,
people which not only ends his public ca
reer but buries the whole of the rotten DIV
nasty. He feared the people because h,
knew that they were opposed to him and thai
they would remove him from Office the
moment they had the power.
We may we'll congratulate the Rspubli
cans Of Kansas on the victory achieved. Tn,
Convention will not be As large. as We de
manded, but it will be twice rs large, al
least, rs formerly, and good deal too big t.
buy. Every district will have at least ont
delegate. II it contains twenty hundret
people it will sill have only one, but ifther,
are more than that number, however few, j
will have two; and il more than FIVE thousan,
it will have three. This basis Of representa-
was the nearest approach TO a real popular
representation that cuuld be obtained at thi
time, and with the opposition of tn
entire o6ce-holding ring. Next tim
it will be made strictly just by bein,
based either on the Republican vote or OF
the population. Enough has been wrun,
for the people from the ring to insure US il
having honest men presented as candidate
for olsce by the Convention which will NEE
on the 9Th Of Sepaember. E
Work is now the word. Public sentimen
is all right. 1t i aroused and opposed Z,
the rotten rule. Earnet, honest, unpaid
uatriotic work is now demanded of ever,
true Republican. Elect no postmaster, cen
sus&,lDen deputy marshals, aasessors or col
lcctoes; no hnd officers, route agents, lndial
agents or federal pap-eaten to any loca
Copvention or to the 6tate Convention, lie