The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-04-04
THE MEETING SATURDAY.
The Issue OF Bonds Endorsed.


the call for public meeting to take into
account the action of the commissioners
in issuing the Normal school bonds.
The room was packed full, and according
to our judgment and that of others, two
thirds of the attendants were from the
country. CD. Humphrey acted as chair
man and j. V. Randolph secretary. I'm
fortunately for US, and this account, we
could only be there a few minutes, and
no account of the proceedings have as yet
been seen. In all the history of Empo-
ria, we have never seen more boisterous
mass meeting than that.
On the opening of the meeting a long
string of resolutions that rOamed largely
over the world, and took in various top
les of national and local reform, were
presented. Mr.. Eskridge, the hero of
the injunction suit, first took the floor,
and he took it so much before the close
of the meeting, that the audience got
thoroughly tired of him and refused to
hear him longer by a storm of calls for
the question, - ''vote," etc. He had work
ed hard, wearing out at least quarters
worth of shoe-leather, seeing that his
friends were IN attendance upon the meet
ing, etc. The committee on resolutions,
of which he was chairman, was cut and
dried as were the resolutions, and we are
actually told, as fact, that one of these
called for the repeal of the law by which
the commissioners were authorized to
sell the county's stock in the A., Il. & S.
F. and NJ, X. s. T. railroads. This
months after the sale of the stock in the
first named had been made, and when it
is known by almost everybody that the
law never authorized them to sell the
NJ, K. & T. stock. This resolution, like
IA good many of the balance offered, was
purely buncombe.
The meeting was intended by "Chawls'
TO be field day for political capital and
buncombe. Even his friends from Pike
and other points did not know that he
had made a proposition to let them
sweat by Withdrawing his suit, provid-
ed the whole amount of the $40, 800 could
be saddled on the county.
Excellent speeches were made by Judge
Peyton, Col. Buck, Elder Brown, w. T.
Soden, Judge Kellogg, DIR. Wright and
Prof Pomeroy, which covered a great
deal of ground, but all opposed the bun
combe resolutions. Eskridge was sec
onded by Dr. Hewitt, of Pike township
The "fun of the thing" commenced when
Sam Wood was called out. 1t was the
sort of occasion for Sam, and he applied
his wellknown fund of ridicule to friend
Eskridge without stint, which was met
with peals of laughter and applause, as
Sam made hit after hit at the injunction
hero. We should have said that Mr.. So
den gave the batch Of resolutions death
blow when he made motion to confine
the work of the meeting to the object for
which it was called-to take into consid-
Grafton the expediency of issuing the
bonds without consulting the people.
This was adopted, when the general dis
cussion above alluded to began. We
only heard part of the speech of Wood
and that made by Mr.. Pomeroy. The
latter made manly and heightened de-
Tense of the false charges brought against
him by Eskridge, who thought to make
capital by the use before the meeting of
the false reports which have been cIrcu-
lated in regard to the president. Mr.. p.
gave the ex-lieutenant governor the worst
of the bargain, and defied him or any one
else to go before the board of regents and
prove a single charge against him
as a man or as teacher. Mr.. PomerOy
made complete vidication of himself,
and his speech was enthusiastically ap-
plauded.
After full discussion, and the audience
becoming impatient, Hon. VIM. Jay Of
fered a resolution, which, with an amend
ment added by Judge Kellogg, seemed
to satisfy the audience, and it was adopt.
ed, as follows:
ResOlred, That while we disapprove
the act of the legislature authorizing the
county commissioners to issue bonds
without vote of the people, and protest
against any similar action in the future,
we declare it as the sense of this meet
ing, that we consent to the present issue
believing that the interest of the county
requires the rebuilding of that institu-
ton, and we deprecate any action look
ing TO discrediting the validity of the
| bonds.
We understand that the meeting intend
ed the above as a substitute for all the
resolutions relating to the issue of the
bonds and the Normal school. 1t was
after five o'clock when the discussion
closed and the substitute passed, and
then large portion of the audience left,
believing the vital question of the meet
ing settled. Some remained, however,
and adopted the batch of resolutions
published below. And this will explain
any seeming inconsistency between the
resolutions.
The meeting throughout was charac-
terized by friendliness TO the Normal,
and an expression that this county could
not afford to lose the institution, and the
bonds must be issued; thus, while many
would have preferred to vote on the
question, completely indicating the ac-
ton of the commissioners and city coun-
Gil in issuing the bonds, under the dire
necessities of the case.
Mr.. Eskridge's course in this matter
has been a complete enigma to his
friends, and if it was his purpose to man.
ufacture political capital for himself, as
intimated by many of them, he made as
complete failure as he did in his last
legislative session.
Resolced, That we do most emphatical-
ly condemn and denounce each and ev
cry attempt on the part of those in au-
thority to issue the bonds of our county
without first submitting the question of
issuing the same to q vote of the people.
ResOlCed, That we condemn the hold
ing of secret meetings under any pretext
whatever, to transact the public business,
and especially do we denounce such &C
ton for the issuance or sale of bonds.
| ResOlUed, That the act of the legislature
/ depriving the people of the county the
right to vote on the sale of the railroad
stock held by the county and comforting
the right to sell said stock on the county
commissioners, meets our unqualified
disapproval, and we demand its repeal
and the restoration of the law giving to
the people the control and sale of the
same.
ResOlUed, That committee consisting
of one from each municipal township be