The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-06-08
THE @GoyERNoR,sn WAR REC.
ORD.

lCdASu q te1CuI y uiuSc BtOAuCttOa ~ De
half of the soldiers, which no donb
brought the smile OF derision to the face
of those who were in the service from
here, and who remember what Esk rid q
did FOR their interests The article wind
up with few choice sentences, which
of course the editor of that paper knew
were false Thai, however, makes no differ
enee Ia him, as it is not the truth h,
wants to tell. By this scribhler the pos
office is said to be worth about $500
annually. In the next sentence almost b,
says we have made SOS. 600 out of it il
eight years. or 81, 900 more than the OF
fee would be worth in eight year
according To his own testimony. TIT
Republican ought 10 get its figures lit
tie closer together than this. or people
may necHse ii of an attempt to deceIy,
Them. But the largest stretch of imag
inaIion occurs in stating the net pro
ceeds of the office for eight years Thi
is put At least $l4,OO above The truth
Those who knew the methods of Esk
ridge would not expect him TO get close
TO the facts than that, and so are not a
all surprised at this fifty per cent. lie
In order tn reach $26,000 in eight year
the office would have to net g., 500 pei
year, and every intelligent man know.
such figures To be simply preposterous
Now word about the soldiers widow
busint IS. SIR. Eskridge's record will
show that he is not the man 10 make
much IF blow about turning wal
widow out of an office. Though the &c
cusation which Eskridge now makes
against US has been made by irate scrib
blers before, we have never before told
our side OF the story, preferring not to
drag such matters before the public
This whole fight Is not of our choosing
We are forced into it and intend moi
only to defend ourself, but 10 show ur
the hypocrisy and falsehood resorted to
for the purpose of trying TO injure us
In 1862, the effects of the war began tO
be felt in many households Emporia
suffered with other towns. We then
had the post office in Emporia. 1t paid
a salary of $500 a year. One family bad
lost husband and father at Wilson's
Creek. Some months afiei wards We
took the wife and mother into that little
Office, and divided the little salary with
her. She proved competent and efficien:
In 1854 we resigned the office and Sc.
cured her appointment as our successor
We did this because we believed she de.
served it, and hecausc we belieyed it our
duty to do so. She was no sooner com.
fortably in the Office than Eskridge and
his little clique of politicians went TO
plotting to get her out, Eskridge being
at the time a state senator. He had
promised one of his henchmen the
place: With the help of Hon. !. r.
Swallow, then state auditor, and others,
we defeated the attempt. She held tie
position until 1874. In the spring of
that year we uied TO get another place
and went, armed with strong
recommendation from our friend aud
brother, e. V. Esk ridge, TO Senator Har-
vey. Failing in our efforts, it was sug-
ges,ed to us that we could get the En-
pOria post office We declined tai make
any effort for it. This was in March.
Matters stood thus when congress add
jOurned, when all the delegation from
Kansas, except one, before leaving Wash
ington left on file Il recommendation for
our appointment to the post office. Two
or three of the delegation informed US
that there was to be chang. in the Of
flee and urged us TO accept il.
These were the circumstances under
which we topk the office in 1874. Now
we submit that until Eskridga can
show that he did as much as We for the
assistance of the unfortunate, that it
is in very poor taste for him 10 say any
thing about our taking the Office from
one OF this deserving class. What did
he ever do to assist them? 4 long
search would have TO be made, and
even then We apprehend the answer
would only be-nothing!
In 1862 when company c of the
Eleventh regiment was raised here Il
good many men said they wanted to go
into the service, but that they could not
leave their families, who were depend
emit upon them. A subscription was
taken in the then village 10 raise fund
which would show to the soldiers
who were leaving their all, that those OF
us who remained at home would care
for the dear ones when they were away
defending the country. Several hundred
dollars were raised. Almost every man
subscribed to the fund, except the gener-
Gus Eskridge who was then fiourishing
merchant. We do not find his name on
the list as published in THE NEWS OF
of August 80, 1862. 1t was ii matter OF
establishment, and the soldiers left dis
gusted at him because many of them had
helped him to office In 1864 when Esk
ridge ran for representative portion OF
the company was quartered al Westport
This was before the soldiers were by
law allowed to vote, but the company
proposed to show Mr.. Eskridge whal
they thought of him, and took
vote to express their choice
That vote stood, Stotler, SO; Eskridge, /
That was the estimation in which the
"weeper" of the Republican was held by
the soldiers in the field They de
nOunced him as the meanest man in
Emporia at that time, and no doub
many of them think Ire has held his own
nightly well to this day.
When the soldiers came home it wa:
the desire of all that they should share
in the emoluments of Office In 1856,
they asked for two ofIlces-sheriff and
register of deeds. E,krIdgs was in his
political prime. He was running
things. He was in the Office of state
senator. and it was urged that he should
keep his hands off and let the soldier.
have chance. Instead of doing this
when the day of the Republican conven
ton came, he sneaked in on
proxy to control the conyen
| ton. One of his tools in Emporis
appeared in the convention with
proxies from Agnes City township
where no primary convention had beer
held. He ran the convention with 1
high hand, and every soldier applicant
was unceremoniously kicked out. The
result was an independent ticket aut
the political burial Of Mr.. Eskridge'l
put up job by the indignant Republi
cans, who wanted to see the soldiers re
Warded.
In 1866, Eskridge. after the peopl,
had honored him beyond his deserts
appeared as candidate for representa-
tive against soldier, whom the peopl.
wanted to elect to the legislature. Ate
q canvass of hluster and brag abou
himself. similar to that be now make
in his personal organ. and that he mad,
in the Americas convention, he was IN
meFcifully beaten by the votes of III