The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-11-16
TEACHING THE RAILROADS 4
LESSON.

Leavenworth Times: The Topeka
Capital has been the self-constltuted
leader of the Republican party in Kan
sas for little more than q year. 1t has
carried matters with a high hand, and
has exhibited an arrogance toward those
who dared question its infallibility
which is beyond parallel in the his
tory of Kansas journalism. Newspa-
pers that have been the opponents OF Re
publican principles and who have bat
tied for Republican ideas for years, be-
cause they were bold enough to predict
party disaster if the counSels of the Cap
ital were followed, have been read out
of the party and their editors denounced
as having formed an unholy alliance
with the liquor interest. When such
leading Republicans as Senator Ingalls,,
Judge Foster, Col. Martin, Gen. Rice
and others pronounced prohibition in
politics heresay which would bring
nothing but ruin to its advocates,
the Capital and a few other Kan
saS newspapers were loud in their
denuncIations, and informed these gentle
men that if they could not accept the
situation they could find some other
party than the Republican, for it was
committed irrevocably to prohibition.
This action on the part of the organ
created by the railroads of this state,
who contributed to q common pool to
launch it into existence and have since
regularly paid up its losses at the end
of each month, in abusing and viliify-
| ing q majority of the old and trusted
leaders of the party, has had its legiti-
mate result. The people were blinded
for time by the Capitals frothy va
porting, and followed its teachings
blindly, which had the effect of making
it more domineering and Indifferent than
before. The seeming success of their
mouth piece in formulating public
| opinion embOldened the railroads,
discretion; until the voters of Kan
sas were enabled to see clearly that
there was no honesty or sincerity
or regard for the welfare of the COM
| monwealth behind all the rant and cant.
They learned that in the campaign
which has just closed the questions in
which they had the deepest interest
were being smotheIed, and that the pre-
tended issues which were being present
ed were really nothing but the result of
desperation upon the part OF unscrupu-
lous Office-seekers in an nnholy alliance
with powerful monOpOlies, each elc-
ment bound together tor the common
purpose of personal aggrandiZemeut at
i eA-O OAPNASC Va NAN PScPAO' OhN va INC
most prominent questions in this state
| just now, and which should have figur-
ed largely in the late campaign, but
which was overshadowed by prohibition
because of the shrewd scheming of the
elements we have mentioned, is the rail
way monopoly question. Not satisfied
with a most liberal policy on the part of
the state itself, of the kindliest feeling
on the part of the people, and of the as
sistance rendered in the past by legiti-
mate newspapers, the railroads wished
to go further and to become autocratic.
To this end they established the Topeka
Capital and one or two other papers, and
by skilled manipulation of primaries
placed Governor st. John as their can
didate before the people, asking his re-
election for a third time, and appealing
to the prejudices of the people to do this
thing or prohibition would receive a
death blow.
Temporarily blinded, the eyes of the
people were at last opened, and on last
Tuesday they spoke in thunder tones at
the ballot box, giving the same rebuke
to railroad bossism in Kansas that was
administered to bossism in other states
of the union. The masses of the Re
publican party saw that there was no
longer reason why party ties should be
NSSfONSC0. IHSAO was
no Republican party in Kansas this year,
The people saw through the thin mas
querading in borrowed clothes, and
sooner than see the Republican party
made the prostitute Of every newborn
heresy fitted to catch the votes of the
day, the tool of designing men and
monopolists who know no country, GO
party and no honor, they inflicted the
Christening of last Tuesday, that future
disgrace might be Averted.
The Times Will make no war upon the
railroads of Kansas so long as they con-
fine themselves to legitimate pursuits;
ON the contrary, il is ever ready TO ex-
tend them helping hand in that direc-
ton. But when, as is IN the campaign
that has just closed, they seek To dictate
absolutely the politics of the state
and establish newspapers for that pur-
pose, it is time to call halt. The peo-
pie, however, understand this question
completely, as Tuesdays verdict plainly
shows, and heseafter any candidate
whose cause may be espOused by the or
gans of the railroads will be viewed
with disgust