The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-11-01

anu, as Il dIQ IOlU. even udut
bills around the streets denouncing me
had sent me up a single petition on thi
subject, it would have received the mos
conscientious consideration / could hav,
given it. Should not they denounee them
selves, and not mef
/ am Republican and the Republican
party is always alive to the wants of The
people: and this year the Republicans o
SedgwIck county have adopted platform
favor an Amendment to the mortgage Law
forbidding waiver of appraisement, secur
ing to the mortgagors liberal right of re
demption after sale, and confinins
the lender of money exclusively to his rea
estate security, and we instruct our sena
tor and representatives accordingly.
1--WE are in favor of the enactment by
the next legislature of law authorizing
Judgment debtors TO stay execution on al
Judgments rendered in the district courl
| OF the state for a reasonable length OF time
and under such limitations that will bene
fit the debtor class and will not impair the
rights of the creditors"
am pledged to support every plank in
this platform, and want to call your at
tention TO the fact that the Democratic
county platform does not say one word Oh
either of these two subjects.
Now, If you think Uncle Billy Mathew.
son, running on the Democratic platform,
which doesn't even mention either Of these
subjects, can do any better work in carry
ing out these planks of the Sedgwick coun'
ty Republican platform than | can, then
of course you will vote accordingly But
| ask you to think over the matter ser
! iously and vote your honest judgment.
/ The Sedgwick County Republican plat
form also deplores the discrimination,
against the people of Kansas and in favor
Of communities elsewhere, by railroad
companies in the matter of freight rates,
and demands adequate legislation on the
subject; while the Democratic County
| platform is silent on the whole matter. If
you think the Democratic candidates run
ming on a county platform which doesn't
mention this great subject at all, are better
able TO handle this question than the Re
! publicans who are pledged to look after it,
then you will vote accordingly. [ merely
ask you to honestly consider this also.
And there are some other things not
mentioned in either platform that am in
favor of. l am in favor of the most
vigorous law that can be placed
on the statute books against
"boodling" in every shape and form; and
| if | shonld again represent you shall do
what l can to secure such law. l favor
a general revision of the statutes with a
view to simplifying them, cutting off
needless expenses, improving cumbersome
methods and, if possible, making the laws
where they are obscure so plain that all
men can understand them. This is a great
work, bnt it is one of the things this state
needs. Hit and miss" amendments from
time to time frequently make matters
worse than they were before and what in
fluence | may have will be thrown in the
direction of careful revision.
Two years ago the judiciary committee
had before it a bill containing the substan-
tial provisions of the Australian ballot sYs-
tenn. There was no time to consider it in
the house. But | believe it has much to
commend it; and If the people of this state
are ready for its adoption it will receive
myh earty support. If L should be your rep
reSentative.
/ now come to the new court bill, about
which there was so much talk. The facts
are simply these: The district court was
clogged with business so that it was four
or five years behind. The simplest case
could not be tried for years; witnesses
would die; people would move away. If a
poor man had claim for SO or $50 there
was no way on earth he could collect it for
years to come if the party owing it did not
choose to pay; for all that was necessary
was to take an appeal from the Justices
court and hang up the case for four or five
years. These are the facts, and every
word of it will be corrobOrated by the
present disting uished judge of the court,
IL YOU Will ldhc tIt iIDADt6 W ASK MN
about it. Public and private credit was
being absolutely undermined. Under these
circumstances petitions and letters poured
in upon me urging in the strongest terms
the necessity for relief. They came not
only from business men, buo from
hundreds of laboring men. l also received
two petitions against the cOurt-one sign
ed by John II. Hayford, T. j. Shepard and
123 other persons, and one containing
smaller number of names There were
some other protests sent to Senator Bent
ley and To the other members, principally
from outside the city. But from the dis
trict | represented the petitions for the
court Immensely outnumbered the pro-
tests. They were all turned over to Sena-
tor Bentley after the bill passed the house
and never saw then until recently, when
! borrowed from him the petitions for the
court and here they are producing huge
ROLL Look at theml No such petitions
ever went to the legislature from the city
of Wichita-nearly 800 names; business
men, contractors, laborers, mechanics
men of all trades ana occupations, and all
urging me TO act.
What was my dutys I believe that in
such matters it is the duty of a legislator
TO carry out the will of the great majority
of the people who elect him. That's what
a representative is for; and if there was any
mistake it was the mistake of this vast
number of people whose voice 1t was my
sworn duty TO respect.
! understand that one or two malicious
and irresponsible persons have stated that
these petitions We're fCrgeries, that many
of them were signed up by one man, and
all that kind OF stuff. | only notice these
vicious statements here in order to say
that if any man is tempted to believe such
things | earnestly ask him to come to my
office, and spend all day if he wants to,
examine these petitions, and see for him
self that ak such statements are vii fully
and maheIously false.
l supported that bill because the great
majority OF the people of Wichita asked
FL to do so; and even Mr.. 7. j. Shepard
whom YOU all know, and others who op-
posed the bill, voluntarily told me when [
from Topeka that / had done
what was right. l ask only fair play, fell
low citizens, and TO be judged by facts and
not by ignorant or wiilful Measurements.
The people Of Wichita are opposed to the
Of elections bill. / did not
vote for that bill nor did any representa-
tive from Sedgwick county. II was passed
by the combined influence Of Topeka,
Leavenworth and Kansas City. Kan, and
the Sedgwick county convention has de
manded the abolition of this Office and
abolished it will undoubtedly be.
! shall mention but one other matter.
1 am told that the man who is running for
chief justice on the Alliance ticket has de-
nounced me for supporting a law that
was passed 10 prevent the removal
Of mortgaged houses without the
consent OF the party who held the
mortgage. Les me tell YOU about
that. Two years ago there was a serious
defec tin our law which virtually permit
TED system of robbery for which there
was absolutely no redress. Under the law
as then construed a man could borrow
81 eco on house and lot today and pull
the house Oft tonight, and unless YOU
could actually catch him in the act and
get the court to restrain him there WAS no