The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-08

only been satisfactory but often beyond
expectation. The major part of that
vast area is susceptible Of being irri-
gated, and when this Is done it will bios
som as the rose.
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SOME PLAIN FACTS AND BIG NAMES
/ Mr.. William Mathewson, the wealthy
banker and Democratic candidate for
/ the legislature in the Eighty-second
district against Mr.. Douglass. is engaged
! in a campaign calculated TO make self
respecting Democrats stop and think.
He is going about soliciting votes and
telling people that Douglass ought to be
defeated for the reason that che went to
Topeka" two years ago and passed the
bill to establish "a new court TO foreclOse
mortgages" in the face of a protest by
two hundred of the best citizens of
Wichita, merely because he was asked
TO do so by ten jack-leg lawyers who
had nothing to do" This is substantially
his argument as related by a citizen
whose vote he solicited.
A few facts will knock this kind of
talk so ''sky high" that it will never be
heard of again.
These are the facts: Two years ago
there was such an extraordinary glut
of business in the district court
in this county that an oveTwhelm-
ing demand arose for relief. Business
in the court was from three TO five years
behind, and it had become known abroad
that the administration of justice in civil
cases was practically suspended in Wich-
ita; and that poor man could rot col
lect the simplest debt in a Justices court,
for the reason that the defendant by
simply taking an appeal could tie up the
claim for years to come. The situation
was daily worse, business credit was i'm
paired, and there was widespread appre-
hension among men of all classes.
Under these circumstances Mr.. Doug
lass went to the legislature as the repre-
sentative of this city with the under
standing that he was expected to secure
the passage of a bill for new court.
With what energy he carried the bill
through, in the face of the strongest OPP
position in the legislature, is matter
with which every Wichita man
is familiar. Before passing the
bill Mr.. Douglass has inserted a clause
excluding the court from jurisdiction of
mortgage foreclosures; 50 that the bill as
passed created a court merely for the
transaction of ordinary Judicial business,
the prompt disposal of which is absolute
" essential to the welfare of every bust
ness community.
That the court has served inst this
purpose every honest man viii al it.
But candidate Nathewson's chief stock
in trade now consists in denouncing SIR.
Douglass for doing what he was asked to
do Y the well-nigh unanimous voice of
the people who elected him. There was
some opposition to the bill in the county.
outside of the city. and there was also a
slight opposition in certain parts of the
city itself; but in the district represented
by Mr.. Douglass consisting of the 2nd,
5rd. 4th and 9Th wards the sentiment
was so overwhelming in favor of the
court that a representative who had dis
regarded it would have been unworthy
10 sit in a legislative body.
The first step toward securing the
court was taken by the directors of the
Board of Trade, at a meeting in which
Mr.. Mathewson took part. The official
records of the Board show the following
proceedings on December 81, 1888:
Regular meeting Of the directors held
this afternoon with the following mem
bers present: Oliver, Corbe-t, Healv,
Lewis, Niederander, Thomas, Mead. Da-
wilson, Levy, Allen, Walker. Blackwell
der. Skinner, NATTHEwSON, Steele, Dick
son and Clement"
The question Of establishing another
court in this county came up and after a
full expression of opinion. the following
resolution was adopted 10y a UNANIMOUS
vote:
Resolved, That this Board favors the
establishment Of 4 new court for Sedg-
wick county. to continue for a period
"of two years and a half. having concur
rent jurisdiction with the district court
in all cases except appeals from justices
''of the peace, divorce cases. and cases
involving mortgage foreclosures.
Whatever Mr.. Mathewsou NAV subse-
quentiy have done. this record would in
dictate that he was one Of the original
promoters Of the court Of common pleas.
The record shows that he was present
and, Is the resolution carried unanimous
", he must either have voted for it. or
at least made no opposition to H.
In addition to this action bv the Board
of Trade, petitions were sent 10 Mr.
Douglass from more than Loo citizens
urging in the strongest terms the passage
Of the new court bill. Men Of all parties
signed them. The chairman and nearly
every prominent man in the recent Dem
ocratIc convection which nominated Mr..
Mathew son. signed them. J. r. Mead.
the vice president. and r. u Platt. the
cashier OF Mr. Mathewsons bank each
signed them: and Mr. Healy, the Demo