The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-11-23
THE LEGISLATURES AND ITS WORK.

1
the next legislature, Wlchita's represen
tative, George L. Douglass is one. Be
ieving that his views on the new legis
lature, and upon some of the questions
likely to come before it, would interes
our readers. the EAGLE Intercepted Mr..
Douglass on these subjects.
Being asked for his opinion of the
newly elected house of representatives
Mr.. Douglass said:
81 believe the farmers, who constitute
an overwhelming majority of the house,
are animated by patriotic desire to
work for the welfare of the state, and, SO
far as l am allowed to do so, / propose
to join with them earnestly and heartily.
! The gulf between the farmers and law
yers Is wholly imaginary. Men of COM
mon sense, no matter what their occupa-
ton, always get along well together 1t
| Is only the cranks who make trouble
My belief is that the strong common
sense Of the Kansas farmer will be the
striking feature of the coming session,
and, predict that the next house will
do more work with less talk than any
former body in the history of the state.
80 far as Republicans are concerned
in all state matters at least-there
is very little to divide them from the
Alliance. The Republican platform in
this county, for instance, is a first rate
Alliance platform; and there is no rea-
son why a Republican elected upon it
should feel at all lonesome las some peo-
pie suggest) in a legislature composed
of men who are all seeking the same
ends. While there may be no farmers
IN the district represent, yet the pros
perity of Wichita, if not its very exis-
tence, depends upon the farmers; and
their interests and those of the people of
Wichita are one and the same
What is likely to be done at the COM
ing session?
That is a rather difficult question
for a member of the minority to answer,
but 1t is not difficult to mention some
things that ought to be done. In the
first place there is an urgent demand in
this state for general revision of the
statutes-a revision along the lines of
and economy. We need a
De
ton of legal procedure and of cumber-
some methods in the management of
county and city affairs, a reduction of fees,
costs and expenses all along the line,
changes in tax laws many of which are
unjust, and, in fact, gen
eral revision which will make some. if
not all, of our statutes plain enough for
an ordinary man to understand. The
senate passed bill for this purpose near
the close Of the last session, and l did
what L could TO get it before the house;
but it was smothered by the committee
on revision of the calendar" Had the
bill been passed and the right kind of a
appointed it would have |
an answer to many arguments |
in the last few months against this, that. |
or the other Objectionable feature of the |
laws; for we could then have said 'the |
party is in the act of straight |
ening out all these things" The truth is. |
there has been too much disposition to |
draw salaries, sit around, assure our
selves that everything was lovely and do |
nothing. But the people are unusually |
wide awake this year, and if we are to
march with the procession we must |
Destir ourselves forthwith. A commits
sion should be appointed composed
partly IF lawyers and partly of farmers
20 prepare a revision of the entire stat
ltes; and, if they do their work properly,
t will result in saving to the people of
he state every month in the year as
much as the entire revision will cost.
There is need for ecOnomy-legislativ
md executive-in all branches of the
public service. Our state. county and
expenses are frequently enor-
nous. Think of the people in one county
lone raising $685., 900 taxes in a single
average of S14 for every man,
woman and child in the county! The
emand of the time is for retrenchment
n all directions, and the Republicans of
his county sounded the keynote early in
he campaign in their resolution demand
ng ''the reduction of salaries of all pub
&c officers to a reasonable limit and the
of all useless Offices"
The past two years have demonstrated !
he harsh and inequitable operation of !
ur mortgage laws. am in favor of an /;
mendment providing for right of re-
emption after sale and requiring ap-
raiSement in all cases; and some other 1
hangeS equally beneficial ought to be I
lade. {
There is another matter the people of 1
.ansaS want looked after, and that is &
ne matter of Just and equitable freight {
ltes, so far as they can be brought l
bout by reasonable legislation. Discrim- !
lation by Kansas corporations against S
-ansas people and in favor of commune I
es in other states demands and must re-
eve attention. No honest man wants S
cripple or deal unfairly with any per- '
IN or institution. But it is full time {
lat some of the inequalities COM g
ained of by the people of Kansas were v
'oked after in dead earnest and rene a
led without delay. +
\ new election law is another subject {
great importance. Two years ago l a
ported, from the judiciary committee, f
bill embodying the substance of the il
australian ballot system for the consid- v
alton of the house. It was crowded r
1t for lack of time, but believe public b
is now fully ripe for it, and l Ii
Ope to see it one of the first things s.
ken up this winter
The improper use of money at cleo a
ons, especially in the cities, has grown
Iring the last few years to be an enor-
GUS evil, and there can be no law too '
riot or too sweeping to uproot the 81
hole system. / propose to do what l u
N to pass such a law, and have no o
,ubt 1t will meet the approval of the d
lliance members. a
We ought also to have the most rigor- \
is law against what is popularity called q
1oodling" in public Office, that can be u
aced on the statute book. Many of the II
rumors following the adj n
urnment of the last legislature may g
we been and hope they all were abso- u
telv CrOundleSs RrIf arsn sr,ch III G;