Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-12-11
How Hardness Views It.

i
ed for the state senate he was instruct
ed for Senator ingalls,, and those who
know him know that he is the kind OF
man who obeys instructions accepted
by him. That some of his constituents
have changed their minds is no partic-
ular concern of his. He has not.
Nor is he inclined to accept instruc-
tions, and obey them, issued by secret
society of which he is not member.
He does not recognize the right of any
secret society to dictate to him, nor
will be submit to such dictation. Ii
the alliance possesses this right, then
it follows, argues Senator Hardness,
that the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the
Knights of Pythias, the Red Men, the
Good Templars, the A. o. U. W., or
any other organization, possesses the
same right.
He gave his views on the subject to
the Kansas City Journal yesterday
and said:
"Should 1 accept the dictations of
the alliance, which processes to inter
fere with neither the religion nor the
politics of member, and as an outsider
be bound by it, would be in hot water,
and life would be burden which l
would gladly lay down.
1.-The alliance, in secret places,
would issue its edict and say to me:
Oppose Senator Ingalls,, for he Is the
enemy of mankind. You do this, or
feel our vengeance 1 would scarcely
finish reading this interesting docu-
ment when a messenger brings cnother
from the Masons, something in this
style: Give your hearty support to
Senator Ingalls,, or prepare for your
DOOM Now am not anxious for any
doom. l have not been seeking any.
While am bordering over these two
messages, seeking to make them fit
each other, 1 hear the gate, and in
comes another from the Knights of
Pythias, which says: Senator Hark-
ness, we have decided in the secret
chambers of our order that you must
not take sides in this senatOrship con-
test. If you do, you do so at the peril
of your body, for our guardians are
watching you l lock anXiously at
my wife and child, wondering what
| will become of them, as all these orders
will do what they said, they all being
non-political and nOn-religiOus. dare
not flee the country, for their myrmi-
dons would surely find me. Before l
solve this problem here comes another
message, a committee of Red Men
comes to my door and hands me this
note: Senator, the Red Men in solemn
council, demand that you support all
the candidates for the United States
senator impartially, as our order be-
lieves in the equal rights of all and
special privileges to nome
"Now here is a pickle, and l seem to
be in it," added the senator, for If L
recognize one must l not, as good
American, recognize all of them? They
are all founded upon the fraternal prin-
ciples of charity and love, with religi-
Gus and political freedom as the foun-
dalton. Must 1 obey all of them? If
l obey one, l must acknowledge all.
| Before can decide, here comes another
messenger from the Good Templars,
which says: Believing in the utter
depravity of politics, we have decided
that you must absent yourself from the
senatorial election. Our outside
guard will watch you, and strike
you down if you disobey this notice.
"There am again. am sure that
might be a safe plan were it not for this
notice from the A. o. U. W.: 'Sena'
tor Hardness: Our executive commit
tee, in secret conclave, has decided
that you must camp with the opposing
forces, and that, under peril, you must
not absent yourself from the senatorial
election. Do not disobey this notice.
what would you have me do?"
said the senator. ''Obey all these Or
ders from secret societies, or disobey
all of them and regard only my duty as
an American and a member of the re-
publican party that elected me? 1 am
inclined to do the latter, in which case
1 will support Senator ingalls, to the
best of my ability. 1 am not prepared
to believe we have returned to the
time when secret societies, through
fear, ruled the known world. We are
under the domination of neither the
strangers of India, nor of that more
famous society that once held the gov
eminent in its power in Germany dur
ing the dark ages. 1 am inclined to
believe that with the advent of modern
thought, modern ideas and modern i'm
provements the light of secret political
societies went out. shall not be con-
trolled by them.
"When 1 surrender my citizenship
and my manhood and enter an OATH
bound society which is to control my
very thought, and acknowledge the
right of any ignorant or bigoted su-
preme chief to dictate to me, then, per-
haps, 1 might pay some attention to