Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-03-19
AELiANcE MANlFEsrd


Esgfslature Explain Matters.
ToPEKA, Kan, March 23.-The fol- |
lowing is the manifesto, mainly, of the
legislators:
Address OF the peoples representatives OF |
the Legislature of the state of Kansas to the |
people Of the state of Kansas:
Having closed our work e. the legislature
we, Through bur- duly appointed committee,
submit tie result OF our labors to your con.
firmly convinced that 1t will re.
ceive your approval
The legislature met January a. as pro.
vided by law. Hon. +. p. Elder was unani-
mously elected speaker. The committees
were at once appointed and the house pro-
ceeded to business on the second day there.
after, with celebrity hitherto unknown in
the history of this state, and were at work
two days earlier than any prior legislature.
The senate elected two years ago last fall,
With two or three exceptions, was opposed
to our party and the platform upon which we
were elected The governor and executive de-
partments of the state, with the exception of
the attorney general, were also In opposition
to US. No effort was spared by our oppO-
nehts to divide and disorganise our party.
The first matter of Importance was the
election of state printer. The peoples can
didate, T. 81. Snow, of Ottawa, was elected on
joint ballot receiving 1O1 votes. For years
Mr. Snow has been advocating our principles
and was and is In full sympathy with our
demands. The peoples party in conference,
after hearing the claims of all candidates
presented, decided on W. A. PETER, editor of
the Kansas Farmer, man who largely con-
tributed to the success of our party, and he
was elected to the high Office of United
States senator, to succeed John j. Ingalls,,
without break in our ranks. The result
itself was worth all the effort of our party
last rail-, as 1t makes new era in the poll
tics of this state and indicates the grand
success of the party in tho nation in 1892.
The schoOled republican politicians of the
nation were gathered in Topeka and our
ynr 1Nxh iraI or
every turn, with offers of pelf and political
honors, but without effect. We point to this
with pride, as demonstrating that the chosen
representatives of the peoples party have
proven the falsehood of the ring politician
that every man has his price.
We found upon our statute books large
number of laws creating boards of commits
sioners, state agents, etc, which seemed to
have been placed there for the express pur-
pose of providing places for favorites rather
than for any benefit to the state; but we
have found it impossible to repeal these
laws, with the senate and executive depart
ment making bitter fight against abolish
ing these sfnecures. An attempt was made
on the part of the house in good faith and
without any at empt to cripple any state in
st1tutiOn. penal, charitable educational,
to reduce the expenses to something like an
equality with the earnings of the average
citizen of Kansas This attempt was met by
the senate nth an absolute refusal to con-
slider any proposition which reduced the
wages or salaries of employees of state insti-
tutiOns which were under republican man.
agement.
We present hereafter q comparison of ap-
preparations made two years ago and the
appropriations made this season. The SEN
ate insisted on higher appropriations except
in the proposition to appropriate $50 900 for
the relief of the people in the western part
OF the state, who were suffering from the Sc
we're drought of last year, and an appropria-
ton OF $115,CO0 to provide for the destitute
insane who have been for years past confined
in the county jails in this state. The peoples
party of the house originated and passed the
bill appropriating 10000 for the relief of
the western farmers of this state, which
was defeated by the senate. We have
not forgotten that in the drought in
eastern Kansas in 1860 several north
| ern state legislatures appropriated large
| sums of money for the relief of the people,
but when the peoples party passed the bill
| in the house for the purpose OF relieving
| western Kansas from similar infiiction the
senate discovered that all such legislation
| was unconstitutional By amendment in
sisted upon by the senate, the different coun-
ties in the western part of the state were
made responsible for the distribution of seed
| grain sent to them and the price thereof
must be returned to the state treasury, while
| the recipients in the eastern part of the state
| of the bounties extended to them in 1850 re-
| fused, through the republican representa-
| tives and senators, to assist one dollar in the
| relief of sufferers in western Kansas.
The legislation of this session has not re-
|
| in what the people would have had the right
| to expect from us, had we been in power In
| all the branches of the state government By
| and with the aid of the senate Alb acts were
| passed and will become laws upon our stat.
| ute books, among the most important o.
| which is one prohibiting the alien ownership
| OF lands in Kansas and providing for the
| sale of all lands owned by aliens, acquired
| after the date of this act, in from three to
! six years time, upon the death of alieni
! holding the land previous to the enactment
| of this law.
The appropriations for the next two years
| while thousands of dollars lower than in the
| years past have been swelIed by necessary
| Investigations and by the impeachment o
one of the district judges OF the state.
The remainder of the address is de
voted to an enumeration of the impor
tant bills passed by the house and de
feated in the senate. It explains the
failure to appropriate for the world
fair from the peoples party standpoint
| and continues:
Not an important measure reported by thi
| committee ever became law, except one
which was SO badly mutilated that its au
thors could not recognize it.
The manifesto concludes as follows:
AS q comparison of economy between tn
two houses, We submit the fact that the sen
ate with forty members had 118 employees OIL
its payroll, while the house with mem Der
ship of 12i had only eightytw making
difference of $123 per pay in the cost of run
| ming the two houses.
| In closing, we can safely say In REPUTATION
of the charges made by our political enemie
| and given such wide circulation, that we di
| not consider or pass a single bill that coul
! in any way, directly OF Indirectly disturb tn
relation of debtor and creditor, nor leopard
ize the collection of debts, nor to repudiat
any honest obligation, and with this brie
| and careful summary of only a few of tn
important measures considered and passe
| by the peoples house of representative
during the thirtfeth session of the Kan
| sas legislature, with the action take
thereon by the republican senate, we know
that we can safely say to every bushes
, | interest in the state of Kansas that we hav
tried to carefully guard and protect tn
| same in the interests of the people of on
state and that they will not fail to see no,
| unfortunate it was, and in the future will bt
| to have a republican senate whose only bus
mess object was to obstruct honest legisla
ton in the Interest of the people of thi
| state and to checkmate the action of tn
J | peoples chosen representatives.
The address is signed by P. P. Eide
and the chairmen of forty-two CON
mitteeS.
! Action Against Bradstreet's.
Dies MONIES, Ia, March 22.-S. I
Doxv and A h1er Graves Of Era