Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-04-16
A REPLY.
Hoisington, Kans., April

dUlOn IOf the w Orlu Z dlr dG OHICdSO
In the first place l am at a loss to
understand how he cOnld have gotten
the idea that am in anyway trying to
injure Barton county by setting up
the claim that the party to which be-
long has all the brains and honesty.
The great body of men composing the
republican and democratic parties, are
in the main good men; having the same
interests ard objects in view as those of
whom other parties are composed, and
if their leaders would respect their
wishes and demands there would be
much less ground for complaint.
While in Topeka last winter l re-
ceived letters from prominent business
men in this county; one a banker in
Great Bend, giving very unfavorable
account of the condition of the people
generally, also numbers of men came
down from this county, and all con-
firmed what the others had said by let
ter and in view of the fact that many
thousands of the people of this state
were living in daily dread Of being
notified by eastern loan companies that
their mortgages were foreclosed; and
Governor Humphrey, in his Gath inter-
view, stated that one firm of lawyers
had fifteen thousand foreclosures in
their possession; for those reasons and
several others shall give before 1 close
this letter, 1 felt it duty l owed to
my constituents. to cast my vote as L
did on that question, and have not yet
been able to find a sat isfactOry reason
for changing my mind. The repre-
sent atives from twenty-five western
counties, with petitions numerously
signed, reported their people in desti-
tute and suffering condition, immediate
relief was urgently asked, their requests
were promptly referred to the COM
mittee of ways and means, the COM
mite generally favored recommending
$4,000. 1 insisted on seventy five
thousand and finally prevailed on them
to recommend sixty thousand dollars.
If we are Kansans let US stand up
like men for all the citizens of our
state, without any regard to east. west,
north or south. While it is true that
we. of Barton county, are in a cOndi
ton for which we ought to feel very
grateful, the time was when many of
our people were compelled to ask for
help, and from other states; and even
now while some of our patriotic citizens
are So anxious to place our state in the
bandwagon at Chicago, agents are at
work in some of the eastern cities beg
gng bread for the starving women and
children in western Kansas.
While so much hypocritical sympathy
is being expressed for the poor widows
and orphans in the eastern states who
have loaned their money On western
lands, let us for God and humanity's
sake have some real, pure heartfelt
sympathy for our own suffering people;
we haYe had enough of this slckly stuff
that has not particle Of sincerity or
religion in il.
see in the Hoisington Dispatch, of
last week, where the loyal republicans
are called upon. to come forward and
preserve the honor of our state. / love
loyalty, but, Say it does make differ
ence as to which way it is aimed.
The Worlds Fair appropriation bill
did pass the house by a large majority,
the bill provided for the election Of five
commissioners, two to be elected by the
senate and three by the house, not more
than two to belong to any political
party; that would have given the repub-
licans two, the peoples party two and
the democrats one. The senate refused
to pass the bill unless the republicans
could have three out of the FIVE COM
missoners. The house then agreed
for the democrats to arrange with the
governor to appoint the man they could
agree upon, that failed, nothing short
of absolute control would satisfy them.
That proposition was kept before the
senate up to the very hour of adjourn
ment; these are facts that cannot be
successfully contradicted; 1 know
whereof speak.
1t was not the great interests of the
people OF the state that the senate was
looking at, but to manufacture OF try
to manufacture some political capital,
to be used hereafter in the interests of
the party they represented.
AT this last session of the legislature
claim of several hundred dollars was
presented against the state for services
rendered at the exposition at New
Orleans, would it not be wise enough to
get the old scores settled up before
Fopening new ones. Again, this last
legislature met with deficiency of
three hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars that those loyal republicans of the
session of 1889 failed to provide for
In addition to that we had to apprO-
PIRATE sixty thousand dollars to build