The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-01-28
WHO, WHAT, WHY?


Alliance has won the day, but won will
Republican, the ink of whose campaign
handbook for high protective tariff i:
all hardly dry; won with man who
preached Alliance doctrines at the last
moment at the expense of the stock.
holders of an agricultural paper in which
he had no interest, we believe, beyond
his weekly salary; won with a theorist
whose soft hands never touched the
crook of pillow handle; but won with a
man who was smart enough to know
that it counted more to praise than to
wear hayseed, and that it was more easy,
withal
The result is a logical victory. Dis
sensions in the Republican, party over
the stiff-neckedness of its bosses in the
matter of resubmission and other things,
made it possible for the Alliance to elect
majority of the legislature, and the
Alliance with its, southern predictions,
its prejudices, and its numerous real
grounds of complaint, rendered the
choosing Of Ingalls, out of the question.
William Alfred PETER was born in
Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, He
is of Holland descent. His father was
farmer and so was William until he was
10 years old when he went to school
teaching. In politics he was a Demo
cTat. He went to California in 1850
and came back two years later and
settled in Indiana. In 1859,
being then married. he moved over to
Missouri where he was when the war
broke out and where he enlisted in the
Eighty-third Illinois infantry. After
the war he settled in Tennessee and
went into the practice of law. He came
to Kansas in 1870, locating in Wilson
county, starting paper and becoming
a Republican. In 1874 he was elected
state senator from Wilson and Mont
gomery counties. In 1875 he moved to
Coffeyville and started another paper,
which after running a few years, he
went to Topeka where he has since been
a writer on the Capitalize paper so
loved by the Alliance, and editing the
Kansas Farmer off and o n. He has eight
children living and his present politics is
Alliance.
Judge PETER" as he is generally |
called, is scholarly in style and APP
pearance and more than an ordinary |
statistician. He is very dignified and |
measured in his manner He is tall, |
cadavorous and stopped and is anything |
but robust physically. Speaking of his
tendency TO figures, the writer was |
IN company with him at Galveston a !
year ago, when the representative men
there rendered the party an oyster
bake. After the festivities a great big
leather medal with a blue ribbon was
brought out for the neck of the man
who had gotten away with the greatest
number of bivalves. The medal was
bestowed on Judge PETER,
who in replying to the presentation
speech told the Galvestonians more than
they ever knew of the statistical breadth,
depth and highth of Texas
Judge PETER is talker, and quite a
ready talker, and his experiences have
been so varied along the plane of medioc-
rity that he is an interesting talker He
will be heard at length and often at
tempting 1.-The applause of listening SEN
ate to command" but while he will talk
sense there will be no applause if even
here is assent, Having belonged to all
parties his political views should be COM
Drehensive, but physically nor mentally,
and by neither experience or appearance
will he look or seem the representative
Of the farmer.
Socially, Judge PETER is unassuming,
Kind hearted and undemonstrative, and
out for the Pennsylvania Dutch that's
n him and his prepense to be heard might
pass for a spiritually unmoved Quaker.
As United States senator he will never
disgrace Kansas, but upon the other
land never electrify her people. With
,ut single element of a political leader
he will, if his strength proves sufficient,
or the next six years be found in his !
'lace voting for his particular ''class :
egislation, providing the Alliance {
ives: otherwise he will be found with
he Republican side.