The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1892-08-31

GMpOEIh, 1uu bu1b OlllCA@A PhOmPU'J ~
piled to his lntermeddling excellency:
EMPoRIA, KAs., April 8, 1s7S.-GOUerlOT:
Your dispatch received. There Is no disturbance
whatever In this city. When any does occur we
are prepared TO act promptly ~ o,, Nrouou
This was official, but it was diSre-
garded. Why? Because the general
manager Of the Santa Fe road, In pri-
vate conversation, told the governor diff
ferently, and while municipal officers
may lie, railroad officials never do. So In
his letter to the legislature, Anthony first
gives the mayors telegram quoted above,
and then states:
But on the afternoon Of the 9Th, General Man
ager Strong came to the capitol and reported
that he had just come over the road from Colo
radO; that ct EmpOria lt required the sheriff and
ave men to protect the trsinmen, and that in the
opinion OF Sheriff Conner 1t would require a
force Of fifty men TO insure safety and protect
passing trains II any attempt was made to move
freight.
No further communication was had
with the mayor. No inquiry was made
Of the sheriff. Had not General Manager
Strong given all the information rea-
Sonable governor should require as a pre-
text for shooting down q lot OF plebeian
{" Conspirators?" And, then, remember
the emergency Just think Of II, you who
have never felt the awful responsibility
Of managing all the offices Of whole
state all by your own lonesome self, and
that, too, while q big general manager
stands ready, lf you displease him, TO get
another in your place though 1t Is In the
midst of the dull season for governors
Reflect. Picture to yourselves the Wild
turmoil which then threatened to bring
upon this peaceful state the dread hor-
roEa Of interneclne war! So numerous
and 80 rebelllous were these determined
"conspirators against the public peace"
that TO suppress them required the COM
bIned efforts Of "the sheriff and five
men!" Nor was this all. It was the
opinion Of the sheriff, according to his
sublime mlghtlness-the general man
ager-that an awful emergency might
arise; 80 dreadful an insurrectlon might
be raised; that, In short, these myraids OF
fierce, bloodthirsty savages of engineers
might become 30 extremely violent that
"lt would require force Of fifty men TO
insure safety and protect passing trainsP
Where could these fifty men be foundH
Was il reasonable to suppose that 80 vast
an army could be raised In Lyon county
aloneH Fifty menl A force Of fifty men!
Heavensl To think q time could come
when an army Of fifty men must be raised
TO aid our generous railroad companies in
doing as It pleases theml "It is a re-
volt" thought our anxious governor,
which may speedily become q revolu-
tIon, with which even military force OF
seventyfue men may not be able to COPE"
Oar poor governor was In dreadful
state Of martial excitement. Had some
lndlscreet drum and fife struck up, under
the executive windows, yankee Doodle"
aThe Girl Left Behind Me-" or "The
Rogue's March," his excellency would
have expired under the tension Of his in
tsrnal military pomposity. What to dor
The governor thus "made up" TO the
sheriff Of Lyon county:
TOPEKA, KAs. April g. 1873 Sir: Gan you
organize an adequate force Of not less than hfty
men who will protect the property or the A, 4, q
3. +. Railroad company, and see that no trains,
passenger or freight, are mOlesled while passing
through your county2 II you desire authority