The sun., 1892-11-20
MRS. LEASE OF KANSAS
1ME REMARKABLE W0MAN LAWYER
AND POPULIST ORATOR.

Senator ingalls,. "heroat She oinea tho
New Psrty-Hsr Varied Tnis,ts-Two
Hundred Speeches DuranK the Cam
paiga. Four OF Them Made In Ono Day.
TorExA. Nov 14-Atth the opening ofthe Presi-
dental canvass OF 1888 Senator ingalls,, in one
OF his characteristic speeches delivered at Abb
lsus. Kan. stated that woman has no place
in politics." II was this sentence that inspired
Mrs Lease to afIlllate herself with the new
party. She is ono Of the most remarkable OF
women. and. rs she herself says. Ia tho best
advertised lady in America. One ofhor friends
at that time asked her why che joined the Pop
ulist party. She answered.: Because can
not find place elsewhere"
The crushing defeat sustained by the Re-
publican party at the election above referred to
was explained by Senator Sherman. Speaker
Reed. and others as being due In . great
measure to tho women Of the country and
their influence on the voting population.
This explanation applied with special force in
the case OF tho Kansas revolt" as 1t was
termed. The Farmers Alliance Of this State
was largely controlled by women during that
campngn. and tho farmers wives surpassed
their husbands in the work OF organizing
against tho Republican party. and throwing u
stout lariat around tho position OF United
States Senator with the en- securely knottslto
the Alliance side saddle. 1t was through the
efforts OF the women that the picnics and pa
rades wore made 50 successful They brought
out the young peopls. formed lyceums and
glee clubs. and kept the lights burning in tho
school houses. Tha wives and daughters
thrilled the Alliance with such melodies as
Tho Lord will mover stand such in us,ics In our lands
He intended that the poor shouli have a homs
In this and other ways thcy cheered the
81 hail tni I l,n hn'ln nj hnN md
inspired a victory that well nigh exhausted
tho public font OF exclamation points. = 1t is
not Just to look back upon 1t rs u partisan VIC
tory. for 1t was not 1t ought not to be con-
sidered as Democratic triumph or a Repub
lican defeat Tho Republican party was the
heaviest loser. so far US actual results were
concerned. but the official returns showed that
the decrease In the Democratic vote OF tho
State was greater than in the Republican vote.
Independent Of party principles. 1t was the
voice OF deep popular feeling. riding over
party lines. and nctuated By an idea that for
period Of years IN tho government Of tho coun-
try and the enactment Of laws. the farmers
had been getting the worst OF It. The women
OF Kansas recognized the situation and deter
mined to bring about change.
Tho most cons spicuous figure in the cam
paign against tho old parties was Mrs Mary
z. Lease. OF Wichita She Is one OF tho few fe-
male lawyers OF prominence In Kansas. and
her sympathies were early enlisted in behalf
OF tho oppressed farmers by that eplgram-
matic remark OF the brilliant Ingalls, referred
to. Mrs. Lease visited every locality In the
State. and developed into one Of the most at
tractive and convincing speakers engaged in
the contest. Her services were in constant
demand. and at every prominent meeting OF
the Alliance party she was tho Minerva Of the
occasion.
Mrs. Lease was born in ireland. and has
livod in this country from infancy Her father
was Union soldier. who died in Anderson
Willie prison. She has resided in various sec.
tions of the country and Is conversant with
the wants Of the people. She was Q resident
OF Donison. Tex. for nine years. and there
formed belief that the interests Of the South
and West were identical. and that they were to
bo promoted and strengthened by the Alliance
movement. She is Q graduate OF two colleges
and the author Of volume OF poems soon to
appear. Her voice Is rather masculine and
her energy that Of an athlete. A brilliant con-
versatlonalist. her masculnity disappears un-
dor the spell OF her versatile mind and her
arguments have the rationale OF q logic that
often disappears. however. by rigid analysis: !:
particularly does this obtain In her discussions
OF great political questions She took great
joysd the work. OF the general character Of
her lsbors and their effect she says:
"Imade not less than 200 speeches during
the cam paign. speaking once or twice zach
day. On one occasion made four speeches.
two OF them before breakfast. This was at
Bsllville. In Republic county. Kan. 1t was al
most morning when arrived there. and re-
Quested tho hotol proprietor not to call ms for
S 5 r.ops IN fS Of h:
myself and talk. Then they Insisted that /
s% MY. ns Davis vi 'ns &. DEPOT
found several thousand people waiting, They
then rsturnsd rsi to tho hots Tor br.aEiast Davis
was to speak In the afternoon. and an immense
Sltowwd m had assembled. iis M train Vas late. 50
n the Opera House. and there l made the
ertsssa ffsfsn s sensSr 1hs ingalls, severely in
paS of sS aoeH
It bpt dld % not nsisve our ALLIANCE men
understand '' how they would b. sex sxpsstsd to
vote. and WAS confident they would oil stand
together for thS Peoples party candidate. Who
ri am oi the opinion that the Alliance Con-
xressmen from Kansas will maintain, an In
made 1t will Ds TO- the Democrats. and GER
ths Kansas men VIZ 30 solidly against Re-.
gold bill with silver it tSr its name; M, own
sressman John Davis. He is a socIallst-ths
first ever elected to Congress, | beliove-and
Is an earnest advocate of labor reforms. ] am
proud to be called q Socialist. hut am not an
Anarchist, as has frequently been charged"
1t is really a, remarkable, exposition Of q
swomap's fury" when Mrs. Lease. deeply in:
tsrsstsd In her subject becomes excited and
upon the audiences which greet her, Her star
performances are when the alleged "robber
tariff bill !" and the wrongs heapsd upon the
farmers, by the Glutocrats. are under discus
sion.. Then her laughing lips grow resolute.
and her merry eyes scintillate with all the
=, Had 1t been possihe g under the Constitution.
ehe Kansas Legislature of 1881 would have
taken delight in elarting Mrs. Lease to tho
United States senate and many OF the mem bers
were tempted to vote for her despite the law.
They were ished repeatedly that It would
be wise to retail Ingalls, as an advertisement
OF the State but some Of them felt that in this
respect their female champion would prove a
much bigger card. While the law barred Mrs.
Lease from the list OF aspirants. she really ha
more to do with the defeat OF Senator ingalls,
than any, OF her associates in the Alliance
l.