Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-02-23
THE TOPEKA SENSATION.
The Causes That Led to it, And Actions
of the Two Factions.


per, and therefore not champion of
either faction in the legislative fight,
ought to be able TO give an impartial
account of the ''late uprising" and our
acquaintance with the publisher. MIR.
j. 3. Chapman, leads us to believe that
he has given straight goods" in the
following report of the trouble:
From the Press of Thursday. the 10Th.
In the first gray dawn Of morning,
the sixteenth day of February, 1898,
the capitol of the great commonwealth
of Kansas presented the appearance of
a city in a state Of siege. True, the
tattered remnant of the old flag still
foated over the east wing of the state
house, and a peaceful quiet pervaded
everywhere, but through the mist that
enveloped the state house could be seen
the gleam of camp fires, armed sentries
pacing their beats, the blue uniforms
of the national guard, and the first
companies turning out for a morning
drill upon the paved streets. There
was all the pomp and circumstance Of
war, and Kansas was, in fact, as has
been declared by more than one speaker
since the trouble began. on the verge
eff armed revolution.
Who were the revOlutionists? What
was the cause of this ominous situation
in the first state in the west? What
brought this force of troops together,
and transformed the quiet capitol into
a seat of war.
RANK HYPOCRICY.
a glance at the history of The past
three days will reveal the hypocrisy Of
the republican leaders and their pre-
tended house of representatives, who,
ostensibly seeking peaceable solution
of the legislative problem through the
courts. secretly acted in such manner
as TO precipitate a crisis, involve the
authorities in bloody con f1ict, pit
friends against friends and brothers
against brothers. and bring ruin and
disgrace upon Kansas.
THE INFAMY INAUGURATED.
The initial movement in the cOnspir-
acy was the adoption by the republican
pretended bouse on Tuesday of resO-
luton authorizing the arrest by the ser
geart-at-arms of Chief Clerk Rich, of
the legal house of representatives, for
alleged "interruption of the regular
proceedings of the house by loud and
boisterous language and unlawful and
unusual noises without legal excuse or
justification" etc.
The absurdity of an order OF arrest
based upon such grounds is apparent
on its face. The conduct complained of
consisted wholly in Mr.. Rich's per-
formance of his official duties, in read
ing the journal, bills and resolutions
introduced in the legal house. The
emptiness OF the charge was, however,
even less open to criticism than the
manner in which the order was carried
out.
AN OUTRAGEOUS PROCEEDING.
There is no pretense that Mr.. Rich
sought to evade arrest. On the con-
trary, he had on that day gone, As was
his custom, to dine with his wife at the
Dutton house, and was in his room
there when he was called upon by three
assistant sergeants alarms from the
pretended house, one of whom read to
him the resolution authorizing his ar
rest. He declined to recognize their
authority, but signified his readiness to
go to the capitol as soon as he had
dined, and even took two Of his callers
to dinner with him as an evidence of
good faith But this did not meet the
wishes of the conspirators, and their
agents, after accepting Mr.. Rich's hos
pita.ity, dragged him and his wife
through the principal thOroughfare of
the city, followed by a noisy crowd, the
cynosure of all eyes, like common
criminals.
When the friends of the chief clerk
gathered around him at Ninth stree,
ard would have escorted him to the
hall and shielded him and his wife
from further disgrace, the republican
officials broke through their lines, q
street brawl ensued, and the first &C,
in the drama had been accomplished in
accordance with the design of the re-
publican managers.
OMINOUS THREATS.
1t was now evident that things hat
come to a show down and the ISSUE
could not be avoided. Open and fHe
uuent threats had been made by th'
members of the pretended house that
they would unseat the populist mem
bers of the legislature, and it was plair
to be seen that this was their plot. Ac
cordingly steps were taken in self de
fense. There was no intention at an.
time on the part of the populists to in
terfere with the proceedings of the re
publican house, or with the liberty AM
privileges of the members, but ther
WAS determination to protect the lega
house and its officers from the scheme
or the pretenders and from further ie