Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-25

was In the history or action Of Kansas that had
caused a cruel fate to decree that at the close
Of every delibsrative body held in the state
there should be disgraceful supplement in the
shape Of an investigating committee" That
his line has not touched bottom yet Is evidenced
by the fact that another Investigation"
threatens the political and legislative status Of
Kansas
Kansas was born Of battle and her politicians
seem not to have acquired the art Of getting
along peaceabiy. They are always picking their
hfnts and whetting their knives for somebody's
scalp. The New Englanders who
Crossed the prairies as Of old.
To make the west as they the east,
The homestead of the free. ="
were Of the NONRESIDENT peace policy sort, who
abhorred war and loathed contention They
chose arbitration rather than law, and con-
demned resort to force of arms as criminal
The followers Of Garrison did not believe in
Office holding. declined to vote declared the
military the devils agent. and roreswore alleg-
lance to any human government Yet men OF
their faith made the first emigrant trails in
Kansas, and were the progenitors Of the people
who run the politics of that state today
state with more politics and more kinds of them
to the square mile than is possessed by any
other state in the Union.
TROUBLE IN BREAKING INTO CONGRESS-
experienced trouble in breaking into Congress.
There are few notable exceptions. but on the
whole a Kansas man expects to fight to get in,
and not intrequently finds that he has to fight
for the right or privilege Of retaining his seat
after he gets in.
The first Representivesi in Congress from Kan
sas we're delegates from the territory, but
honorary Offices had been conferred before
that. Gen. James H. Lane, or as he was better
known in Kansas, Jim Lane" was elected on
the Topeka constitutional convention ticket as
United States Senator along with Gov. A. H.
Reeder in March Of 1855. This legislature
adopted memorial to Congress asking admis-
sion into the Union as a state. Senator
Lane took this memorial to Washington and
Galusha A. Grow prepared bill for the ad-
mission OF Kansas on the strength Of it. 1t
passed the House, but failed in the Senate, TAX
ing with it Mr.. Lanes senatorial honors. The
whole action was investigated by Congress.
1t Is said OF Kansas office seekers, "they sell
dom decline office, scarcely ever resign, and
never die. Here. too, there are notable ex-
ceptlons. When the national democratic party
OF Kansas was formed an attempt was made to
get the then Gov. Geary to indorse it. He was
told that il he would identify himself with the
party he should be one of the United States
Senators soon to be elected under the Lecomp-
ton constitution. His reply was characteristic:
1.-The devil had many kingdoms to give as
you have senatorial honors to bestow or ever
Will nave pS honest means. IL you approach
me again with your vile offers Of bribery will
be tempted to toss you out of the window"
His declinatlon was emphatic. Andrew II.
Reeder once resigned an Office in Kansas, or,
rather. he abjectly abdicated when forsaken by
the administration. He came back, however,
Just as the free state men inaugurated the first
OF their sample state governments in opposition
to tho territorial rule. He was offered and ac-
cepted the Office Of delegate to Congress from
Kansas. The pro-slavery people elected to
send Gen. Whitfield. These two gentlemen
stormed the citadel in Washington. and from
that day in December, 1855, to the present
there are not many consecutive pages of
congressional proceedings that have not printed
upon them some reference to Kansas.
THE FIRST DELEGATE.
Mr.. Whitfield, having a regularly accredited
certificate Of election, took his seat, but ex-
Gov. Reeder reached for it with SO much
energy that q congressional investigating COM
mittee was appointed and sent to the scene OF
the trouble 1t sat at Leavenworth, Lecomp-
ton, Topeka and Lawrence, then fitted over
the border to Wesport, NO., where it seemed to
feel more at home. The majority report,
after reviewing the situation, said: "In the
present condition Of the territory fair cleo
ton cannot be held without a new census. O
stringent and well-guarded election law, the
selection Of impartial judges and the presence
OF United States troops at every place OF cleo
eAo.L hAs "aS siBucu ny ocIldtOE W. "A. now
ard Of Michigan and Senator John Sherman Of
Ohio. The minority report, signed by Senator
Mordacai Oliver Of Missouri, recited that '.the
election under which the contesting delegate
Andrew H. Reeder. claims his seat was not held
under any law but in contemptuous disregard
OF all law, and that II should only be regarded
as the expression Of band OF malcontents and
revolutionists by the House." The House
speedily declared the seat vacant and Messrs.
Whitfield and Reeder were out of job. and the
territory of Kansas out one delegate.
In 1857 Marcus ]. Parrot was elected dele
gate from Kansas. In truly western parlance
this gentleman had the dead cinch'' on the
office. Under the territorial laws a. made by
Congress the people could elect a delegate
without recourse to the Objectionable 'bogus"
laws and Mr.. PARROTS lucky star was in the
ascendsncy The people all united on him and
he took his seat in the Thirty-ffth Congress.
He does not seem to have belonged to the talk
ing species.
The first real senatorial election held In
kansas was that Of April 4, 1861. Candidates
with rumors Of bribery. James H. Lane and
Samuel G. Pomeroy pulled out the plums, max
Ing, 90 1t is charged, cats paws Of all the other
Fellows. 1t was most remarkable election.
Only ono ballot was taken and the roll Of the
joint convention was called but once, but before
the result could be announced members began
to change their votes and kept it up for two
hours. There were nine candidates and fifty
eight members changed their votes. After two
hours Of this kind Of work the tally lists wore in
tnextricabls confusion and the Joint conven-
ton wild with excitement. At last the CLERKS
got their bearings and the speaker announced
the election OF Mr.. Lane and Mr.. Pomsroy.
SENATOR JAMES LANE.
James b. Lane occupies peculiar position in
the annals Of Kansas. He was eccentric, Or
ratio, impressionable and passionate. His
friends crowned him king and his enemies
added hoofs and horns. Men were moved by
his speeches as the wind bends the sunAowers
with their faces over toward the sun. Yet there
was that In the man that destroyed what he
| would create. T. W. Higginson said Of him:
II heard him in Nebraska City in 1856 before q
hostile audience, and II eloquence consists in
moving and swaying men ct pleasure never
| saw o moro striking exhibition Of it."
The criticism of Mr. Lanes oratory by Mr.
Ingalls II OF interest, since Lane, more than any
other Kansas Senator except Mr.. Ingalls,. posed
| and spoke to the public. Mr.. Ingalls, said in
| 1861: 1T would be hard to give any rational
and satisfactory analysis Of the cause Of Gen.
Lanes popularity % an orator. Destitute of
all graces Of art he possesses but few even of its
essentials. BE writhes himself into more con-
tortions than Gabriel Ravel in pantomime. His
voice ID . series Of transitions from the broken
scream Of . maniac to the hoarss, rasping gut
terals Of Dutch butcher In the last gasp Of ine-
briation. The construction OF his sentences il
| loose and disjointed. His dictiou IL Q pudding
OF slang, profanity. solscism, and yet the slsc-
trio shock OF his extraordinary eloquence thrills