Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-02-21
POPULIST TRIUMPH
What LeweIling Calls Recent
Events in Kansas.
AN ALLEGED PLOT OF REPUBLICANS

To Annihilate the Dunsmore House So as
to Defeat Reform-The Militia, sherif-s
Deputies, and Opposition Generally De-
nounced-New Quarters for the Popu-
1ists-Republicans to Elect a Senator,
Who Will, They Say, Get There--A Dem
ocratic Senator from North Dakota.
TOPEKA, Kan, Feb. 2l-At noon yester-
day Governor Lewelling made public a
statement which is intended as a defense
Of his own action during the late unpleas-
antness and condemnation of the Repub-
lican members Of the house, Sheriff VIII
kerson and the militia The document
says: @Now that comparative quietness
reigns Republicans are clamorous in their
Boosting and affect to believe that they
have gained their point. IT. will be well to
make inquiry and note the facts. Such in
quiry will establish that the Populists have
never lost sight of the one great essential
in this contest, and come out of this i'm
broglio secure in its possession. That es-
sential is the preservation of the Populist
house.
Chief Charge Against the Enemy.
ITO suppress this, to destroy it, to wipe
It out of existence, was the dastardly and
Tar reaching purposes of the Republicans
when they precipitated the late insurrec-
tion. Gould they have accomplished the
suppression of that house they would have
thwarted all possibility of any reform legis-
lation- They knew that laws passed by the
assistance of that house are valid They
knew that the supreme court that would
n 81 - 4 1
precedent, immediate itself to the basest
partisan demands and face a wave of
public INDICATION unparalleled
Beginning the Republicans Campaign.
The governor says that in accordance with
the programme of annihilating the Popu-
list house the first step was "the attempted
arrest of the chief clerk of the Populist
house. This was to be followed by the ar
rest of a sufficient number of Populist
members in order to break the quorum of
the Populist house. Resistance by the
Populists to the execution of this Repub-
hcan scheme precipitated the armed Re
publican instruction.
Have wrested Victory from Defeat
snow that peace has been declared it
should be borne in mind that the Populists
have carried their point and have wrung
from the Republicans solemn pledge to
cease all further attempts to modest or at
tempt the extinction of the Populist house.
The compulsory vacation of representative
hall may not be pleasant to the personal
feelings of the Populists, but is the price
the Populists pay for believing that the
Republicans have no part in loyalty or re-
spect for law or official oaths
Jumps on Sheriff and Militia.
when the governor found himself con-
fronted by the sheriff of Shawnee county
and horde of drunken, ruffianls deputies
said largely TO be from Missouri-present,
he also found that the militia of the state
ION whom he had to rely were almost to a
man stained through and through with
treason; the commanding officer was the
drst to make known his contempt of his
official oath and that he would not obey
orders from his superior officer Hence
when it is said the governor has made
terms with power which but a short
time ago he termed lawless body, he
frankly admits and says he did it Just as
the Union men at Fort Sumter when they
recognized JEFF Davis, or the loyal people
Of Lawrence when they recognized Guam
trell.