The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-02-05
GEORGE DOUGLASS TALKS.

The constitutional house" having ad-
| jouraea over until Monday, Speaker
Douglass came home 10 look after his
private business. When met by all EAGLE
representative he WAS not much Inclined
to be interviewed as he said he was talk
ed out" However. when asked to explain
the legislative situation he said:
''The fourth week of the session has
ended and not bill has yet become Il law.
A minority of ffty-six members with A
dozen outsiders are still pretending to be
a house OF representatives.; but, so far, the
men who are managing this body have
not allowed it 10 attempt 10 pass single
bill Of any kind
The legal house, with sixty-nine mem
bers, is at work from day to day doing all
the business which house OF representa-
tiyes can do without tue cooperation OF
the senate. II has already passed
several bills and is proceeding with its
work. It proposes TO do its duty no mat
ter what the senate may do or not do. But
sooner or later it is evident that the senate
will either have to do business with it or
rot do any business at all.
"Iutelligent mem bers of the Populist
party nearly all admit, in private, that
their minority blouse" is an Illegal body;
and every one Of their leaders whose adj
vice Is disinterested or otherwise worth
having. tells them the same thing. Still
they keep up the farce because they don't
know how to get out of the hole they have
gotten into. The mem bers of the ''consti-
tutional house" are standing solidiy to-
gethtr, and it seems to be merely a Ques-
ton Of time as to when the minority body
will topple over
Il think the present idea of the
governor and Mr. Dunsmore is to
20 through the form of passing
lot Of buncombe legislation
with the full expectation that the moment
any Of it gets into court the whole mass
viii be toppled over. as not having been
passed by the legal house of representa-
tives. An extra session will then have to
be called to do the work which should
have been done at this session. In that
event the pretended house would at once
vanish ana such of its members as were
actually elected would come into aud
work with the majority body. This, OF
course, involves good deal of expense,
and the taxpayers will thus have TO foot
the bills of the attempted revolution.
"This seems to be the probable outcome
of the situation, unless enough consci-
encious and courageous men can be
found among the PopQlists to step
out and end the business in
which they know they are wrong.
There are several whom | know PERSONAL
~ who would like to do this, but who feel
for party reasons to stand by
the leaders who got them into their pres
ent predicsment
Strong efforts have been made lately to
induce some of the members of the legal
house to desert and 20 over TO the minor
iCy, bat without success 1t would take
the loss of seven members TO reduce our
number below sixty-three, which is the
number necessary for a quorum. Ennis
saries from the other side have been re-
buffed at every point. Not one traitor has
yet been found, much less seven; and with
he complete failure in this direction there
IS an end to all hope of ever making a
ezal body out of the revolutionary rump
Democrats, Republicans and Mr.. Will
son (the independently are all standing
united and determined in defense of the
constitution and the laws. We are ali
anxious to get to work ut needed legisla-
irst preserving our system of government
rom the revolutionary assault which has
been made upon it.