The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-10-21
manufacture Ten new members

Oh tHe IeSiStalufe Ds Wis DuuSholc 49, |
The Steering committee" OF Populists
stood over Ben Rich, directing him to mu-
tilate the official roll ten senerase times,
and In response to these commands Oh the
steering committee" Ben Rica deliberate
ly scratched out the names OF ten members
OF thai official roll, some OF whom nau
been elected by from four hundred TO ten
hundred undesirable malortics and III
serted in their siead the names or ten
Populists whose only claim 70 seats at the
organization of the legislation was that
they possessed sufficient brass and gall to
stand up and say that they claimed to be
members" There was 10 adjudication
in favor OF these Poputists by any
tribunal or court; there was no hear
ing given; there was absolutely nothing
done to determine the rights of these de-
feated Poputists to swear in as members,
except the decision of this steering conf
mittee" He read from the testimony OF
Lupfer. the head of the steertng commit
tee, wherein Lupfer admitted that he knew
nothing whatever about the votes wnich
were cast for some OF these members who
he instructed Ben Rich to strike from the
roll, and also that it was doae simpiy,at
the suggestion OF the defeated candidates
| themselves. and of John w. Breldenrhal,
| chairman Of the Populist state committee.
| The speaker then showed how four OF
| these Republicans, elected oy large aver
age majorIties, were struck OF the roll ny
! Ben Rich, and the roll forged By inserting
| the names of the defeated Popuiists, solely
| because it was alleged that the Reou5ii-
| cans had been postmasters at the time
! of their election to the Legislature,
although they had all resigned, gone
| out of office and turned over their offices
| to their successors long before the iegis-
lative term began. A. the same hour these
| Populist bosses seated in the Dunsmore
| house two Populist members who were
not only posJmasters at the time of their
| election to the legislature, but were post
masters at the time they took their seats
| aud remained postmasters In Office during
| the entire life of the Dunsmore house; ami
yet in tae interest OF the people aud re-
| form, this steering committee" and the
| Peoples party propose to Jorge and dld
! have forged the official roll for the pur-
pose of unsestiug four Republicans be-
cause they were eX-poSi1nasters, while AT
the same time, In the face OF the couStltu-
ton. which forbids n federal officer TO De
! Il member of the legislature, they had
sworn in and maintained two )stnaSters
who were Popuiists drawing pay aud al
tempting to make laws for the people of
this STAT. 'iI had not seen this with my
own ewes | would never have supposed
any political party OF ASSOCIATION OF men
IN. Kansas could be so lost IN every sense
OF honor and regard for decency, honesty
and consistency To be- guilty OF such do
| ings in the broad daylight ana III The
sight of the world"
The speaker then explained the jackson
county case That was case where the
R-pablicau was elected by an undlsputed
majority OF 1s3, but in the interest of the
people and reform the defeated candidate
was brought down to Topeka and applied
to the supreme court for mandamus to
order the county canyassing board oil
fhpnsx "a q m A.
ia the city OF Holton upon the tlimsy pre-
text that in the apportionment bill the
name of the city of Hoitou was omitted,
although the township IN which 1t was
situated was included.
The supreme court before the legislature
met decided that no such thing as that
could he done or ought to be done; that the
legislature could not be supposed 10 have
intended to disfrauchise five hundred and
fifty American citizens aud that if the
legislature had attempted to do such q
thing it would be unconstltutlonally null
aud void and under no circumstances
could these defeated pOpnlists claim to be
elected. Fooled in this ATTEMPT to enlist
in the supreme court In The effort to dis
franchise five hundred and fifty OF his OWL
constituents this popu!ist reformer in the
interest, you know, of the people and re
form was the com mand 10 swear in when
the legislature met and under the III
structions Of the steering committee" the
roll was forged for his benefit The Re
publican who was elected was stricken on
and the name OF his defeated populist was
inserted and that is the way they got
another member to make up the Dun
smore house in the interest OF reform
While the whole case OF Popullsm il
} Kansas rests upon the proceedings where
J by these ten additional members were OBJ
tanned to make up a house Tor the Popu
| yUt1 Inh
fleets a strong light upon their methods al
reformers. Ii seems that Mr.. Dix, Repub
, lican from Reno county, was elected by Al
undisputed majority of twentv-four owe
: and above w. Ii. Mitchell, his Populis
, opponent. The BOSSES however sent 70
/ Mitchell to come aud "swearin" III the III
terest of reform l had known Mitchell
| personally, and one day he told me lin sub
l stauca) that the bosses were bringin:
s'great pressure" to bear upon him t.
c make him swear in as a meInber, but h.
t said he had told his people he would no
1 do it, and that he did not think IL wa
right to do such things and MS conscenc
+ would not let him, but he said the ''pres
: sure" WAS very great. l encourage
+ him in his apparent desire to d
, right, and rejoiced that hat
: found a man VINO cared more for hi
: conscience than he hid for his party bosses
> Imagine my surprise next morning whe
, | Isa,y him raise his hand to Heaven ant
l swear in as member of the Dunsmor
e house. 1t was evident that during tn
1 uight the bosses, Jerry Simpson, Joh
1 Prudential and Mrs. Lease had gotte
E ont their party whips and lashed poo
e Mitchell around the legs until he com
y nleteIv surrendered and when mornlul
a came his Conscience Was all forgotten
Z And what do you suppose was the preteu nc
: in the case? He got a man to swear tina
= in tie district ia which Mitchell ran 10
= Office there were 81 votes cast for apothe
= Populist Whose name l believe was II. L
L Freeman The bosses thought il woul
o nsver do to divide up the Populist vote /
g this way and they said If you add these
: votes cast for this other Popuiist 20 tn
e votes cast for Mitchell 1t would civ
i Mitchell majority over DIX
t And, III the Interest OF the people an
T reform they decided TO do that YER
| thing and actually counting thIrty-seve
d votes cast for one in favor of another b
a cause they were both Popuiists! 1 nevs
/ would have supposed such proceeding pc
"a sible, even in a community OF Insane peopi
d much less in this great stale OF Kansas,
a had not seen il done. II you want
a verify the substantial truth of this stat,
q rnent read the report or the Dunsmo'
e elections committee IN this case.
If After this Dunsmore house was o
&c panized the governor, torgettul alike
IS lis DUTY to the people aud to the constitl
e ton, actually recognized" this body as
V part of the legislature and there We
i, some peops who supposed that sue
i recognition would thereby galvanii
e that fraud into lie and make out
IS it house of Representatives. 1t hs
II been commonly supposed that Il
+. almighty had reserved the powers
V GRAFTON. to himself alone. But last wi
n ter the theory WAS started tnst al exec
y ton had been made in favor of Govern,
10 Lewelling. and that by his mere act