The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-03-22
REPRESENTATION OF IRE PEO-
PIE.


The action of the legislatures Of Kansas,
Nebraska. Ohio, North Dakota, Montana,
New Jersey, Connecticut, Wyoming,
Washington and Idaho has attracted q
good deal Of attention from the thought
full newspapers Of both parties at the East.
and whether Mugwump. Democratic or
Republican, these leading newspapers
agree that all these legislatures deserve to
be described as having wiilfully misrepre-
sented the people. The legislature of New
Jersey, In utter defiance Of public opinion.
passed set of race-track gambling bills
over the governors veto. refused to recon.
slider their action and the governor is urged
to cali an extra session by the indignant
people of the state in order to obtain q
repeal. A railroad stock increase bill was
rushed through the Connecticut senate
without consideration. and charges of
bribery are openly made against tho
friends OF the railroads. The Ohio legis-
lature has been considering charges Of
bribery in connection with the giving
away of several valuable public franchises
to corporations.
The worst legislatures, however. have
been those which have been elected under
the Farmers Alliance movement, which
law-making bodies which were equally
conspicuous for vulgarity, venality, vio-
lence and lawlesness. The disgracful
story of the proceedings In Kansas needs
no recital. The legislatures of North Da-
kota, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho have
been disgraced by brawls and squabbles.
In the Idaho senate ther was q scrap
ping match between two senator's, and
third senator shook his finger in the face
OF the secretary and dared the presiding
Office to throw his gavel at him. The gov
ernor Of Idaho has officially requested
district attorney to prosecute certain
members Of the legislature for &C.
cepting brides. and promises to
furnish the proof. The leading paper
Of Topeka, Kan, charges that the gam
bling ring Of Kansas City. Kan, had paid
$500 to the men directly around the gov
ernor to influence the appointment of
police commissioners who would not i'm
terfere with the running Of their gambling
business. and though repeatedly made
the accusation has not been answered.
The Helena correspondent Of the st. Paul
Pioneer Press reports that w. A. Clark, the
mining millionaire, and Marcus DAILY, the
copper king and turfman, spent between
them $500, 600 in their struggle in the legis-
lature. Clark aiming to be senator ana
Daily aiming to defeat him. "a moro
miserable condition of political affairs"
says this observer, 'has probably never
existed in the United States than
prevails in Montana" The Democrats
had a majority in the legislature,
but DAILY prevented the Democrats from
choosing United States senator, although
be is Democrat himself-the same kind
Of Democrat that Judge Turner Is Repub-
ican; when his party refused to 60 as he
pleased he proceeded to deadlock the leg.
isiature. SO the Montana Democracy have
lost . senator because Daily hated Clark.
just as the Republican majority in the
Washington legislature were not able to
elect senator because Turner was deter.
mined to deadlock" the legislature
against the choice of the party.
The Washington legislature was shared
the disgusting scenes of violence Witnessed
in the other trans Missouri states named.
and it was not smothered by the atmos-
phere Of Doodle which surrounded to a
suffocating extent the legislatures of North
and South Dakota, Montana. Colorado.
Wyoming. Kansas and Idaho
The comparative decency and purity of
our legislature was due largely to the fact
that it was not dominated by so-called
Popuiists. The Philadelphia Press points
out that the Farmers Alliance Event into
politics with the loudly proclaimed pur-
pose Of electing men to Office who would
pe proof against Doodle and who would
end the influence CT corporations in poll.
tics. But instead of carrying out this
purpose the Alliance has introduced an
element more greedy and depraved than
any known in the most corrupt DAYS of
the old parties. The men 1t has
elected 10 public Office are of
lower type and of q character more sus.
ceptible TO bribery than have held pub
lie station since Andrew Jackson"
In recent article in the For,,,,
magazine the charge IS made that lobby.
lists and men with Jobs 10 get through leg
islatures and municipal councils ALWAYS
look upon members chosen by farmers
and labor organizations as corruptibIe
These men, the writer says, are ALWAYS set
down as having their price. Ii this trus
II Is certainly not because the rank And fl.
Of the Farmers Alliance and labor orrau;.
cations are corrupt, but because the
worthless political discards from both the
party hacks generally succeed in imposing
themselves upon such organizations
An ephemeral party. withou. a head
and without any sense Of responsibility. j,
always likely 10 be imposed npon hv fsnan,
fools and designing political knayes. For
the disgraeeful conduct OF the transmits.
souri, legislatures the Peoples Party mus,
be held responsible. as it was largely in
she majority. The people are not any
worse than formerly, but under the rro-
lection Of this popu!ist movement an IN
usual number of utterly incompetent,
reckless, ignorant and corrupt men have
been made lawmakers. This has been
possible chiefly because We are utterly
negligent Of the character Of the men
chosen 10 the legislature. This negligence
Is due largely 10 the cultivation OF q con-
tampt Tor po..tics Among the intellirene