The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-11-01
WHOA DUNSMORE.
GEORGE DOUGLASS DEFEATS THE
LITTLE GIANT OF P0PULISM.
A Six Hours Debate Winds up in
Unquestionable Triumph for
Speaker Douglass.
The Willy Little Dunsmore Speaker d
Remarkable Cunning and AdrOitnsss.
he Evades Everything.
The WEIGH Story Offset by Terrible
Charge Against Governor Leweliing.
His Connection With George Peck.

The much talked of and long looked for
joint debate between Hon. George L.
Douglass and Hon. J. ". Duusmore,
speakers of the rival houses of the legisla-
ture at Topeka last winter, has come and
gone and there certainly is no question
but what Mr.. Douglass got the best of it.
New laurels have been added TO his fame,
| for on this occasion he defeated the little
giant of Populism, the mos. cunning and
adrot speaker in the PoDulist ranks. Mr..
Douglass addressed himself to the reason
OF his hearers; Mr.. DuEsmore addressed
himself to the prejudices of Populist. Mr..
douglass directed his remarks to all the
audience and made an honest effort to
snlighten them; Mr.. Dunsmore directed
remarks to the Populist part of the
audience and evaded throwing any light
whatever on the real Issue of his party
, during the legislative war. He did not al
tempt to answer the charges made by Mr..
Douglass against the Populists. but evaded
them by making charges against the Re
| publlcans. Douglass was candid in every
thing; Dunsmore was cunning in every
! thing. That he is a splendid tactician in
debate no one will deny, and it was won
! derful how cleverly he lodged the fire of
Douglass in every Instance If he hadn't
been cute to greater extent than
| the average speaker be wouldn't have
an inch of ground to debate on after Doug
/ lass opening address. Douglass wanted
| to force him to talk on the real issue in
volved, which was the forgery of the roll
of membership by Ben Rich and the
| counting in of ten Populist members who
! were defeated by Republicans elected by
an undisputed aggregate majority of more
! than ], 100 votes actually cast Dunsmore
did not deny that the votes cast for the
| ten Republicans whom his crowd attempt
! ed TO thrust out, exceeded the votes
| actually cast for the ten Populists whom
| they attempted to thrust in, by more than
| LOO. Douglass showed clearly that not
| only was the law on the side of the Repub-
| lican house, but that equity aud justice
| were also Oh that side; because, as he said.
1t was always equitable and just that the
| legislature should be composed of mem
| bers who represent the majority of the
| votes actually cast.
A very fair sample of Dunsmore's cum
| ming could be seen in the way he evaded
the question put to him by Douglass as to
his politics. But the close listener could
see where he fell down even there. He
wouldn't state what his politics is, but he
cleverly tried to divert attention from his
embarrassment by saying that in 1888 be
left the Republicans and joined the DEM
ocratic party because of the passage
of an Objectionable railroad law by the
| Republican legislature. That was to catch
| the sympathy of the anti-railroad Pops
| He didn't tell them why he should desert
f, the Republicans Tor passing the law and
| go over to the Democrats whose standard
bearer and hero, George w. Click, was
then governor and approved the law He
was lame in this excuse. but fortunately
| for him the Populists are not thinkers and
did not think that Click was governor and
signed and approved this infamous law, as
| be called it.
THE OPENING.
The attendance at the opera house in the
afternoon was very fair, aud as each Of the
debaters appeared on the platform he was
loudly cheered. Mr.. Douglas was intro
duced and proceeded in very intelligent
manner to show the working of the ma
chinery which leads up to the election and
! qualification of members of the legisla-
ture.
HOUSE ORGANIZATION.
| The speaker took up the organization
I of the Dunsmore house. He said that
after the ma ority of the members elect
| had organized the house of representa-
! tives that minority OF the fifty eight
Populists got off in one corner of the hall
! and went through the horse-play of or
| gauizlng, what they called, another house
| of representatives, and upon what they
did there the case of Populism rests
today. They had fifty-eight members en-
| titled TO participate III organizing the
house and they wanted ten more IN order
! to make some show of having quorum
and in order to give them one more mem
Der in the Dunsmore organization than
! the lawful house composed. He then ex
| planned at length how these ten members
We're obtained, basing his statements upon
what he saw with his own eyes and what
| Ben Rich had told him. He said that
! the PopuliSt bosses first sent for Ben
! Rich, one of the thigh and lofty tum5ers
| Ill the reform circus from TreCo county,
aud then they sent for the official roll,
which the secretary of state had refused
| to lay before the members OF the
| lawful house at its organization,
and proceeded then and there to
| manufacture ten new members of the
| legislature by this Dunsmore house. The
Steering committee" Of Popullsts stood
| over Ben Rich, directing him 10 mutilate
| the official roll ten separate times, and in
response to these commands of the steer
| ing committee Ben Rich deliberately
| scratched ont the names OF ten members
| of that official roll. some OF whom had
| been elected by from four hundred TO ten
! hundred undlsputable maJorities and in
| serted III their stead tbs names of tea
| Populists whose only claim to seats at the
| organization ot the legislation WAS that
they possessed sufficient brass and gall 10
! stand up aud say that they claimed 10 be
mem bers," There was no adjudication
in favor of these Populists by any
! tribunal or court; there was no hear
| ing given: there was absolutely nothlr =
done 10 determine the rights of these de-
| feated Popullsts To swear In as mem bers
except the decision of this steering com
| mittee" He read from the testimony of
! Lupfer the head of the steering committee,
| wherein lupter admitted that he knew
| nothing Whatever about the votes which
! were cast for some of these mem oers " no
| he instructed Ben Rich TO strike from the
| roll. and also that Ii was done simply at
| the suggestion of the defeated csud Idate.
themselves, and of John W. BreldeBth Al,
chairman of the Popull,t state committee.
The speaker then showed how four of
these Republicans, elected by large aver
age malorties. We're struck of the roll by
Ben Rich, and the roll forged by Inserting
the names IF the defeated Populist>. Sole
! ly because it was alleged thaF the EepuB-
| llcans had been postmastees at the time OF
| their election 10 the legislature, although
| they had all resigned. gone cur OF othci
| turned over their Offices TO their success
sors long before the Legislative term be
gan. Al the same hour these Populis,s
bosses seated III the Duusmore house TWO
! Popuiist members who were noI ouIy