People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-07-21

NNhOOu III oiA OhO AtOpuOllOdu ouCCUo,
that ''it took hot winds and grass
hoppers to make Peoples party men"
and rot gut whiskey to make Demo-
Gratis" Let's see about the "hot
wind" theory.
The western part of Kansas, albeit
l25 miles square, the very home of
buffalo grass, drOuth and hot winds,
we find twenty-fOur counties, almost
state Of itself, where drouth and
hot winds are the rule and not the
exception. II the assertion that hot
winds and drouth breed Peoples par
ty voters, we should have had twen-
ty-four representatives from that sec
tion of the country and we only got
four, the Republicans twenty and
nearly all that number were railroad
attorneys and the entire twenty-fOur
counties have very few more people
than Sumner county. | merely refer
to these things to refresh your men,
ories of the deception practiced by
the Republicans.
The POpulists asked for the free
coinage OF silver, for the restoration
of the Income tax" for free school
books, for lower freight rates, for a
redemption law, lower rate of inter-
est, &c, &c. The Republican speak
ers called US calamity hOwlers and
answered our arguments by referring
to Pefer'S whiskers, Mrs. Leases
mouth and Jerry's socks. Their cry
for this year is anarchy" and claw
leSSness. We shall now examine these
charges and see if they are not COM
posed of the same material the others
were: For several days after the dual
houses were organized they occupied
Representative hall at the same time,
the Republicans on the south side and
the Populists on the north; Douglass
and Dunsmore as speakers, side by
side, each with full set of officers,
both houses doing business at the
same time as If the other were not
there. This finally grew very monot-
onOus, so an agreement was made be-
tween the two bodies by the terms of
which the Republicans were to have
the use Of the hall in the forenoon
and the Populists in the afternoon.
This was to continue until the Duns-
more house should pass the legisla-
tive appropriation bill, and as soon
as 1t would become law by the gov
enor's signature and publication in
the official state paper, the treasurer
would by enjoined and the case taken
Immediately to the Supreme court to
test the legality Of said law, and in
case the Dunsmore house was sus-
tained the Douglass house was to
merge into that body, and if the de-
cision was averse the Dunsmore house
was to do just what it did do, obey
the mandate Of the court and merge
into the Republican house. The Pop
ulist house did pass the appropriation
bill, the senate concurred, the COVER
nor signed it and it was published in
the official paper the next morning.
By 10 o'clock the treasurer was en-
Joined, the case was carried to the
supreme court and for two days coun-
sci for both sides argued the case. 1t
was submitted to the judges about
o'clock after the argument closed. On
the same day about noon the sergeant
at arms of the Douglass house came
to the DuttOn hotel and arrested Ben
Rich, chief clerk of the Populist house,
on a charge that he had disturbed the
Douglass house by reading and per-
forming his official duties. Mr.. Rich,
with forty or fifty POpulists, started
to the capital, as the Populist after.
noon session began at o'clock p. M,
as agreed upon. At the corner of the
street opposite the Copeland hOtel
twenty-five or thirty Republicans
jumped out and demanded Ben Rich
should be taken to the Copeland hotel
the Republican headquarters. He re.
fused to go there, but was perfectly
willing to 60 before tbs Douglass
house. They insisted that he should
and finally grabbed him and under.
took to take him by force. This pre-.
cipitated a row, ended in a few knock.
downs and Ben Rich and the POpulists
went to the hall and held a regular
session. The question now ARISES
what was the object of the arrest OF
Ben Rich? What did they want tC
take him to Republican headquarters
for? The charge trumped up against
Rich was false, for the reason that he
could not disturb them, as they were
in session in the forenoon and the
Populists in the afternoon, as per con.
tract. 1t was premeditated plot to
get up a row, get somebody killed,
plunge the state into war and throw
the blame upon the Populist admins.
tratiOn. The agreement as to time
Of meeting was tn avoid disturhino