The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-02-24
81
THE KANSAS TROUBLE.


The latest news from the Kansas
legislative imbroglio is that all is
qufet, and that a truce has been
patched up and decision Of the
courts will be awaited The high
hended manner in which matters have
been carried on there by the Ponu-
lists, does not commend that partv
20 the consideration of the people as
one having the best interests of the
country at heart. Placed in the mi
norlty as regards the membership of
the lower house OF the legislature. by
the official returns of the state can
wasting board, the leaders of that
party would not submit their case to
the regular and peaceful channels of
law through the courts, but preferred
rather to override all law, and resort
TO means which, to say the least, were
most questionable, claiming that they
could not expect to secure Justice at
The hands Of a court, the members of
which did not believe with them
polltically-a practical admittance of
the weakness of their case.
1t was claimed by some of their
number that it was the intention of
the people of the state that the Pom
ullsts should control the legislature.
and they intended to control that
body no matter what the canvassing
board might return. Added to this, Jer-
ry Simpson stated IN public address
that there were times when, in the
interests of the people, all law should
be overturned, and declared that The
securing control Of the legislature, was
one OF those times. So it will be seen
that anarchy was in the air, and the
minority party proceeded to infuse it
into the affairs of life.
They usurped the power of thestate
and organized Louise though they
lacked several votes of having a ma
jority of the membership of that body
This organization was recognized by
Popullst senate and POpulist Gov
ernor, with an unseemly haste, that
was d fragrant outrage upon the cause
OF popular government Then they
proceeded to GUST enough Republican
! members so as 10 give them a quorum
that they might proceed to enact snch
legislation as they saw fit.
In the meantime the Republicans.
having majority of the members of
the house according to the face of the
returns, effected an organization.
Both OF these OTganiZatio occupied
the hall OF representatives. until few
days ago when the diSgraceful pro-
ceedingS occurred, by which the Pop
Iiists undertook TO shut the Repub-
llcan representatives out therefrom.
Had the orders Of the Governor to
eject the Republicans therefrom been
O6eyed by the the commander of the
state militia bloodshed would no doubt
have resulted, and the already dis
graceful scenes would have been aug
mented by stains Of greater crime.
But this has been, temporarily at
least, avoided.
From the first the Republicans have
been willing to submit the matter to
the courts, and abide by their de-
cisiOn, but this the PopulistS would
not agree to. But the Republicans
have finally succeeded in bringing the
matter of testing the legality of the
POpulist organization before the
courts and the question as to which is
the legally organized may possibly be
peacefully settled.
Admitting that the Populists had
a majority, as they claimed, the
method they have taken to secure
their rights will not commend them
nor their organization to thought
full people, There is legal method
by which all such controversies can
be peacefully settled. To totally dis
regard such a method, and to intro
duce in place thereof anarchiStic
methods to settle the differences in
dispute, is an outrage upon our free
institutions that ought to be discoun-
tenanced by every patriotic man and
woman in the land. The success OF
such usurpatiOns would prove the
death blow tO popular government.
II having been reported that the
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