Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1894-10-05
The Kind OF a Hairpin morrill, Is.

to lay first of all a broad foundation on which
to prosecute this campaign. They have givel
to the people the platform and the principles o
the only party which has sprung from thei
hearts and promise to promote their welfare.
The time has come when there is space to say
something about men-and to-day the people
are themselves saying great deal about E. N
Morrill, and nothing that rebounds to his credit
Along the northern tier of counties of thu
state this man Morrill, has made very nasty
record for himself, and the old soldiers an(
the old settlers are ventilating it so thoroughly
that it smells to heaven The affidavits ant
statements already made would fill two or three
pages of the Republic, and they have just be-
gun to come.
\ Morrill,, and a partner of his named James
gtt hold of the land grant business of the ST.
Joe & Denver R. r., and by its means perpe.
trated iniquities which would make brass
monkey blush with shame.
Through the belt of land bordering the St.
Joe & Denver railroad dozens of men lost their
homes, and other dozens are staggering along
under the mortgages this man Morrill, plastered
OH their shoulders.
Recollect this was no money loaning scheme,
but what these old-fashioned settlers denounce
as straight-out extortion and swndling. In
1873 James G. Parks received his patent from
the government to the quarter which he had
homesteaded some five years before. In 1870
c. H. James, trustee, filed, for record, deed
from the railroad, covering 3o4o acres of land,
the consideration of which was named ST.
This deed covered not only the quarter of Parks
but also several others for which the settlers had
already received patents from the United States
government.
Immediately James and his partner, Morrill,, +,
began to make things lively for these old set
tiers, whose titles they had already clouded, and
whose lands they were apparently intending to
steal.
With that deed on file, it was impossible for
the owners to sell or mortgage their lands and
when Mr.. Parks wrote Morrill, the latter replied
over his own name.
He said that "the secretary of the interior
had decided that (PaTks) had no claim to said
land, but If would pay him $3.50 he would
clear my title, otherwise he would have to
bring suit for my ejectment."
Parks says he paid the money, but that Nor
ril's partner, James, and his wife, signed the
deed.
In the course of time congress passed an act
to reimburse settlers whose titles had actually
been afectsd in the manner in which Morrill,
had declared that of Parks had been and Parks
put in his claim for reimbursement.
The department of the interior ruled that his
title had never been clouded, and that his pat.
ent from the government was valid one, which
had never been set aside by any decree, and that
therefore he was not entitled to reimbursement.
And to his statement Parks adds that there
was no other quarter in section twenty-five on
which Morrill, got money after he knew the SUI
preme court had decided that those holding un.
der the railsoad had no claim to it.
This case is only sample ease of many others
and the Foll Is being rapidly added to. Mr..
Morrill, seems to still have one hundred and
eighty dollars of poor Parks money +; but is
that any reason why the aforesaid Morrill,
should be governor of Kansas ?-Manhattau
Republic.