The Portland daily press., 1894-01-02

The news that comes form the far-off
State of Kansas, the State of the long
whiskered PETER and the sockless Simp-
son, is exciting. Mrs. Mary Lease, Popu-
list orator, and Mr. Llewelling, Populist
governor, have had falling out. Gen
orally a falling out between man and
woman is an affair which ssexcites only
local interest, and seldom the sound
thereof travels beyond the confines of the
State in which it occurs. But the ech
oes of the squarrel between Mrs. Lease
and Gov. Lewelling have already reached
the Atlantic coast. All the steps in the
evolution of the difficulty between the
two are not clear. We believe, however,
1T had its origin in some disrespectful
remarks which Mrs. Lease made concern
ing the Populist executive, which re-
marks the later resented by removing
Mrs. Lease from some State board of
which she was the head 1t is enough to
know that the quarrel is on, and that
the parties TO it are both owners of fluent
tongues and robust voices and that each
proposes to tell great deal of truth con-
corning the other. Naturally enough the
Populists view the gathering storm
withsa good deal of s~alarm. Their cause
has been on the decline for some time,
and the united efforts of the leaders
have had not been strong enough to hold
the party together. Disintegration has
already set in, and a row between two
such prominent and voluble leaders as
Mrs. Lease and Gov. Llewelling cannot
fail to materially hasten it. Speed the
day.
The Democrats think it is small bust
ness for the Republicans to be stirring
up this Hawaiian business. But is it
the Republicans that have been stirring
it up? We seem to recall that the Hon.
Grover Cleveland, who certainly is not
Republican. a short time ago sent
message to Congress recounting the
efforts of my administration" to restore
a discredited queen to the throne of the
Sandwich Islands, confessing that they
had failed and turning over the matter
to Congress to deal with as it saw fit
The stirring up was originally done by
Mr.. Cleveland .and the suggestion that
Congress stir it up more came also
from the same source. But for Mr.. Cleve-
land and Mr.. Gresham there would have
been no Hawaiian question before Con-
gress or the country. Mr.. Cleveland
could have settled it by simply combining
himself to Withdrawing the treaty of an
nexation from the Senate. If he had
stopped there nobody could have met
with any success in stirring up the
matter. But he was not content with
that. His Secretary of State wanted to
stir it up in the hope of gratifying his
spite against the previous administra-
tion. The President gave his consent,
and Minister Willis started out commits.
stoned to tear down an existing govern
ment and set up queen. This was the
way in which the Hawaiian matter was
stirred up. Republicans had nothing
to do with it. 1t was Democratic per-
formance pure and simple, and what
ever discredit belongs to it rests prop
erly upon Democratic administers
ton. 1t wants to shirk 1t now, and
Democratic congressman want to help
it to do So The Republicans are not
willing to aid in relieving it from the
responsibility. That is the real ground
of complaint on the part of the Demo-
Gratis against them.