The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-04-08
Daily II eagle
NJ NJ. MURDOCH, Editor.
WHO Is E. N. MORRILL,

The greater number of the Republican
pepers of Kansas are making no war on
either of the four gentlemen mentioned
in connection with the governorship.
simply beng content with a favorable
mention of each in. connection with the
declaration that either, if nominated,
would prove entirely satisfactory.
Other papers are urging the nomina-
ton of one or the other, with considera-
BILE warmth, yet refraining from any adj
verse or unwarranted criticism of the
others.
Both of these positions are defenslble
and superior to any just criticism. But
there is another phase or element OF the
situation which may lead to after en-
barrassment for the party. We do not
know that any of the papers preferrIng
Mr. Morrill, has attacked either Helzer,
Hoch or Martin, but some papers have
been saying things which tend 10 throw
an atmosphere of suspicion around Nor
IilI. not as TO his record as Republican
but as to his character as man. All
this is wrong. There is no foundation
for it whatever. With four men IN the
field combination between one or more
of their forces will almost certain TO be
found necessary to secure a nomination.
That will have to be unless some one of
them goes into convention with ma
iority of all the delegates; so, the war
fare alluded TO should cease-should
never have been resorted to.
Now, politically and socially, morally
and relIgiously, Morrill, is just as pure
man as Martin or Hoch or Heller. They
are 10 these particulars all above criti-
cism. The ruth is, Major Morrill, has
had more experience in official public
life than either OF them. Martin, next
to Morrill,, has had more to do with
Kansas, has lived longer in the state
than has Hoch or Heller, but no man
living has been SO continuously and for
so many years connected with the OIL
ciaI life of the state as has Morrill,. he
was in the territorial legislature before
statehood was achieved. in the state
legislature, both branches,-in the
army during the war, in congress for
wears after the war, and the first man Is
vet 10 be found in Washington or IN his
adopted state to put his finger on a
single disreputable act of his as poll
tician, or upon a single unworthy thing
as a citizen. So much of public life has
doubtless inclined him to conservatism,
but no man has ever charged him with
lack of radicalism when it came to the
interest of the soldier, when chairman
Of the pension committee, or of radical
ism w hen defending the primal doctrines
of the. Republican party. What we
mean by conservatism is, he might not
go Just 90 the lengths that Martin would
go in fighting the gambling schemes
clustering about the mouth of the Kaw,
Or 20 the extremes that Hoch might 60
for the enforcement of the prohibitory
law, or to the ends that Heller would
resort for lower freight rates for west
ern Kansas, but when any one, high or
low, pretends that Major Morrill, as gov
ernor would or could be influenced to
ton to either of these things, they simply
misrepresent the man and the facts as
assured by his life and character.
All the men In Kansas could not per-
suade f. n. Morrill, to do wrong or to
protect the wrong. No ring, clique or
other power could possibly make tool
or fool of him in the executive chair or
elsewhere. Conservative as he is, he is
10 COMPROMISED. In roofing out the in
efficiency saddled upon the administra-
ton of state affairs by lot of advent
urers, III cleaning up the scandals of late
attaching to our state institutions. in |
probing the rottenness and stripping the !
hypocrisy which have of late stained the |
name of the state, no man would prove
more vigorous or prompt than the man
whose life for the past thirty-five years
in Kansas has been an open book.
In the event of Morrill's nomination, |
Martin, Hoch and Heller will all say as
much, and in the interim they will not
deny word of it.