People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-08-17
Railroad Company and Chester |.
Long.
Communicated

iODilllHlllLdtEu.l
Sometime near one month com
municated before election in 1892 eacl
employe of A. 7. & S. f. road received
a printed letter requesting him to joiI
| the railroad club Of his county anC
stanGup for its principles. Then abou
/ one week before election the company
sent out passes for each foreman that
could to bring their men in 10 organ
I lie a county club at Wellington. 81
each one that could catch a train 90
ing to Wellington took his men in t
! join the clu0. When we reached
Wellington weasSembled at the court
house to hear what our leader had t
say and to register our names on the
Sumner county club list. We had a
gentlemen that hailed from Iowa tC
address US on the questions of the
campaign.
After introducing himself as being
a railroad emplOye for fifteen or TWEEN,
ty years he proceeded to speak of a
set Of men at present, | forget the
names he gave them, meaning the
farmerS), but he said this set of thick
heads had banded themselves to-
gether for the purpose of sending
some their of crew to Washington to
to make laws, or in other words, they
wanted the reinS Of government in
their hands awhile. When they are
not able to take care Of a one hun
dred and sixty acre lot they have to
get a mortgage company to help them
take care Of those small lots and
think they can manage the affairs of
government.
Gentlemen, we appeal tOgOu as
railroad employees to help suppress
this affair. Gentlemen, l hold in my
hand, holding up a roll Of paper, J
something that will make the nerves
Of their candidates culver when they
read it, but if they do not sign up
there shall not one Of them reach the
halls Of legislation.
Now, gentlemen, we want to leave
one of these contracts with a COM
mitttee that will wait on Jerry Simp-
son for congress, candidate for State
Senator FOrney and all other legisla-
tive candidates, and be sure while
the campaign is at its hottest to Sc
cure their signatures to the questions
herein contained.
After the committee was appointed
we adjourned.
The second meeting was called on
Monday night before the election on
Tuesday in November, 1892.
We, Of the western part Of the Wei
lington division quit work at noon to
prepare ourselves for the rally. We
were ordered to bring all the red,
green and clear lanterns we had for
the grand parade. The section | was
working on had eleven men beside;
the foreman, making total of twelve.
We were allowed full time. We
reached Wellington and waited at the
union depot for the special trains
from Caldwell, Mulyane and other
divisions of the road, all being of the
Seventh congressional district.
The same man that addressed us
at the first meeting was there to adj
dress us the second time. Hegave Us
a short talk instructing Us how to
vote, asking US to vote for the man
who had pledged himself to the rail
roads to work for their interests.
After his talk the committee was
called for and reported, SAID they
sent to Simpson to come to their
rooms to confer with them. Mr..
Simpson refused, saying he had no
compromise to make with the road
or its committee, also Mr.. FOrney
would make no promises. But Hon.
Chester l. Long and Judge SimOns
had pledged themselves to work for
railroad legislation or to do all in
their power to hold up the rates the
road and thereby increasing the earn
ings Of the roads and enabling the
road to pay better wages and employ
more men than was used at present,
we were to assist by our vote and
money to the amount of $3.50 and il
not able to pay that, then % cents
each.
l do not know how many men were
at that meeting, but the court room
was crowded to overlooking, four OF
five hundred anyway were present
And if our votes were instrumental
in electing those men we were t
have a three days trip to Topeka tt
a general railroad and republican rat
ification. Ourselves and wives, anC
if not married, our best girl, all ex
penses being paid by the road. -
| IT,, p,,blico+;o,, q, VOrCr AucuSt Il 1901