The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-06-13
GLOOMY FACES.
Members of the House are Not
Reassured
By the Present Outlook for Inn
proved Business.
MIR. FUNSTON'S VIEWS,
What is Thought of the Crops
in Kansas.


Hon Edward H. Funston of Kansas in
general talk on his prospects AT any
rate, do not just now remember any con-
vention that anyway near equaled ours
1t met on Thursday and adjourned on the
next Thursday, so it was something over
seven full days in session and in that time
took ISL ballots. There were no charges
whatever against me, and no one denied
that had been a faithful representative,
but the same men who have been opposing
me so long got up new scheme, and OF
course there are always new men who
want the nomination The general plan
was to have each county start with can
didate, If possible, and thus employ local
pride against me- There were, however,
but four other candidates, and the oppoSt-
ton induced their delegates to pledge
themselves not to vote for me. Sixty-fOur
ballots were required to nominate, and
began with 80 and ran up to 4S, while the
next man to me had So After this had
gone on awhile three of the other candi-
dates combined against the fourth, but his
delegates stuck TO him, and he and L to-
gether had a majority, so that it would
have been of no use for the three to COM
bine on one man.
A Close Contest.
1.-THE convention met at Olathe May II
and on the gath adjourned to meet at Law
renee on July 10. My friends decided
an Adjournment to give the delegates an
opportunity to hear from the people, feel
ing confident that they were in my favor
and so think it will turn out / got back
here just after the election committee had
considered my contest case, and am in
formed by the Democratic members of the
committee that their decision will be in
my favor. You see, 1 had a plurality of
only IS votes over Mr.. Moore, the Demo
GRAFT, and there were $50 votes for Mr..
Huston, the Prohibitionist. There were
over IS, 600 votes cast, which presents a
happy contrast with the votes cast for some
of those gentlemen over there (pointing to
the Democratic side of the house,. The dis
trict is much larger than the average, the
population has increased, and every legal
voter casts his ballot in Kansas in these
times. The Democrats and Populists will
combine against me, of course, and equally
of course 1 do not admit a doubt of beating
them both. 1t is not my way to despair of
success, and L never got anything worth
having without fighting for it. -
And what is the business condition,
and how will it affect the vote?''
Great Dependency.
1.-THE contrast is the strangest I ever
saw-goOd crops promising a lavish album
dance Of everything, and business dead. I
have never seen corn look better than it
docs in my district, and there is rain
enough 1t is the western hundred miles
of Kansas that give the bad name. If
we could trade that to Colorado, you would
hear no more IF droughty Kansas. Oats
are but medium, but there will be an enor-
nous crop of potatoes and above average
of other things As to business, never
saw time when twas so completely pros
trated- 1t Is really curious to notice how
dun and dead the most enterprising towns
arc, and along with it there seems sort
of dependency, more than is usual in hard
times. The causes? Wei, there is a COM
bination Of causes, political and otherwise.
First, Kansas elected Populist adm mis-
tratiOn, and then the nation elected
Democrat, and we have got to pay for it.
The repeal of the Sherman act helped. In
fact, the general decentralization of silver
here and elsewhere has by degrees produced
a great effect. 1 do not believe that the
gold coinage of the world is now increas-
ing at all, though the director of the mint
figures out that it is Mr.. Robert Giffen,
the great English authority, and several
Others of like standing concede that there
Is little or no addition to the gold coinage,
while population and production are rapid
ly increasing and business ought to. As
somebody has said, it worked just like
law for destroying all the gray horses that
would work. 1t makes other horses more
valuable. Furthermore, 1 don't think the
government ought to contract expendi-
lures at a time like this. / hold that it
ought to enlarge, even if it has to borrow
money, and construct all needed public
works.
Concerning the country generally,
confess that / am depressed as much as it
is my nature to be. There never was so
much discomfort, and the discomfort never
had so little hope in. il. There never were
so many crankss and, as has often been
said, the cranks -complicate the matter SO
that We cannotinaugurate needed REFORM -
The Labor War.
Ii Mr.. Funston were the only apprehen-
slve member, it would be we'll, but there
are at least a hundred in worse mood than
he Is, for he is naturally among the most
hopeful of men. The most careless OBJ
server cannot but note that there are many
gloomy faces in the house. The Indiana
members turn pale when they read in the
daily dispatches of troops, ordered out by
Democratic governor, marching through
the coal regions with a gatling gun, and
farther west the gloom is greater still
said one western member, speaking of the
political effect: If this thing goes on, all
calculations are off. The wisest man in
North America cannot guess at the results
Here are miners in Indiana roaming
around at will, burning coal trains and
playing the devil generally, and soldiers
chasing them just as if there was a guerrilla
war Here are thousands of soldiers after
thousands OF strikers in Maryland and
pennsylvania and mobs of imported labor
ers beating the workingmen to death or
nearly so, and out in the northwest those
fellows are seizing trains and doing as they
please and it looks rs if millions of peace
able people sympathize with them There
Is regular siege in Colorado and regular
civil war in two or three other places and
mobs and riots all around And there those
cursed senators sit and sit and sit like
bumps on log, as if heaven were full of
Gays and earth of nights and all at their
disposal and nobody anxious or troubled
Incidentally it may be added in this con-
nect1on that the local officials once more
CONFESS slight uneasiness, for in spite of