The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-22
JOHN sPEER on ROBINSON.

The quick response came: ION, gel
some person who was his constant, un-
/. firing political friend, who would en!e
into his subject with due appreciation
of his distinguished services"
"Whv, were you enemies:" he wa:
asked.
Hardly that. At least, at the portals
of death, l would be far from saying
that We were only political opponents.
He was positive man to combative-
ness, and l was slightly positive myself.
We looked at the struggle Of Kansas
much of the time from different stand
points. and l should be afraid to trust
myself to do his memory justice. He
was a Paul Jones character. When
you thought you had him completely
whipped am speaking only iu poiiti-
cal sense-he had only begun to fight.
but did you not support him when
he was a candidates"
always, when he was the nominee
of the Republican party, and in some OF
the contests was for him in the prima-
res. was especially his friend when
!
the Topeka constitution. Indeed, |
made the motion in a meeting, at his
suggestion, for the Big Springs conven-
/ ton, and was a candidate for state
printer on the same ticket. The Big
! Springs convention was the preliminary
to the organization under the Topeka
movement | stood at the polls and
worked for him all day for that position,
and / was for him, though net IN the
convention which nominated him, under
1 the Wyandotte constitution, as our
present constitution was called. We
| split afterwards when General Lane
/ identified himself with the free state or
/ ganization, became a candidate for
! United States senator. was conducting
a newspaper, and it will hardly be con-
| sidered egotism to say that | was SO ac-
lively and earnestly for Lane as to be
stigmatized as the Lane organ, and
! those who knew the combativeness of
these two leaders and their friends
| might doubt my fitness to draw any
comparison between the two principals.
| The history of the times cannot be writ
ten without such comparison, and will
allow myself to try my hand at it. They
were each Of great power and usefulness
in their ways,s and if those ways could
have been harmonized their combined
forces would have made both greatly
more useful in the great struggle against
the slave power.
"Robinson's ways were greatly more
my ways than Lanes. l met him within
fifteen minutes after | arrived On the
prairie, now called Lawrence; and, hav-
ing read of his California experience,
soon began to feel as if | lad known
him from the first. He had descended
from that sturdy stock of pilgrims which,
with some errors and Inconsistencies,
had always stood in the advance lines of
liberty and as bulwark against slavery,
and IN that respect he was man after
my own heart.
HE emigrated TO California among
the Forty miners" and established
character there. He has related the in
cIdents to me on one or two occasions.
a contest arose about some "ssuatters
rights" on land whereon they erected
houses, probably cabins, where an
attempt was made to evict them, their
antagonists claiming legal right under
some Mexican grant, and assaulted them
with the forms of law under an officer.
But think his official capacity was dis
puted. As the houses were being de-
molished DR.. Robinson remarked that ID
was an outrage, and instantly the men
recognized him as q leader and resist
ance commenced. In the struggle the
sheriff was killed and Robinson was ar
rested and placed in boat as a prisoner.
He was elected to the Legislature, and in
that body he became a leader, and was
the inspiring spirit in the election of
John c.. Fremont to the United States
senate, in a contest which continued
through forty days or forty votes-per-
haps both.
This made Fremont his everlasting
friend; ard it is Que to Robinson TO say
that perhaps he had more to do in the /
selection of Fremont for the presidency
in 1856 than any other man. Still. |
doubt whether the times were ripe for /
an anti-slavery triumph at that time, or
whether he was the man for the times. !
if they were ripe. We needed the four /
years of Buchanan's administrative out /
rage as a school of instruction in liberty. 1
and Lincoln at the helm. At any rate. ,
early in 1856, Governor Robinson came /
to me with a letter from Mr. Fremont. /
in reply to one from him, asking Ere /
mont to become a candidate for presi- |
dent, and had the pleasure of giving I
it the first publication; and with Its
publication placed at the head of the
Kansas Tribune the names of John c. |
Fremont for president and Cassius NJ. /
Clay for vice president.
SIN the entire troubles of Kansas from !
1854 till their elimination in war. be
was a stalwart leader of the free state
forces. In 1855. he was held IS q pris- |
oner in the camp Of Uu:ted States sold /
ierS near Locomptou for his participa-
ton in the state organization under the
Topeka constitution. Before his arrest. /
and while the congressional committee, |
OF which John Sherman was a leading
member, was in session, he was deputed
to carry the report of that committee to !
Washington, and started. accompanied J
by his wife, and was taken at Lexington. /
Mo-; while his wife continued on her |
course to the capitol, with the import |
ant papers concealed upon her person.