The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-04-13
entertainment for the benens or the Her

ETY.. The benefit for the Home For Incura-
blcs is considered as truly high toned az
fair, the patronesses being Mrs. Adlai Z.
Stevenson, Mrs. Wilson S. Bissell, Nine
Romero and the wives and daughters of va
rious senators and members. These are
but few and the most noted of the enter
tainmcnts in aid of various charities and
other institutions, bat among the vast
mass OF undistinguished people there is an
unusually attractive series Of vocal and in
strumentai concerts, private thcatricals
and charitable and semicharitable enter
tainments of every kind.
A Peculiar Situation.
Despite their disfraEchisement, as afore-
said, the citizens discuss local politics with
intense earne5tness, and questions as to
whether gas shall be furnished az 81 per
1000, whether sew roads shall be built to
the boundary and where the right of way
shall be granted and how and in what
manner excite as much anger locally as
the tariff question and the money question
DO financially. The government is not out
lined in any constitution, it is not the
growth Of long experience, and it is not
very strenueusly defended by anybody, and
yet nobody has any substitute to offer for
The situation is peculiar. The population
consists chiefly OF those brought here by
politics, and one would expect the schools
to be jealousy scrutinized because SO
many of the children Of statesmen are edu-
Gated here. Yet it seems to be the case
that the schools excite less discussion than
any other branch of local affairs.
AS is known TO most readers, three COM
and controlled by congress, and they are
the government, and yet 10 other region
probably has so many Political organ
izations. Every state has both o political
and social body, except the very small
and distant ones This body is composed
chiefly Of government employees from that
state, but patronized by the senators and
members thereof. Another odd feature is
the alternating character Of local politics.
When new congress comes in, it is usu-
ally Jealous for economy, retrcnchmenta and
reform, and the District is snubbed When
the members have been here year, they
realize the needs of the District and grow
more liberal, and so it is part of the I'M
written law that the local lobbyists are to
get in their work in the second year of
each congress
Some Recent Issues.
One illustration will show the queer
ideas distant people entertain about Dis
trict affairs. When the Grand Army Of
the Republic was to have its encampment
here, the city wanted to appropriate $751;,
600 for entertaining the veterans, and fran
tic protests against it came in from all
over the country. As a matter Of fact, the
District only wanted the privilege of spend
ing its own money, and the public treasury
was not out cent, but it took a great
deal of very hard work to make congress
men take the risk. Just at present the ex-
citing question is as to the land which has
boon reclaimed from the Potomac mud
flats. OF course the railroads want it, and
equally Of course the citizens want it made
into park with promenades and other
Lnishings incidentally also there Is a
growing feeling among the citizens that
the depot Of the Baltimore and Ohio road
should be removed to tho suburbs, and
sneering remarks are frequent about "a
great government which allows locomo-
tives to snort and whistle right under the
caves of the capitol If Co1ey's army
should ever get here, some new issues will
arise as to the proper method of dealing
with it. But Chief of Police Moore says
that nobody need worry. He will see that
said army does not held . meeting on the
steps of the capitol or annoy anybody.
A Populist on Coxey's Army.
BY the way, the interest in said army
Is great enough to cause many inquiries
to be made of those western members
who are supposed to have little sym
pathy with it. But without exception they
60 no further than to say that they are
sorry for the soldiers of the army and re-
greet that they haven't adopted some prac-
teal methods of helping themselves. The
Populists all speak of the Coxey business
as merely one symptom of a deep seated
disease. 1T is, says Mr.. Davis of Kan
sas, lust the same as one of those short
spells of delirium which are frequent in .
long and wasting fever We may look for
a great many such things not only this
year, but next year and right along until
the wasting fever is cured, for L can't
think that the patient is going to die. This
slow and merciless contraction of prices
brings it about that every man who enters
on any kind of productive labor does it
with the certainty that he viii not get out