The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-09-17
THE TREND OF IT ALL.

The attention of our readers is called
! to communication headed 1.-The Kan
sas Situation" wherein the writer from
| a non-partisan platform sets out a
problem worthy of consideration.
The science of politics seems re-
solving Itself into the question of how
many additional offices can there be
created. how much the burthens of
| taxation be increased to the people.
and all in the name of economy and
| good government, and still escape rev.
! olutiOn.
Enlightened Kansas has n greater
number of public officers in proportion
to her population than any state in
| the Union, or any government on earth,
and more extreme laws that border on
the methods of the dictator. than any
other commonwealth of the Union.
Every legislature finds some excuse for
the creation of additional offices, the
! incumbrences of which are paid by
salaries or in fees, both of which sal
aries and fees come out Of the pockets
Of the people directly or indirectly.
The application Of hOmely truths are
always the most keenly appreciated
and readily understood. There are
hundreds Of township and district Of
ficers in Sedgwick county, not counting
the county officers and their numerous
deputies. not counting the district court
and its officials, the police court and its
clerks, the city government nor its
police force, and not counting the city
schools. their officers and teachers, jan
itors and the like. all under pay.
/ SO long or just as far as the pOliti-
clan and OfficehOlder can convince the
majority Of the public that this and
that additional office or expense is real
economy in fact, or a necessity. the
puolic goes a little deeper into its in
dividual earnings aud savings and
foots the bills.
Every county in the state has its
district judge, its prosecuting attorney,
it's sheriff and deputy sheriff, its num-
erouS justices and cOnstableS, all
charged with certain extra duties look
ing to the enforcement Of the prohibi-
tory law. But as the prOhibitory law
was enacted under the claim of moral
ity, religion and human progress the
people stood the extra expense, either
unmurmuringly or with but little pro-
test Time demonstrating that the
law was not what it's authors prom
ing. indeed. in many localities, but a
fraud. which public sentiment refused
to enforce, new measures and penal
ties were enacted and additional Of
ficers created to especially enforce that
one law.
But few years ago that man would
have been thought insane who should
have suggested that a states attorney
general would be appointed for each
county, in addition to the county at
torney elected by the people. Yet We
not only have such an officer, set on,
not by the majority of the electors,
but by a central power which is sup
posed to be superior to the will of the
governed, set on to annoy and destroy,
put into his hands and backing him L
police commission, named and paid by
said outside central power, TO rule peo-
pie who were taught to believe that
all rule inferred in themselves, that
they could make and unmake their
own officers. 1t is not SO in Kansas.
1t was so before the enactment of the
prohibition law, but it will never be so
again until that law is wiped out, even
though it should be five hundred yearA
Those who have and hoid tie power
to enact and maintain such laws as the
Murray law" will also have the power
to create any number Of officers for its
better enforcement.
These officers, for the most part, pay
ing little or no taxes, do not feel the
load they heap upon others. and not
having been elected by the community
which they are set over to rule and
prosecute, they are perfectly indepen-
dent and may in crushing out the life
and business of community, at the
same time defy its people
Any law must necessarily prove a
failure where a legislature sets out
something TO be crime in which it
takes 1t least two individuals to con-
sumate it and for which one is held 10
be criminal and the other held 10 be
blamelesS and guiltlesS-the buyer and
user innocent, the seller guilty and an
outlaw.