Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-09-17

What has happened since 1890 to make
the State of Kansas lose one-fifteenth of
its population? What cause has driven
people in the many of the longest-settled
counties to move away, so that these
counties have lost a sixth, fifth, and
even fourth of their population within
the last six years? Agriculture has
been depressed, but so has it been in
other Western States which much resem-
BILE Kansas in many ways, like Iowa, and
yet they have not gone to seed in any
such way as this. Droughts in the West
ern part of Kansas and injudicious set
Element in such unfertile regions will ex-
plain II loss there, hut we are speaking
of the State as a whole, and particularly
of the Eastern half. Every one of the
counties we have cited, it will be seen,
| had grown rapidly during the decade be-
fore 1880. Apparently some cause must
have been ut work in Kansas since 1870
which has not operated in Iowa, for ex-
ample. TO not merely arrest growth, but
| produce actual decay.
| There has been such u cause. 1t was
| the rise of the Ponulist party, its con-
quest of the State government, and the
| fear which survived the ousting of IL by
the election of 1894 that it might yet
again secure control.
| Always strongly Republican State ex-
cept when the Democrats carried il on
the local issue of prohibition in 1882,
Kansas had given Harrison 10000 more
votes than Cleveland in 1888, and had
elected the Republican State ticket by
pluralities ranging up as high as $4,000.
But in 1880 what afterwards became first
the Peoples party and then the Populist
appeared in the guise of the Farmers
Alliance; cut down the Republican
strength so much that its nominee for
Governor was barely elected over the
Democratic candidate: carried five of the
| seven Congressional districts for such
men as Jerry Simpson and Ben Glover
some of whom had been nominated only
as joke; and elected Legislature which
sent PETER to the United States Senate
Within the next two years the new or,
ganizution had swallowed the Democracy
imposed its candidate for Governor upon
the party as the fusion nominee, elected
Lewclling as executive by about $500
more votes than thaRcpublican candidate
received. secured the State Senate by o
large majority, divided the House almust
evenly, and chosen the Pupulist ticket fol
Presidential Electors.
| ih' VI " IblililSI Tower
, nor was Immediately followed by les
, perate attempt to seize control of th,
! House of Representatives, which til,
, party had not carried. and the State CAPT
tai was for weeks in condition of viz
/ tual anarchy, the Populists long refus
ing TO submit their claims TO the courts
' All sorts Of reckless measures We're pro
posed in the Legislature. and one law
| was passed which mterfered with the re
[ lations between borrowers and lenders b,
D changing the existing regulations as /,
the foreclosure of mortgages and maxim.
: this action retroactive-the last proyi
D sion being. of course. unnnlled by the Fed
! erhl Supreme Court, when finally carrie,
4 | before 1t, as impairing the obligation q
' contracts, and so being Unconstitutional
{ Kansas itself was shocked by the rn
S cord OF the Popnlist party during the tw,
years of dwellings administration. TIN
rest OF the country was so disguised tina
the incoming tide of settlement Stoned
and capital not only ceased to flow in
but was taken out as RAPIDLY as possi
0 | BILE. At least Sl5.0OO,000 was withdraw,
, within two years after the passage of til,
: stay law by Eastern men who had loan
secured by real estate in Kansas. wbil
3 nearly all of the large insurance comun
$ les and savings banks which had been nc
customed to make loans there positiyel,
! refused 10 take any new mortgages unit
the law should he changed. Kansan
[ themselves in large numbers lost faith i,
the State and moved away. In 1894 LIE
Y yelling WIS defeated for recollection ufte
y desperate struggle, bur the Populis
o party still continued of threatening III
nensions, and another fusion between
Q and the Bryan Democracy requires IA bill
a ter struggle this year to prevent the cleo
tion to the supreme bench of u man VIII
has declared that there is no such thin
MS vested rights in property and wi,
9 hardly disgnises his unarchistic sent
ments.
r All this has been desperately hard upo
Kansas. But her experience of popr
r lism is most fortunate for the natiol
t The record made by her Simpson. PeffeI
n Leweling, and Legislature IN sympatli
8 with them shows the country what
8 might expectfrom the Federal governmer
with Bryan az President, Altgeld and Til