The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-12-17
TALKED ABOUT JIM LANE
What q Kansas Pioneer has tJ Say About
the Davs of Yore

Hon. John X. Rankin of Lawrence,
Kan, was in the city yesterday and after
calling on the Eagle visited the court
house where reporter met him. Mr..
Rankin is one of the oldest residents of
the state and a Republican who still has
faith in the political, moral and material
destiny of Kansas.
Yes said he, 'I have lived at Law
renee for thirty-seven years and L have
seen all the tragical and dramatic feat
ureS of the state. At one time / believe
I knew every man Of prominence within
its borders"
You knew Jim Lane, of course?"
every well. l knew him intimately"
'tHe was an unique character, wasn't
he?"
HE was a wonderful man. He didn't
wear long hair in the sense that We
speak of long haired men of this genera
tion- His hair was full and fell down on
his neck. He was man of great power
over an audience"
What was his style of oratory?"
Lane was not what you would call
an eloquent man. He was a man who
spoke' plainly but with intense feeling
which you could see sticking out of his
eyes. He was sometimes not very choice
in his language and used to say some
queer things, but he said nothing that
What was the secret of his command
over audiences?"
"In those days politics were. to a great
extent, personal, and Lane was good
judge of human nature. They say that
| am so and so,' he would say and then
he would begin to refute the charge in
language pathetic. When ne COM
menced he would perhaps, have two
thirds of the audience his enemies but
at the conclusion of his speech he would
have them all believing he was the
most wronged and bitterly abused man
in Kansas. He never failed in gaining
sympathy and the people regarded him
as a martyr.
He had great holt on the people be-
cause he was always faithful 10 his
friends. His time was during the war
when he had a great many offices and
commissions to give out. When he died
he had all but one of the men who voted
for him for senator in some office and
that one exception was Governor Craw-
ford who would not accept anything. It
was the desire to be of help to mis- friends
that caused his tragic death.
How was that?'
Lane was insane when he committed
suicide In order to help his friends he
made a mistake in his attitude towards
Andrew Johnson. It was the mistake Of
his political career and it turned his
mind"
You knew Ed Ross, of course?"
81 think I was the man who was re-
sponsible for his election to the United
States senate"
And hence the man whom tradition
credits with being the cause of saving
President Andrew johnson from i'm
peachment?'
THAT is mistake. Ross was only one |
of seven Republicans who did not vote |
for the impeachment of Johnson. Any |
one of the seven could have voted for |
and cut the political head !
off the president and hence each one Of
the other six Is entitled 10 the claim of |
being the one that saved Johnson"
What did You think of the attitude |
taken by Kansas at the recent election"
II am sorry for it and believe the state
made mistake. / have been in all the
Early struggles of Kansas. including the
sacking Of Lawrence. and right or wrong. !
naturally think that Kansas made a
mistake and was guilty of great incon-
sistancy when it lined itself up with
eleven rebel slave holding states at the
'ecent election. II would be a hard MAJ
er To make a man like me believe other
Xise"