The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-09-17
LEEDY MAKES A SPEECH
To Large Audience at Hamil-
ton Hall.
Efs Remarks Well Received By
His Hearers
Dwells at Length on Questions of In
terest to the State and Afterward
DiIates on National Questions

for governor on the fusion ticket, spoke
at Hamilton hall last evening. The
hall was about two-thirds full and
there were probably 1000 or 1900 peo-
pie present. The meeting was called
to order by Col. Fred Close, who intro
duced 5. NJ. Scott. Mr.. Scott spoke for
about Is minutes. Senator Leedy was
then introduced, and among other
things said.
one Of the speakers that was to
have been here this evening is detained
on account of being engaged In a muir
der case. Now, 1 am not engaged in a
murder case, and I am glad of it, but
I do hope to help kill off the gold bugs
in November. shall speak about ma
tional questions a good deal because
this nation has been enlarged and has
so much power that any campaign we
have, must necessarily be carried on
along national lines to a great extent
But first I want to say something in re-
gard to the position of our party in re-
gard to some questions in this state
our party has claimed that the state
of Kansas has the right to control the
corporations that she has created The
Republicans have claimed that We
ought to leave this to the courts and to
competition.
The question of transportation is
one Of the most important questions be-
fore the people, and there are three
things in regard to it that I want to
call your attention to- We claim that
the state should So control the rail-
roads that small shippers should have
the same rates as large shippers.
The railroads claim that they are
carrying corn for less than it costs.
Now this it not right They cannot
carry corn for less than it costs to car
ry il part of the time unless they charge
some one enough to make up for it at
some other time. and this is not right.
Last winter when the farmers were
selling corn the rates were maintained,
but now when the most of the corn has
passed out of the hands of the farmers
and producers, and is held by elevator
men, the rates are reduced so that it
can be moved.
Another thing which we object to
IS the giving of rebates to certain ship
pers- / want to call your attention to
the report Of Mr.. stephen Little, the
expert. who made an examination of
the accounts of the Santa Fe about the
time that the road went into the hands
of the receivers. This report showed
that q large sum ($7 900, 000) had been
drawn out by the officers and no vouch-
ers given for it. The officers said that
they had given it out as rebates. Now
before they could pay this money out
they must necessarily have to collect
The railway companies are not pro
ducers and have but two ways of rails
ing money for expenses One is
through the regular rates charged for
passengers and freight; the other is
by scaling down the wages of their en-
pIoyes.
should be taken from all of the ship
pers and given to a few. And We have
contended that the state should have
the right to see that the earnings of a
public corporation shall go to the prop
er places and be expended for the pur-
pose that the law intended.
Another thing we claim is, that the
railways shOld not be bonded for more
than it costs to build them. When a
road is bonded for more than it is
worth it has to earn enough money to
toe
and the only way it can do so is to put
up the rates of transportation and scale
down the wages paid its employees. In
Texas they have a law that when a
railroad is built they must show how
much it cost to construct it and it can
not be mOrtgaged for more. This law
has stood in that state and it is a ques-
ton Of policy whether it would not be a
good law to have in Kansas. Some
claim that the railroads are private
corporations but L cannot agree with
them"
The senator then gave as an example
the Wyandotte road which he said was
putt for $l,l00,OOO, and was purchased
at the mortgage sale for S65O,O00 and
then rebOnded for So, SOC, 900.
1t seems to me that we ought to
nave law that confines the managers
IN bonding a corporation to the cost of
construction Most Of the roads that
were built in Kansas cost about nine
thousands dollars per mile to build and
most OF them are bonded for about if
teen thousand What became of the
six thousand difference 1t did not go
into the treasury of the comDanv If
this had been the case the Santa F7e
would never have gone into the hands
or the receivers What we want is
equal rates to all shippers, laws pro
hibiung rebates ana COnfning the bond
ing to actual cost of construction
In regard to the financial question
the senator said: This year the Re
publican party has come out and we
know where they stand.
Gen. Foraker of Ohio in nominating
Mckinley, declared the Republican par
~ had always been in favor of a single
gold standard but was now more open
~ for it than ever before. If it was
5ustihable. if it was honest, if it was
fair. why didn't they state it before. 1
viii venture TO say no public man of
For&Ser'S standing ever before acknOW-
lodged his party had for % years been
advocating a policy that would not
bear the light. They had been under
cover Gen. Foraker voiced the senti-
ments of a crowd that has been betray-
ing the party and betraying the cOun-
try
The Republicans saw in one sentence
of their platform that free coinage win
bankrupt this country and at the same
time they say that they are willing that
soon as our good old grandmother
Queen Victoria, gives her permission
This is a new amendment to the age of
consent law 1t is not wrong if the
Speaking on the tariff NIr.Leedy SAYS:
The Republicans say the Mckinley
bill Will increase the revenue and will
decrease the imports and in the same
breath they say that it will start the
factories all over the country. Now I
don't see how it can do both of these
thlngs- In my opinion if we want to
bring prosperity we must increase the
purchasing power of the country. 1
thlnk We viii first have to get a mar
ket before we can sell. Why is it that
lot
because the farmers can't get prices
Tor their products and the laborers are
working for half pay
IN speaking of patriotism, the senator