The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1896-08-21

after ascertaiEing the condition OF his sick
boy, he goes 20 the butcher shop and II at
that hour he meets any one he may De
iRyeigled into an argument which often
lasts until a messenger is dispatched Tor
him by members of the family who want
no politics before breakfast, The campaign
is getting hotter all the time around here
and Senator Leedy viii probably be Ce-
posed from his position as purYeyoF OF
FOOD for breakfast The pOstOfhce is MS
destination the first thing after break
fast. Here he gets a huge BUM
die OF papers. he arries them 70 an
easy chair. under a shade tree in his front
yard, and deYOufs their contents greeGlly
The balance Of the day is spent in answer
ing letters, and in receiving numerous visit
oFs. Senator Leedy wishes II UNDERSTOOD
that while he attempted, at first, to answer
letters OF congratulatton, he has round II
impossible TO do So He desires to express
his hearty appreciation OF the kind senti-
mentss and takes a great delight IN read
ing the letters, although he nn0s II I'M
possible TO answer them.
Senator Leedy has no iron bound political
convictions, He believes that party fealty
is not paramount 10 public welfare. his
early training gave him a prejudice against
the Democratic party but when Horace
Greeley left the Republican party Leedy
Joined the Democrats and was a faithful
worker In the ranks although ne did not
take such active interest in the work as ne
has later on. AIteTWaFd ne Joined the Pop
ulists, but he has a kindly feeling for the
Democratic party and since Bryan's nOml-
nation and the adoption Of the Chicago plat
form he feels that the Democrats are on
the right road and is in hearty sympathy
with the party. His own account OF now
he became a politician is a case which prob
ably has no parallel
80 long as 1 was making a good living
for myself ana family on the farm, said
Senator Leedy, Il took very little interest
in politics From the time Of my marriage
1 became a tenant farmer in Illinois, after
which ! moved to Kansas and bought q
farm near here, At first We did well, and l
was happy and cOntented. We worked hard,
IN return for which we had the ordinary
comforts Of life and we're enabled to put
Dy little each year. Then times com
menced getting bad. / did not mind il so
much at first but after year OF hard
times 1 found that in spite OF unusual ex-
ertlons and economy / was getting poorer.
1 wanted to know why it was. l began
studying economic questions, and learned
that John Sherman and his colleagues were
putting through a scheme which was old
enough for everyone to recognize ii and
which was steadily taking money away
from the poor mans pOcketbOok to the COT
ters OF Wall street and to foreign banks.
The same thing was done after the revOlu-
( uOnary war, and 1t is strange We did not
recognize this later scheme sooner. AS
soon as had gotten at the real cause Of
financial depression, or what l believed to
be the real cause of it, 1 felt like a con-
Verted sinner and wanted to convert others.
/ began telling my neighbors what ] had
learned, and after awhile, to my intense
surprise, I was nominated for State Sen
ator. felt that I did not know enough
about the questions of the day to fill the
ONCE in an acceptable manner, and 1 de-
termined to qualify myself as far as pos
sible. With that purpose in view 1 re-
neWed my study.
zone day I received a bill in which it
was announced that I was TO make a NUM-
Der of speeches at an adjacent town. This
phase Of the matter had never struck me
before, OF course, I should have known
that one Of the duties Of a candidate for
office was speech-making. Now, at that
time I had never made a speech in my
life. I had learned a great many things
that I thought others ought TO know, and
found 1 could tell it well enough in private