The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-20
PERPLEXED KANSAS POPS.
TIE TWo-sTEP, CONSTITUTION, AND
OFFICES WORRY THEM.

strucK their hrst rock in the MANAGEMENT OF
the affairs Of the State in the two.step. 1t has
been the custom Of Kansas to inau zurate its
chicf Executive TO the music Of the wSitz. It
has always been one Of the biennial events Of
the capital to have tho new Governor lead the
grand march. The newly elected officers of the
Populist party had no sooner got their cortih-
Gates OF election than the people OF Topeka be-
gan their preparations for a ball. But
TO their regret the State oficers-elect
did not tako kindly to the proposition,
and the chances are that the town will
BIO defrauded Of the spectacle of the hewhis-
kered yeomanry from the backwoods OF Coffey
and Jewell counties prancinG through the two
step. This was looked forward TO rs the best
show of the winter, and It will be q great disap-
pointment. Gov. Leedy has not learned the
two-step yet, but he is willing to try. He has
been one Of the leading spirits of the parties and
"socials" In Cofey county, and it Is said that at
the game of drop the handkerchief he has few
EQUALS. But he is naturally diH1dent about tho
more ~cxacting nmusements. G.. c. Clemens, the
legal adviser OF the party and soon to be the
Supreme Court reporter, takes n more favorable
view OF 1t. He says that the ball should 20 on.
Let our State officers and legislators rent
clawhammer coats and patent-leather Shoes"
he cxclaims in n manifesto issued through the
official party organ, while our ladies cut out
the entire front OF their dress waists and add
eighteen yards or so to their dresses; and Gov.
Lecdy will be not In 1t at all without a shirt
front diamond to shine upon the waxed dancing
\ floor as the locomotive headlight poureth forth
pts efruleenco upon the railroad right Of way.
style? Imagine Chief Justice Doster. with
pointed shoe toes, clawhammer coat, and "a
Collar he hns to stand on his toes to look over
IS II II were n tight board partition fence.
whirling and swishing his pointed coat tails in
the evolutions Of the Giddy waltz! Picture to
yourself Mr.. Justice Allen. his whiskers cut
into mutton-chop style, an elaborate white
heckcloth which 1t requires three women
and a boy to properly do up and ad-
just-fancy him as he shoulders several yards
of Miss lam Strictlyinit's rich dress tail. and
disports himself in the mad frolic OF a gallop!
Leedy must shave off that goatee OF his: for.
when yol come to look at It critically, really,
now. can that goatee be considered the correct
thing to wear at a fashionable jamborce like
this Is to be? Bush must not look SO pious. 4
Solemn look like that is not up to date. He must
initiate Bob Acres and practice before the glass
till he is master OF n reckless romantic mug. and
train his right optic to ogle the ladies and seem
'devilish sly Harvey. Boyle, Hetlebower.
and Morris will do very we'll - they look
wicked enough ~already-if they will take pains
to make up properly apd read up in the myster-
ics Of the german. But l am saddened at the
thought OF how some hayseed legislator will feel
when he discovers how out of date is the trous-
seau he will fetch up in his trunks! Some people
believed the newspapers the other day and sup
posed Breidenthal had gone somewhere to ex-
anime a bank. Some Of us know better. He went
to meet Botkin and Stryker and give them some
needed instruction in the art of cutting pigeon
wings and show them some of the latest steps
In the polka, as practised by the elite. Incl
dentally, too. It may be mentioned that one
evening last week a distinguished Populist, hap
peninG to call at the State House, heard a noise
as OF men ~scufling in the Bank Commissioner
private office, and prudently peeping through
the keyhole discovered Breidenthal ana Hefe-
bower In their shirt sleeves and with suspenders
at half mast. practising a double shuttle by
which they mean to surprise assembled fashion
ct the Inaugural ball. Oh. there is going to be a
sohe advises that the faithful clean of the
remains of the Alliance picnic dinners from
their clothes with gasoline and have their shoes
patched for the coming event. While he makes
fnn Of Il. the fact is that she chief opposition to
the ball comes from those who are afraid that
they will not make a good appearance on the floor
OF the State House.
But this is not all Of the trials of running the
Commonwealth. The matter OF a new ,Consti-
tuition is prominently to the.front- and the Pop
the matter. 4 series Of interviews with leading
Populists disclosed that not one-tenth OF them
9sa t fsaa a sweP layYh lines Of Sf f nsed PTssen a n aSsa ons Be:
cause Of the faults or the existing Constitution.
e One Sro mir, r. wr poi ,hs nsc,n IN thS n ne IND pasty
-"
dence Tint was to be rescinded.
1t was all right for Jeferson,s time. but we
have oEtgrOyed IT." he remarked to the inter-
viewer; IL Is time for a new one and we
little worse than the remark Of John Bre!den-
thai, the Chairman OF the State Committee
and in all probability the next Senator from
this State, that the Constitution over which
the heroes of the states early days worked out
the best that was In them IL a cowboy docu-
ment" Shades Of john Brown and Jim Lane!
But the party Is By no means a unit In this
Third district Populists, declares that 1t viii
support a convention only on the condition that
1 nos,i present. mt iS lis aIaaet + + 10 odT Se nS"!i ,hs nI amd
ositlOn. aLd makes IT the opinion OF the party in
its section. that the constitution is not needed,
and says:
I'll experience of the country shows that
constitutions. instead Of serving as barriers
bulwark and shield II whatever abuse of power
exists In the state or nation"
constitution might not be without It's uses, bnt
declares that It should not consist Of more than
two clauses, one providing for the holding OF
elections. the other for direct legislation.
The applause that the utterances OF the Kan
snn have received in certain quarters shows
plainly the tendency OF thought in the party.
be considered rs Significant Of tic entire party's
feeling. but IL Is at least an indication OF soci-
alisuc tendencies when such utterahces can
The collection OF bills that ia being made by
the legislators Is growing, 10 enormous proper;
tio'lhs nav - htAN A'sNAJ hAp.b f.N
when the session ends IL will not be the fault of
the members. They are prepared 70 make, the
world over. and will try to do It. II depends on
the influence of the leaders how far they shall
go. Mr.. Clemens is quoted as saying that " we
want radical legislation, for II we do not give It.
our party will be done mp, The argument Of
this section OF the party is that If the state y
not treated TO O good dose OF radical laws IL will
conclude that there is nothing in, popnlism more
than in any other party, and will turn the Pop
ulists down in 1898. The anxiety to pass a reso-
luton for a vote on Il new constitution springs
from tho idea that the State will be under tho
power of the Popullsts for q few years. and this
will give them a chance to make a new organic
law for the cOmmOnwealth-and whata delight
ful dream OF autonomy IL would be!
The appoint ments 50 far made do not suit the
rank AID nle OF the party. The Goyernor.s p-i-
yate secretary Is u former Republicans four
months convert. The Chief Justice appointed
a red hot Republican as his stenoGrapher over
twenty applicants from his own party on the
ground That he wanted a competent man.
What" exclaim. dozens OF Populist papers.
'are we TO be shelved for new recruits after
bearing the brunt Of battle all these years.
IL Ia n little hard. 10 be sure. but there are
many places at tho pie counter yet, Yet It may
be said that all tho party Is after them: In one
- .Ernnn M q fnr Annh