The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-30
Snapshots at CounciImen.

4
no reneging on the part OF any member
Each man expressed his opinion and did
so unreservedly, with the exception of Sen
ators Lynch and Hammer, and they defend
their attitude towards the public questions
involved, by their votes. Mr.. Lynch has
not said eighteen words in the senate dur
ing the eighteen days OF its session, and
yet he is conceded to be one of the strong
est men in that body. He knows more
about men than he does about books and ne
knows more about the law that governs
| mems motives than he does of the laws
that govern parliamentary debate. Mr..
Lynch is a dashing man, with blue eye
that does not twinkle. HIS predominant
characteristics shines in it, and that il ag-
gress:veness. One can see very plainly
that Mr.. Lynch's friendship is better than
his enmity. He is the kind OF man who
| would walk on his stocking feet to the
| north pole to serve a friend and walk 10
the same point on his bare feet to square
| matters with man who had injured him.
He is very frank with both his friends and
his enemies. He is a typical Texas cow
man. of splendid physique, erect firm,
| square shoulders and fully six feet tall.
| He wears the regulation stockman's hat.
His great ability is in reading the minds OF
| men and then lining them up for action.
| Men get very close to him because they can
trust him In crisis he can set quietly at
| his desk in the senate and WELD more in
| nuence than any man in that body. Col.
johnson, president of the council. consults
him freely. He does not want the public
| to know that he is trying to concil:ate Mr..
! Lynch, but there is no doubt but what he
is doing it. From the standpoint of edu.
cation and culture Mr.. Johnson is the
ablest man in the senate, but there is an
! undercurrent of feeling that he lacks back
bone. He can be introduced better to the
| people of Kansas by lkening him to ex-
Governor Lewellng. He IS a very polite
and genial gentleman and possesses ability
as presiding officer. He is looking ahead
to the time that Oklahoma will be state.
at which time he expects that he Will be
able TO go to the United States senate. He
Is laying all his plans now with that OBJ
ject in view. He is making g specially
OF making himself solid with the Pop ele-
ment, bur 1t is doubtful If he can ever
Johnsonize that party. If he were more
radical and less cultured he could.
David P. Marum of Woodward-the gen.
tleman from the short-grass country. as
he is called-is also a strong man. He is
no orator, but he thoroughly understands
the ''ins'' and "outs" of parliamentary life.
stop them from doing whatever they may
choose to 90 in the senate. He allied him.
self with the Johnson faction at the start
and it was we'll for Mr.. johnson that he
did, for had it not been for Mr.. Marum
Mr.. Lynch would have defeated Johnson
IN the first bout they had, over committee
appointments Mr.. Marum Is educated,
has seen great deal of the world and is
strictly onto his job.
Mr.. Garrison of Grant county is the lead
or eff the PopuEst side of the senate. He Is
a man of considerable force. He is both
wise and honest and those traits give him a
prestige that is felt in the upper house. He
is the Cicero Of the senate, without the
sarcasm and the vanity. He belongs to
the Johnson faction.
John DeBois of Logan county is also
one OF the Leutenants of Colonel Johnson
He is Democrat and a man of some
ability along conservative lines. He is not
an eloquent speaker although he can al
ways command attention when he speaks.
Senator Henry Johnston of Noble county
is one OF the young men of the senate. He
is not more than so, ii that much. He has
some talents If they were organized. He be-
longs to the Lynch side Of the house. Mr..
Johnston has a great many of the elements
of an orator but, like his other talents, they
are disorganzed. II he is cautious he will
be a man of Importance some day. Per-
sonally, he is a man of good character and
good habits.
Mr.. Randolph Of Blaine county Is not so
strong a man as he was at first supposed
to be. He is the youngest man in the SEN
ate, being but Is years of age when ne was
nominated. He is an orator. but the great
trouble with him is that he INDUCES in ora
tory on every occasion that demands any
remarks from him. Oratory is gift only
in its own place. For instance, when a
man delivers an Grafton over a motion In
struct:ng the sergeant-at-arms TO purchase
two additional spittoons, then oratory is
ill-timed and absurd. II Mr.. Randolph
ever cultivates those strong traits that
characterize successful men in public Tfe
his oratory. if judicious, will make him a
power some day.
Mr.. Hammer and Mr.. Clark and Mr.. Gould
are all quiet men in their dispositions
They are men of good Judgment and have
very fine reputation for honesty. They |
seem to be conservative, too.
Mr. Fisher of Norman is a man Of con- |
siderable ability. He is simon pure Dem |
ocrat. untasnted by single suggestion OF |
Popullsm. He is well able to present any
proposition he desires to advance in the !
senate. He talks boldly and he does not |
seem to have any sympathy for the radi- |
cal ideas of PopuEsm. His position IN |
relation to the Johnson-Lynch factions is |
not so wsl defined as that of the other |
members, for the reason that he had to do |
some lively lodging when the fight was |
hot between the two leaders in the early |
part of the session. BY nature he is bet |
ter adapted TO follow Mr.. Lynch than Mr.. !
TOt-- Is No n
IN common between him and Johnson. while |
there is a great deal in common between |
him and Lynch.
Mr.. Brown of Lincoln county is the typi- /
cal Populist of the senate. He Is regular /
Kansas Populist and belongs to about the /
same school of Populism that Harry Ian
dis, or Brown Of Pratt does He is a man
of very fair ability and while he has no
particular influence in the senate, yet he !
participates very actively IN the work OF |
that body. He looks at every question /
through Pcpulist glasses
kingfsher county is represented by Mr.. |
Learnard, a very decent-lookins but terri
bly, impulsive man. He looks a great deal
like Jerry Simpson, and seems TO belong
to Jerry's school OF politics. Mr.. Learn
ard is liked by everybody who knows HIM
He might seem 10 be a demogogue TO some
people. but he is not. He honestly believes
that the people are getting the worst of IL
in this country and he honestly believes
that the legislature ought 10 step In and
The only trouble with Mir. Learn
ard is that he thinks the legislature should
DO what Is right, rather than what IS con-
stitutioral DAVID D. LEAHY.
The best explanation OF the PopuIist
feud IN Kansas al present is this: Lew
cling and Brei5enthal are at war Jerry |
Simpson and Harris have no use for Lew