The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-29
Story Of a Timid Minority.

Story Of Timid Minority.
ropeka. Kan. Jan. H-(special)-Foli
!cai strife at the capital Is not wholly RI
! diculous Here is tale of unrealized pur-
/ puse that would be more pathetic could II
be more fully known.
On Saturday before the Inauguration OF
| the new state officers. Monday. January
| IL, there appeared in the crowds about the
state house and hotels little Old man
| with a short, bushy, gray beard, wearing
/ a big black hat that had evidently been
| a longe time in use. His coat, once blue
| had been patched and re-patched ana
| patched again. till it was less of blue tnan
any other OF the many colors IL pore
There was such a stoop in his shoulders
! that II seemed to be painful for him TO noid
| his head high enough to walk. He moved
about with more care than speed. his
eyes were pale, but pleasant. He was
quiet He always appeared as early as
( the earliest in the morning and was among
| the last to leave the streets at night. No
| body seemed to know where he came from
! CT where ne went. He could be seen any
/ time from o'clock in the morning TIL ~
o'clock at night going from the Dutton
hotel to the National from the National
to the Copeland, from the Copeland to
| the state house, and then back again, with
| about the same actions and the same ap-
| parent purpose. He was tirnid Not once
iii a dozen times did he venture to go IN
| side any OF the hotels or offices in the
state house. Fifty times or more he went
| UP to the front door Of the National hotei.
! locked in through the big glass front and
| went away, silent. Then ne would return.
| slip in stand off to one SIDE against the
1 oil md
| many"
| Sometimes he would ask: do you know
Guvner Leedy?" Then, almost before one
had time to reply, he would hurry on as
if there were a penalty for asking. He
! occasionally bought copy Of. the Evening
Journal or morning Capital, but he always
| inquired if 1t contained list OF appoint
ments by the "guvner."
| Frequently on his ceaseless tramp up
| and down the street he would go across to
| tie postoffice, take 4 crumpled piece OF
| paper from an inside pocket and write
Then, tearing it into strips, ne would NUT
| ter: But, there's so many" and turn
again to HIS fruitless and lonely march.
Nothing could be found on these little
pieces Of paper but the words: ito guv-
ner leedy." He seemed to want "Guvner"
, Leedy's help in some way, but the thought
|
him and he never could get further in
| could assist him.
At the inauguration he got behind the
crowd just inside the door, where he could
| see little and hear less, and al every rustic
or sign Of applause he would inquire If the
| 'tguvner' had come. After Mr.. Leedy had
! become governor in fact the little old man
! in patches would go around to the door
| of the chief executives Office, stand at a
| comforta BILE distance and watch the crowds
| go in for awhile, then slip away, because
| there were so many" But he never
| dared to go inside, lest he should become
] known or be asked what he wanted So
| he tramped on down the corridor and the
| big stone steps in the hope that he would
| find somebody or something to help him,
| or that his courage would be holder the
| next time and he would walk right in and
see the gunner But every attempt was
the same, and resulted the same, and the
/ little old mans courage never grew a par
| t!cle from the first day.
] After the first week of the legislature was
I gone and so many places had gone with
| it, the old mans visits were less frequent
at the governors office, and OCCASIONALLY
he would stop in some darker place and
| count over the coins he had and go on as
| before, looking ANXIOUS now, and saying
| to himself still: There's so many"
! Again and again / asked him if he want
| ed to see Mr.. Leedy; asked him where he
| lived; if I could do anything for him. But
he would begin his answer half way down
| the line and say he guessed he must go
| back tomorrow, for the 'the guvner's so
| busy-and there's so many"
Not once did he mention any business
or any desire, but Saturday, when the
blizzard came rafting down the streets,
| he said: II must go home tomorrow.
! Liza will be disappointed, but the guvaer's
| So busy and there's so many. Itll be
| ruthcr hard this winter-GenrT Logan
| was good-I remember the way he helped
| me that winter i had such a hard time
| down south during the war; but then.
| there's so many here. Do you know Guv-
| ner Leedy well?"
| Then he pulled his old patched coat OF
blue more closely around him, went down
| TIE steps for the last time, down the
street through the bitter cold and away.
telling no desire, giving no purpose, and
| yet disappointed, because there were so
many"
Senator Harris in his speech yesterday
marked out the future of the Populst par
| ~; that is the party will slip along call
| tiously, and il 1t is necessary to be con-
| servat;ve, TO continue, conservatism viii
| 60. In the face of the party platform and
| all the bitter denunciation corporate power
| received at the hands OF Populist orators
/ last fall. Senator Harris says:
| ''In the great work OF distribution the
| two factors which are the greatest i'm
| portance are finance and transportation.
| 1t is not strange, therefore, that the pub
| lie mind everywhere should be concentrst-
ed upon these two questions as of prime i'm
portance and vital interest.
When We come to solve the questions
| pertaining 10 these. We find. first, that
| the use OF great corporate power IS abso-
| lutely essential. No great work requiring
| the concentrated efforts Of many men and
requiring time, vastly in excess of the du-
ration OF any human life. can be affected
without the ad OF these artificial creations.
| II is absolutely necessary that we should
| have corporations and II Is. therefore, rot
| against corporations in themselves that any
! reasonable or legitimate objection can be
| made. Il Is equally and unquestionsbly
| true that the abuse OF corporate power.
| its extension hey ond It's proper legal sphere
| ana its encroachments upon the field o:
| individual acton, has attracted the etten-
ton OF the ablest minds Of the country,
regardless Of party; and il Is, therefore,
| think in the direction of these abuses that
practical, reasonable and legitimate effort
must be directed.
1t is singular. TOO. that the only part OF
Mr.. Harris speech which was spplsu5ea
with appIsus. :nat could be called ap-
| plause was his aIlusion to Ire tsrs1 ques-
| ton. in which he said
''On the tariff. IN Difference 10 the ex-
pressed viii OF the people. I shall. while
recording and explaining my vote a. op-
posed TO the idea Of protection a. the ss-