The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-03-18
Kansas Populism's Rearpuard.

l x
Topeka. Kan, March Especial Jon
| the theory that the game goes with the
name. ex-Chief Justice David Martin has
| formed law partnership with Attorney
General Boyle and Ed Little and the first
Po2ulisr law firm of the state viii open
| UP en- Office here over the Central Ma
tional bank next week.
Ex-senator H. B. Kelly. who once made
the best speeches against fiat money and
government ownership Of railways Of any
man in Kansas except Joe Ady. is two
| arms thick with the Pop hangers-on here
and makes redhot talks for free silver and
| maximum tax law. From an influential
politician with a good reputation the state
over. he has slid down to the obscurity of
a very ordinary Populist pie-hunter.
Governor Leedy went to Port Arthur,
Texas. yesterday to take q rest from the
cares of state and, incidentally, TO select
terminus for the Auror-Boreals railroad
that the Nebraska and Kansas majorities
propose to build. During his absence Leu
tenant Governor Harvey sits in the exc
cutive office chair and has signed two bills
overlooked by his exceilency John w.
Leedy. This doesn't add anything TO the
value or force Of the bills but, since It
doesn't harm anything and affords Mr..
Harvey some very dignifed pastime, no
objection ought to be raised.
The supreme joke of this session of jokes
is Speaker Streets boast that this is the
first legislature in the history OF Kansas
in which there was no appeal from the de-
cision of the chair. And he calls Charley
Martin to witness the truth Of the state
ment. Mr.. Martin was Streets ever-pres-
ent prompter and, while he ought not TO be
called on to compliment himself, he Is in
a position to appreciate the record.
There are scores of more or less promin-
ent POLITICAL loafers around the state house
yet who insist that there will be SPECIAL
session called upon Governor Leedy's re-
turn from Perth Arthur. They assign no
particular reason more than their own OPP
inions that it ought to be done and that
Governor Leedy thinks 1t ought to be done,
and while they admit that the majority
sentiment is against any further expense
for legislation, they say an agreement will
be reached by which most of the expense
will be obviated and that the maximumes
will never lie down till a Populist railroad
law is enacted.
The effort to secure pledges for a maxi
mum rate law Saturday morning was I'M
satisfactory and 1t is known that Cover
nor Leedy had about given up any further
attempt when he left for the south yester-
day morning. He is willing, however, and
anxious, to reconvene the Legislature II
there is any assurance OF getting a rail-
road law but an extra session without this
result would mean swift destruction for
Populism and the more Governor Leedy
centemplates the matter. the more remote
he considers the probability OF securing
10
probable that he will return from the Gulf
with is brain cleared and only the shadow
of a desire to monkey with the buzz saw
by raking I'D another legislative tumble.
Mr.. Louie Boyle, who is the dimpled at
torney general for the Populist party OF
Kansas took his moonlight smile and went
to Kansas City yesterday for the purpose
Of making the nasty stock yards ashamed
of themselves. The injunction suit Is set
for hearing one week from tomorrow and
IL Mr.. Boyle can't effect a compromise, ne
says, he will give the stocks yards an OBJ
ject lesson on the power of reform Of
course everybody in Kansas wants to see
the extortioners slapper into the proper
attitude toward the common people but II
the attorney general would use more law
and less lickawhanny most people would
express more confidence in the result.
Quite a number of inquiries have come
to me as to whether the general fee and
salary bill ever got to the governor or
whether it has been signed. 1t was hacked
around and changed and redrafted tiu
most people lost the run of it but it finally
got to the governor and will be law as
soon as it is published IN the official paper.
None of the reductions are absolute, de-
pending, all the way through, on the popu-
lation, but, on the whole, about 10 per cent
is taken off salaries as they stand now.
County attorneys came out of the scramble
with less injury than the officers, their
salaries being raised in several cases.
AUSTIN Z. NEAL.