Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1897-02-27

has been the matter with Kansas is
to recall a story of Uncle Chester
Thomas, who used to be the boss in
Topeka politics. The old man was
rarely disturbed, but one time, when
his life in Topeka, he lost his head.
That was the campaign in which the
old man told his cohorts to 'Chur fer
'em, boys: chur fer 'em, but vote agin
EN- II was election day when the
old man had been quietly circulating
around the polls, distributing rewards
OF meritand increasing the per capita,
when he suddenly turned and rushed
back to his office where his friends
were gathered, and painted desparing-
ly: 'BoYS-boys, for heavens sake send
some one down to the Fourth ward:
them idiots there have been for three
hours voting just as they damn please
That's principally what's the mat
ter with Kansas. We haven't been
.3ie TIL last fall to vote as we pleased
as we damn please YOU prefer
the Latin For SIX or seven years
Kansas has been under the spell of
tsSilstt- ~, tifiS- rom 1851 10 1871 All
parties Wet with one another in put
tiu.' tommy rot into their platforms.
You gent 'eiuen here in Ohio have
doubtless noticed with CONSERVATION.
froiu time - time. what fadS. what
fOoi i>Ius. " i--it rank n0neSenSe. have
p:iSSed curreat TOR republican iSm at
Oae time o. tnotfer. out in Kansas.
~ f.asl inr Pan srr
the first time. the republicans in his
district stnie his platform bodily, and
t.len absoived the republican nomi-
nee froaa TIE -Fiaev he Tf5idfnrF
ny the house cau-us. The people
couldn't vote rs they pleased. I;ley
had to choose the less violent OF tive
luIaticS- For years Il crowd OF fei-
lows dominrte,i the republican party
in Kansas. whose motto was 'MolasSea
catches more flies chan vinegar -
Il result, the state platform was often
more of IL fly trap than a declaration
of republican principles. These gen
tlemen saw that Kansas was built OF
the installment plan, To be paid for
in small monthly payments. They
preached bogus way out of debt, be
cause they believed that it was sure
way into office. They used to tip-toe
around among the delegates at con-
ventions telling them what was the
smooth thing to put in the platform.
These political economists of the soft
soap school would stand proudly on
platform recommending moonshine as
legal tender, endorsing astrology,
declaring for blue grass and the bare
foot cure, pledging the party to vege-
tarianism, and whoOping it up for the
free and unlimited coinage of flap
doodle. Think of what Kansas es-
capped with these ghost-dancers, lead
ing the conservative party for half a
dozen years. The wonder is not that
the state went for Bryan, but rather
that it did not go for the Rev. Irl
Hicks. and George Francis Train.
when the national republican par
ty last fall demanded honor and cour-
age from its men, this smooth thing
gang in Kansas organized itself into
a phalanx that came tumbling head
or heels into the populist party. They
left Kansas to vote as she pleased
And when the people were sure that
these fiim-flam game fellows were
gone, they cast the largest republican
vote ever polled since the day when
Kansas was the banner republican
state in the Union. That Kansas in
creased her republican vote after the
six years course in Mysteries indicates
a courage. an intelligence, and an in
tegrity among the people, that should
your respectful admiration.
From horse play to a few thousand
votes short of horse sense, is long
jump. but Kansas made it.
1.-The people were SO glad to get |
chance to vote as they pleased, to face |
an honest issue. squarely, to see the |
slimey old barnacles scraped off the |
republican ship, they were so glad to |
find party above its. politicians, that /
they piled up a republican vote which |
was defeated by narrow margin. on