Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-07-11
1T OCCURRED SIX YEARS AGO IN
KANSAS CITY.
H. B. KELLY THE GUILTY PARTY.
STARTED BRYAN OFF ON THE FREE
SILVER TANGENT.
Stryker Tells How
Easy 1t Is to Gull Preachers and
Teachers How n Gnrnett
Pop Failed to Get
Job.

Topeka. Kas.. July 1O.-(Special) The an
| nual meeting of the trans-Mississippl con-
| gress, to be held at Salt Lake next week,
recalls little political history that Is OF
| interest Six years ago, this organization
held its meeting in. Kansas City, No. Al
| that time there was a split over the money
question. The silver forces were led by
| the late Charles Crisp, Of Georgia, eX-
speaker of the house Of representatives.
1t happened that w. J. Bryan was 4 dele
gate from Nebraska to that congress. Dur
ing the early hours Of the fierce hSht
over silver. Bryan sat on the fence. lie
did not know which way to jump. Senator
II. b. Kelly was delegate from Kansas
and presided over the meeting. When the
fight was the hottest. Bryan went to
Kelly and asked which horn of the dilem-
ma he should take.
Il must confess that / don't know Wnat
to do" said Bryan. Il can't get it through
my head that free silver is what we want
or that it will bring us the desired relief.
You must remember" said Kelly. that
the West is favorable to silver. IL you
have any political ambition you had bet
ter not arraign yourself on the side of the
gold standard. 1t will mean your political
death in the West"
Il believe that's right" said Bryan
land l guess l will take the free silver
end of the deal"
Bryan did so and he has been free
silverite ever since. At that time his con-
victions were trembling I'm the balance.
Had it not been for Senator Kelly, it is
probable that Bryan would now be as
strong a goldbug as he is a silverite.
DO you know that school teachers and
preachers are the easiest marks in the
Al ,avs,
tendent Stryker 10 The Journal corre-
spondent the other day.
Il did not know it," was the reply.
We'll, it's fact. Preachers and teach
ers are the biggest suckers on earth. 1
am a teacher myself and can speak from
experience. | have been taken in so many
times that l don't believe a man could
sell me gold dollars for 50 cents now. Every
time a sharper strikes a town he hunts
up the preachers and teachers, and nine
times out of ten ne ropes them in.
Il well remember one instance where /
got beautifully soaked by a slicker. A
smooth-looking man who claimed to be
the agent of commercial house which
handled smuggled goods struck me. He
handled all kinds of stun. from suitings TO
socks. Well. before he left 1 had bought
complete outfit and had given him a check
for $50 in payment. Among other pur-
chases which ! made was some cloth for
a suit of clothes. He said his tailor would
be around the following week and would
make up the suit for me free Of charge.
/ kept the cloth for q month and almost
lost my right eye looking for that tailor.
But he never came. Then | took the
goods to the tailor in the little town near
by and. TO MY astonishment, found that
there was not more than enough cloth in
the piece 10 make a long Prince Albert
coat.
This slicker employed a Hveryman to
pilot him around over the country l saw
the liveryman one day afterward and he
told me that the sharper only called
preachers and teachers. as he said they
were the biggest suckers alive. The Kan
sas school teacher and the Kansas preach
er should take warning and not bite at
snaps. They will get left every time. But
warning doesn't do a teacher any good
He is even too big a sucker to take warn
ing"
An impUdent Pop of Garnett talked HIM
self out of a good paving position at the
Attorney General Boyle had promised to
get him a place somewhere and had been
doing a good deal OF skirmishing to find a
good job for him. At last Mr. BOYLE sight
ed d good place at the reformatory and the
board agreed to name the man. Boyle sat
down and dictated a letter 10 the Garnett
Pop. telling him TO enter his appearance at
Hutchinson Immediately. While the stem
ographer was transcribing the letter the
postman brought In bunch of letters to
Mr.. Boyle. and among them was one from
his Garnett friend. II read:
Dear Friend Boyle:-I was down at Fort
Scott few days ago and was told why I
had not got a place. They told lIe there
that If | would send you $50 you no doubt
would find me place. ] haven't the cash
now. but If you will get me a position / will
pay you out of the first months salary"
Turning 10 his stenographer. Mr.. Boyle
sald. rear up that letter 10 --- --, at
Garnett. and send him this:
My Dear Sir:-I had obtained YOU a
place and expected to send you word to-
day. but your insolent letter has caused
me to change the programme. II you get
a position under this administration now il
will be over my protest. Yours truly.
L. c. BOYLE"
Lyman Naugle, of the wellington Voice
one of the most influential Populist editors
I'm. the state, in this weeks issue of his pa
per warns the state administration that
unless Lswelling is removed from the board
of railroad commissioners trouble can be
expected next year. He says:
This is not a personal matter with US:
but we want to publicly admOnish this ad-
mnistration that if they choose TO ignore
the damaging developments against this
man Lewelling. cover up his shortcomings
and sustain him I'm \ position of trust
a quasi Endorsement Of 'boodleisrn lin the
face Of the defiant attitude Of the fallen
who says the administration dares not
move for his removal-there will be trou-
bic ahead. II is time to speak right out in
meetin'. There are those in the Peoples
party Of Kansas who have an interest in
posterity are wrapped up in it-who will
not submit 10 see IL pass into the hands of
boodlers and tricksters without a strug-
gle.
The people are persuaded that If such
fellows as Lewelling can survive and WELD
an influence on the partys affairs regard
less of his undoubtcd merCenary infaruy
our last state Will be no better than our
first. and that II we would commend our
party to the Judgment of the sturdy honest
ycomanry Of Kansas we must show cur
selves strong enough to cast off such char
aCters. Much less should they he allowed
to publicly defy our officials who have the
power to make or unmake them"
The federal Democratic oficehoIders and
the Democratic press are having consid-
cradle TO say these days about civil sery-
ice. They are gloating over the fact that
have even got II figured out that the big
four Republican OffCeholderS - marshal
pension agent. United States attorney and
collector OF internal revenue-Wfll not he
of their chief assistants. But when the
time comes for the big four to take their
positions, Democratic deputies will be hunt
irg lobs just the same. There are ways
prescribed TO get rid Of obnoxious subordi-
mates. even under civil service rules, and
ii would not be difficult to rake up charges,
and substantiate them. too. against some
of the chief deputies who are talking the
loudest about how civil service rules are
going to keep them in Office.
The radical element Of the fusion Popu-
lists are trembling with fear lest the mid
Of Kansas will jump in
and Eobble up the socialistic principle This
is about the only ism left for the Pops
and the radicals In the fusion crowd don't
want to be forced to adopt a principle after
the middle-of-the-roader have taken il up.
G G. Clemens is tearing his shirt over the
. his crOv-G m Gaola ra e.,