The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-04-17
GOVERNOR LEEDY'S PLAN.
ne Proposes Road Through Kansas
to the Tidewater.
10.BE BUILT AND OWNED BY PUBLIC
He Says Kansas lis Independent and
Now Seeks Financial and Poliu-
cn1 Afhiintion with the south.


Kansas remarks before tho associted
deep water committee yesterday evening:
Perhaps the most singular the most
ratuous s;atecraft which history records
is that which has within the last sixty
years permitted all the great highways
of traffice and commerce 20 escape from
the public, 10 which In all epochs and
In all countries they Rad always belonged.
and to pass into the control of purely
private interests. AZ natural result
the public highways waich exist oalv
by the favor of the government and for
me benefit Of trade, Instead oil being adj
ministerei for tie advantage of those
TO whose laws their existence is due. arc
managed to furnish revenue for private
citizens whose only purpose is to swell
their rocketbooks at the expense of the
men who sc oddly have given them the
ROVER to do so. All this mas been done.
though rapid and economical access to the
scahoard is absolutely essential to the
very existence OF agriculture in the in
terror OF the United States. The flrn-
ing communities must and snail have rea-
soEable rates for the transportation of
rates, the great p.a.ns Il The Norm OF
you VIII become uninhabitahlc. Great
corporations and party icae.els must learn
TINS lesson of their own accord or lie
taught 1t, rod in hand. The shortest line.
IRON Kansas TO Salt water brings US
through your state OF TeAas. TINS line
Is me simple and natural course OF trade
ana trdific IRON the farms OF the interior
10 ne consumers OF llurupe. The only
question is: DO the people of Texas want
our business?
For the FIRST time in her history. Kansas
finds herself in position OF political lnl
m f!clli independence. \ the close of
tne war there was formed a clbal OF po-
llt!cal huccaneers whose headquarters
We're COATED on Manhattan island. aud
VINO started In with the deliberate inten-
uon OF robbing the entire country by the
botdlns OF all kinds OF private enterprise
ana also municipal corporations through
one means of tlaihls at the ballot box.
i MS oulnt began in the South by filling
~ up Win a. lot OF unprinclDlcd dema-
goEucs. VINO taking advuntage of the fact
that the whites had been dlsframchised
and the negroes enfranchised, proceeded
10 Organize Inc negroes into a sepa1-t lie
political body and had themselves foisted
mo oiHce. so than they might be In a
position TO forward their. nefarious
put upon 1t by the carpctbag regime IN
beafuble. proceeded to protect Itself nv
the only means possible, that is, by driv-
ing from power the mAn who were load
ing II up with public bonds and mort
Edges, for which no public improvements
or other equivalent was given, an act
upon which the mature Judgment Of the
American people has pass no crit 'cism.
nut on the contrary, has set The seal of
at least its tacit approval in Justification
OF their course. Though This remedy
was a lil'le hate II was etfectual, ana by
II the South In some measure recovered
their position of financial and political in
g,.pcudencc
Kansas was largely settled by inhabi-
tAnis of the Northeastern s aice who. TO-
geiher with the many virtues and noble
qualities Of the people Of that region.
brought with them che habit of turning
their eyes Eastward for all their inspri-
tons Being tlrecly a community of eX-
+odlers win whom. uailrally fingered
some of the amino stiles OF the great sfrftg-
gle. j. was some inn before they began
10 nelghhor with the people of the south
whose interests were similar TO the.rs
and u2 ill 1880 governed by the force of
habit aud association, thcy. w.thow reni-
ztng, followed the lead and accepted the |
lctation of the WALL street gang who |
" Tres In he councils of what they regard |
ID as their friends
At this time came the revolt OF the |
Alliance. which was the FIRST real politl- |
al resistance made against the domina- |
ION of corpora, IONS IN Kansas. rhe poo |
Die succeeded IN electInG n t'nitoi States |
II the legislature. They Immediately pro- |
losod some legislation tending to curtail |
he privileges n corporations, tho abrjise-
mont Of their powers. and the regulation |
Nj once we worn notified by Wall street |
nat Kansas was so deeply in debt that
The could not afford to make resistance |
% their demands, because If she did so I,
We would ho forced to lquldate our in
lehtedness TO them. which meant ruin and |
'ankrur'cy for many of our citizens |
continue this resistance, with tho result
hat Wall streer creditors at once pro-
'eedcl TO press their claims for settle
nent. The result has been that since
hat time, kunsas has paid fully 30 ner |
'ent of her Indebtedness, and while this |
las been done under. gold standard. and
It an immense sacrifice of property, vet |
or the reason that we have paid half |
'ur Indebtedness ard are fully and album
lantly able to pay the other half, We are |
n position TO assert our Independence |
II Wall street domination. and feel that |
VI this time Wall street needs our friend |
hip good deal worse than we need |
money, and being in that condition. Kan, |
az will not ronew political and financial |
alliances with "A people who always and |
N every occasion when they inquired |
How Is IT with thee, brother?" have put |
'athcr come TO rho South whose inhab-
ants, while they fought us fairly in the |
'pen field, have been generous AMI |
iorast foe. and who have quietly gone
dong since tho war, attending TO their
'wn business and have oyincei no de-
Gre to plumber and rob their neighbors
political and financial alliances with those
whom she feels she can trust. AMI we |
lesire TO bring forward Il proposition that
ec believe would largely tend 10 bring tho
'eonle of Texas and Kansas into financial |
md social relations and political accord
I seems 10 me that our interests ARE idcn-
loal and that the time is opporturo for |
he taking of such steps rs we desire -
,ropose This IS to build n railroad |
through tho state of Kansas ani South to
ldewator, built entirely by public money
% that there are no private Interests 10
crve. and for The purpose of not only re-
mcing freight rates a question, that. ov-
ng 10 our distance from tldewater, Is ~
much more Interest TO US than YOU. but |
Ilso to give value and stability 10 the |
'rces of real estate. If our republican
,rethren are right ,hey have. by bring
np VS. to gold standard. given us such |
liability In the value OF moncv ne thev |
lesre, but IN doing they have largely de-
troycl the Nnluo of all other kinds %
In order TO offset this as far az
va may, It seems to me that the best step
q he taken would he for for Western |
states to buld highways from the Gulf |
iorth that arc controlled by the public. |
10 that persons owning property along the |
inc of ynh road. and also nersons who
night desire to build manufacturing
,lants could have rhe assurance that |
While grass grew and water ran thelr
,roperty would be ccmnscated by the
and extort'on of goods con
Iucted In private hands. In order 10
how YOU tho effect of n thing Of this |
;inf. ] desire 10 call your al-tention TO the |
'itics thu: are located alonE the Erie
anal betwo,u Albany and BuWAlO,