Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1897-02-18
Some Mistakes Of Leedy.

day and some one said that there
would be turning out Of the Pops in
two years more. He agreed and said
that that was probably 40. The Incl
dent may be SO or not, but the facts
are that the party Of Lewelling real
lies that the work that has been accom-.
plished so far in the present admins
tration Of the State has not been Of
the best and that unless there is .
change there will be victory for the
Republicans in two years that will be
Of the most overwhelming character.
Many causes have brought about
this feeling and nothing more than
the mistakes Of Leedy who has proved
in every way the greatest disappoint-
ment the party ever had. From the
time when he was nominated he was
acknowledged to be weak man for
the head OF the ticket. He was NOM
mated by a trick-that "blood blow
ing" speech OF his and Of which be
had the eifrontery to boast as having
fooled the delegates. But the tide Of
free silver and the "perfect fusion"
with the other dissatisfied elements OF
the State made the victory possible.
From the moment that Leedy took
his place--indeed from the time he
was certain that he was elected-he
has been making series Of mistakes
that are the surprise and disappoint-
ment Of the members Of the party all
over the State. Perhaps the greatest
mistake that Leedy has made as q
political move has been the reward
ing Of political treachery. The free
silver leaders were in the Pop cause
for no purpose Of good to the silver
movement. They we're there because
they had failed in some other ambi-
tions or because they saw chance to
get job. McNall had been the
seeker for the Republican nomination
and endorsement for congressman
and delegate to the st. Louis conven-
ton. He failed and then turned in
and helped the Populists whose
gathering he called ian insane
asylum" Turner was in the same
boat and Little had before him the
alternative Of retiring from politics or
waiting until other leading Republic
cans Of the district and Of his town
were ready to step down and out. All
three took chances in the lottery and
it won.
Lecdy as his first acts gave to them
the choice places in his gift
thus placing a premium on desertion
and making 1t seem to those who have
fought the fight all through the years
that they have been given the cold
shoulder in favor Of the eleventh hour
converts-as indeed they have. The
rank and file Of the party do not like
that manner Of doing things and they
cannot be blamed for it. In his ap-
pointments Mr.. Leedy has apparently
sought for some personal friend and
then for some one who was Repub-
lican as short time ago as possible.
The attitude OF the governor to-
wards the rank and file of the party
has not been of the suave and genial
kind that Lewelling used to dispense.
1t has been cross and gruif-a sort Of
if-you-do-not-like-it you may let it
alone style that is all right with kings
and dukes but does not 90 in the state
of Kansas. He has snubbed more
than one Of the leaders Of the party
who will never lift finger for him
again. He told Mr.. Cranston only a
day before the appointment of insur-
ance commissioner was made that it
was "all right In fact it was
"ixed" and free silver Republican
got it. That sort Of thing cannot be
kept up forever without the people
getting well acquainted with it. They
size up governor as they have sized
up Mr.. Leedy and it is with no very
good verdict either.
The appointment Of Rogers as one
Of the regents Of the State University,
after the fullest investigation proved
that he is not a fit man to be at the
head Of the institution, was an insult
to the educational interests of the
state. 1t has been so taken and the
outburst that ii has caused from the
leading Democrats like j. G. Lowe
has shown the light in which the Sc
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