The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-03-11
Twixt Devil and Deep Sea.


| tons af1oat as to whether this session viii
| be extended or a special session called OF
| whether there viii be any further attempt
| at railroad legislation at all. The only th:nl
| that made the matter doubtful was the
number of votes that could be counted or
| for maximum rate in the event an extra
| session should be called. After a solid
weeks work and all the hammering of the
| governors veto the maximumers were able
| TO rake together only nineteen votes in the
] senate and decided TO put off any special
session efforts TIL the latter part of April
| or the first of May
Governor Leedy refused to talk yesterday
morning and pretended to put the whole
responsibility of any extended session on
| the shoulders OF the legislature but he hac
made up his mind to reconvens that body
| if there was any show to pass such rail
road law as the party was pledged to. He
| had ordered a canvass and recanvass OF
both houses and the final poll was made
| last night after the veto had been read.
The governors word, however, had failed
to make any material change in the situa-
ton and the administration steerers decid-
ed that there was nothing at this time to
/, warrant the expense of any special ses-
SION.
Sentiment here seems to indicate that the
members will be allowed to go home and a
| school house revival of old-fashioned Pop
| ulism will be inaugurated all over the state
after which the wayward and unruly will
come back to a special session in hearty
| humor to support a maximum rate and
| genuine Populist measure on assessmen
! and taxation.
Governor Leedy's action In yetoing the
bill is generally approved among Populists,
| but those who fail to see that he has doni
right are simply Disguised and mad. Dos
! ter. Clemens, Stryker, s. NJ. Scott of EN-
poria, Brown of Pratt. Speaker Street and
! Senators Householder. Titus and Arm
strong are warm in their support of the
governors course and say that any other
would have been out of harmony with the
| doctrines of the party.
| However strong the sentiment and de-
sire for an extra session, hardly any of the
leaders will commit themselves either for
! or against the plan and while the majority
sentiment now is undoubtedly in favor of
making a special effort in May or June 10
get the Populist party into good standing
with the legislature, the proposed revival
efforts may be futile and result in vital
change of policy and plan.
Speaking about mythology, the Populist
party Just now is between the devil and the
deep sea, and the tide is coming in.
The only thing that outnumbers the bro
ken promises of the Pop legislators here Is
the number of doorkeepers, sergeants and
useless employees.
Governor Leedy received thirty-eight long
petitions requesting him to veto the Harris
railroad BILL saying it would be counter
ancing treachery, and thirty-nine just as
long asking him to sign 1t on the plea thai
half loaf is better than nothing.
G. c. Clemens petitioned the legislature
in a long memorial to change his name to
Dennis. because he considered that he has
been sat upon from the drop of the hat in
this administration. If Mr.. Clemens had
asked that the name of the entire For
party be changed to Dennis he might have
secured the graceful acknowledgements of
a fate that this legislature has made inc
vitable.
There are several members on the Pop
side of the house now who, when they send
over for Santa Fe passes, get answeres If
white envelopes that are dropped into the
house postoffice instead OF being delivered
by Railroad John.' as the Irish Paddy
who carries the passes over is called.
II wish YOU newspaper men would go
home" said Representative Graves. a good
Populist from Leavenworth county
We've got a lot of windy fellows on our
side that have done nothing since the be-
ginning of this session but talk to the re-
porters table. They don't think or care
about business. They want to make hot
speech and see their names IN big print
and they have Grated this legislature al
most to death. If we hadn't any press table
We would have done more business
Charley Lobdell is tired of the shortgrass
country and has arranged to move to Lea
ve1worth, where he will conduct the Lea
wentworth Standard, even at the risk of be-
ing superseded in he 'egislotu
TIE dooraespers Of the house and senate
refused to let cy Gland in on his face and
the aprle-jack manipulation had to get spec
;al permission from the presiding officers of
both houses ard Z nearly always happens
tnat Whatever measure is pending when HI
appears Is Immediately kicked to death on
the PopUlist side. The surest way to set
the reformers against a bill is to have Cy
Representative Walters of Labette, who
introduced a bill to enact the ten COM
mandments into law. has received gunny
sack of letters of all kinds pro and con.
One, which encloses a newspaper clipping
in regard to the bill, Is from a railroad en-
ploye in Nebraska and says:
"Mr. Walters:-You viii know what am
talking about by the enclosed clipping.
You're a bird. You're a daisy. You I'M
doubtedly hack a heap of mustard in Kan
sas. OF all the gol-blasted idiot Pop re-
formers, the chin-chin cranks. the timber
headed nincompoop and blow-hard pol;ti-
clans you certainly take the bun. Shake.
You have my sympathy and you ought 10
have good booting. I'm anything but
your, y. o. Pop"
State Superintendent Stryker can't talk
through a telephone. He tried 1t three
or four times when he first went into the
Office. Now he always sends his ass!stan;
or stenographer IL they are present and IL
they are out the bell might ring til dooms |
day and superintendent Stryser wouldn't |
go 10 the phone |
Frank FARRELL Of the Kansas City Times |
says, and the other boys agree with him |
heartily. thar the present secretary OF the |
senate IS the SWEETEST, most consummate !
and undisputed ass that has hsld Httle |
Office about the legislature in the last seven |
years He struts back and forth through |
the corridors az II the legislature and the |
whole state government was there by MS |
leave He acts as IL the main purpose OF /
his Office was TO disconlmode newspaper |
and Il is said that ne sleeps with /
petitions, committee Recommendations snc 1
bills wrapped in pillow slip sad siune-
down his pants leg 10 keep the boys from /
saet1g them