The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-02-14
Pops Now Wish They Hadn't.

| the POPS 10 rule or make a rahtdnkerous eI
| fort to ruin. II demonstrates also the insin-
| certify of reform and the general incorn-
potency of Populism. 1t is evidence. too,
that the Pops of the house made a mistake
| in the very beginning by selecting Street
| Speaker. He is always the first man to
| lose his head and the last TO ascertain
where he is at. He gave out orders to ad-
nit nobody yesterday but members. en-
ployes and reporters and then took it all
| back. He sizzled and stammered and fell
| Gown generally all day. He absolutely re-
| fused TO recognize Republicans in the fore
| noon and then let Lobdeli get up and roast
him just before adjourning.
| II turns out that the whole thing was a
Republican trap and the Pops walked in.
| Most OF the measures filed were local re-
| quests by citizens of certain sections re-
| CARELESS OF politics If these should be
| squelched by the majority it would leave
| soreness not likely to heal before the next
election. 1t appears that Lobdell had agreed
| with Trueblood that local bills should ba
! ''omnibussed' through at night sessions,
| but on account of some misunderstanding
| Fitzgerald of Ford county made some OBJ
| jections to certain measures. Bradley got
up and roared till several Pops thought
! something was the matter: whereupon they
| Whereupon some man moved to adjourn
and war was averted.
Yesterday the Republicans considered
their success complete enough to retire in
pairs at intervals during the day and in
| dulge in a chuckle, while the Pops slung
their dirks and Kissed and fumed.
Senator Young's initiative and referen-
dunn resolution got through the senate at
last This means resubmission. The work
of the AUTHORIZATION men has been well
planned and smoothly executed, so far.
There have been some three or four
changes in modus lperandi since the open
ing of the fight. but no breaks have
come. 1t turns out now that Seaton's reso-
luton and some propositions relating TO q
constitutional convention were thrown out
in flank movement as a sort of blind, but
only few knew 1t. Most of the resub-
mission people thought the initio measure
was dummy, to be pushed in front, tow
ing Seaton's proposition, and would BIS
kicked aside at the proper time and pure,
undisguised resubmission scheme consum-
mated This was probably the plan of some
of the leaders in the early part Of the game,
but 1t was materially changed after the
first caucus of the silver men on the mat
The Seaton proposition was urged and agi-
tated continually to divert the attention Of
the Prohibitionists If the members of
both branches could have voted their in
dividual sentiments with the assurance
that it should in no wise operate against
them at home or subject them to the harsh
criticism of the strict Prohibition people,
resubmission would have carried easily
The fight would have been hard, but the
majority would have been safe The re-
submission leaders saw this but they, in the
first skirmish, also saw that a great many
OF the members wouldn't stand ffre-that
the proposition must be dressed up until it
passed review Of temperance leaders with
out suspicion. This was done, and the
mechanism Of the scheme was faultless
Seaton's resolution and Hackney's. for
amending the constitution in certain Sec
tons. were placed directly in front of the
Prohibs to divert their attention They
would place sentinels and organize a gen
eral protection guard to give information
OF every movement and fight every inch of
the ground. The ad-initio referendum-a
meaningless and clumsy term-would not
TALL under the ban Of suspicion. 1t was a
Populist measure-an original and majority
principle of the reform party. II would
escape the fiery scrutiny Of men and wo-
men who would go all agos over prospec-
tive results of the same prescription under
different label. And it did. The people
who fight names and terms went into a
war-dance over the Seaton measure. They
rushed into little side-show and set up a
circular stampede while the main process
sion went by on the other side. AS Dickens
said so often, they haven't tumble1 yet |
They are chasing the red light Of cynicism |
and helping 10 give the cranks an extension |
of time at the wheel. They have regarded |
resubmission the climax OF all evil and |
the depth OF treachery. but they fall to |
detect Evidence of its approach when not |
branded II will come under referendum
and II will not come alone. This referen- |
DUN VIII be an excellent pasture for night |
mares-a shaded common for freaks. II is |
a lever that fifteen men with fermented |
Evers can place across the backs Of eighty |
five sound men and proceed 10 pry the state |
government into cross-angled sections. I. I
will bring on many a ghost-dance for |
which thirty men will furnish the music.
II bring resubmission. so much feared by
the Prohibs, and brings all these things In |
addition,
But why complain. It is reform, which.
being interpreted, means giving cranks a |
show
Let Kansas get up on her hind legs and |
whoop for the brilliant progress of reform
And it would be in order for the Prohibit
tionists TO congratulate themselves for aid
ing Seaton's resolution. even though resub-
mission comes while they are doing it.
The grand rush here has entirely subsid-
ed. You can 90 into the Office of the Ma
tional hotel and walk clear across the Of
fice floor without walking over anybody or
vice verse. The fellows who we.a walked
oTe' have gone hoTc, with the bitter re-
solve 10 DO the walk over act The uss..es
at the nsxt election
AND they will do K. They are a class Of
.ellowa that are BAL: tina, way. TIA, is
their political faith and prac ice-Ioa,,s to-
day, hickers tomorrow. offics-ceekers al
ways. Tempus will fug!t along till the
next general election. when these reform
statesmen galore will go through the bien-
NAL process OF conversion. and bob up Sc
renely somewhere in the game "a candid
stes for congress. They will be defeated.
Of course. Most Of them Will begin that
way. Then they VIII go to the judicial
and air their notions of equity
IN the hope that they will be singled out
and given a comforta bic place on the bench
They will fail: and then the scramble for
county positions will begin. and when the
election Is over they vii be here again. The
grand jam ard tumble and see-saw Will
All be enacted again. Failing in their as
pirations 70 go TO congress OF TO be judges
1r county officers. they will want 10 be
Jerks secretaries, janitors. any ole thing
50 it's an Office They'll be here again
he same old crowd: undecided as 20 their
politics until after election. Their present
ntentious extend no further than 20 knife
he present administration and go after pie