The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-23
In This Era of Reform.


Der. He came in late at the sessions of
yesterday and today. A great deal of his
time now is taken up with Handwriting
and receiving the salaams of the rapidly
increasing gang that always admired and
loved him. He goes to breakfast at the
National hotel shaking hands;he comes cut
OF the dining hall and down into the Of
fee ditto; he strikes the state house ditto;
up the elevator same; through the corridor
ditto. and falls into his seat. still shaking
hands. His desk is in the back row OF the
right of the speaker. so near the entrance
| to the senate chamber that he falls an easy
prey to the snapshot politician who "only
| wants to speak to Senator Harris And
Senator Harris speaks to him or her-or
! them, now. When he is officially elected
| and formally qualified he will get clear in
the back end of about three rooms behind
the doorkeeper two or three outside clerks
| and private secretary. Then II you want
| to see Senator Harris all you will have 70
do will be to swallow about nine yards of
red tape. plead with the clerks and implore
the secretary. and the senator Will see you
| in few minutes-naybe. He shakes
hands-a kind of mellow society shake that
| gives one the sensation of having his hands
in bunch Of feathers-turns his head in a
| polished three-cornered attitude and drops
|
endless nothing-tales OF political grig and
griffon alike. Harris is smooth. A typical
debonair colonel of Dixie, with a suavity
OF manner so soothing and gracious that it
| is said men in the mildest grief often retire
! from his presence and Immediately take
| long nap. His policy a pacificator and
| his polished tactics have made him the
| nominee for United States senator When
! he rises IN his place to oppose measure
] he disarms his enemy by asking permission
| and compliments him and softens and
| rounds his words till the opponent comes to
| feel II a favor and an honor 10 have the
senator crush him. He is five feet and
eleven inches in height moves about quiet
| iy, and usually has very little to say, I'M
less drawn into conversation. His eyes
are gray, and rather small and when ne
sits alone at his desk. in kind of passive
assent to the senate proceedings. they have
about the same effect upon one a a bunch
of poppy blooms. His face is broad and
beardless, save the smothered appearance
or little gray moustache. He came out
OF the fight successfully and shifted most
OF the i'll will and bitterness upon his
Trends. Most every Populist and even
Democrat, Is satisfied with Harris but
some of his best friends will have to suf-
fer for the part they took in the matter
In 1892 Kansas got upon the bloody shirt
with both feet and sent this Confederate
colonel to congress. At the end of two
years he was given day off by the tenn
porary return Of sanity to Kansas voters
and In 1897 he is returned with a promo
ton. True, when Quantrel was devas-
tating Kansas and the slave power of re-
bellion and disruption was assassinating
the liberty Of the young state, this ex-Con-
raf faA tHo@
not unlike in purpose to all those swords
then hewing at the heart of freedom, but
then. True, there are other men in the
Populist party just as able and conscien-
tious as Harris, who held up the flag and
fought, who helped to make Kansas great
and free, wanting to be United States sena-
tor, but then. True, the great south and
west part of the state that elected the
Pop state ticket and made it possible to
send free silver senator to Washington
has never had United States senator and
the other representation of Kansas i'm the
upper branch of the national legislature IS
from near Missouri and Kansas City, but
then-this is an age of reform. The south
is the south still-just as fiery, implacable
and unrelenting as ever, just as oppressive,
Democratic and anti-North as when Col
onel Harris was with them and carried
sword. But the south is the south and
the north is muchly mixed-in Kansas. II
is proper and popular to go by all the loyal
deserving talent OF Kansas and yield the
palm TO the spirit of JEFF Davis. Great Is
reform and jeweled IS the consistency of
the Pop papers that snap at the heels OF J. !
X. Burton for recognizing the ability OF
JEFF Davis In his Wichita speech. Harris
will be senator. and Burton wants to be.
The following resolution was offered in |
the morning session of the house by Mr.. !
Finney of Woodson: |
Whereas, There is a well-founded COM |
plant among the people of this state that |
taxes are too high being not only a bur-
den to the taxpayers but serious hind |
rance to immigration and investment of |
capital in the state. raising the rate of in |
terest and in many instances causing the |
loss of homes and,
Whereas. The people look to this legis- /
lature for all the relief that is possible to /
be given therefore be il
Resolved, That we pledge ourselves to |
oppose the expenditure of any money for /
any new boards that we are in favor OF /
a bolishing all boards where the expendi- |
lures are out OF proportion TO the benefits |
received by our people that the committee /
on state affairs be and are hereby request
ed to report bills for the abolition of the Of
fees of grain inspector. board OF irrigation, |
the labor bureau, coal oil inspector. for
estry station, silk station, the board of pub
lie works and many others that seem TO be
more ornamental than useful that they also
present a bill for the management OF all
penal institutions of the state by a single
board and all the eleomosynary Institutions
by one board of charities and all the educa-
tional institutions by one board OF regents"
An inquiry among several members OF
the majority side indicates that the reso-
luton will be adopted. with. perhaps. an |
amendment to continue the labor bureau. |
The members from the western part OF the
state favor the forestry station. The clash
ing of interests may prevent the adoption |
Of the resolution at all
The fellows who wanted Jobs and didn't
get them have got in thesrwork on the SEN
ate committee on state affairs. Economist |
Jumper introduced in the senate divers and
sundry bills 20 abolish the silk commits
sion, the department OF forestry. the fish
the office OF coal oil inspector,
and other minor but nevertheless valuable
places. Since the election OF
state printer and United States senator,
and the appointment OF railroad and insur-
ancs commissioners. so much dissatisfac-
ton has cropped out that the bosses have
decided that the more places there are 10
give out the more nearly they viii be able
10 preserve harmony among those who get
them The senate committee on state sf-
fairs has therefore promptly pigeon-holed
all adjustment bills except the one doing
away with the SILK commission II Il
thought that this place Is 20 be abolished
more on account CT its name than for any
,ther reason. The party TOW in power IN
his state Is opposed TO god. silk and all
evidences OF plutocracy and the money
power.
But they are in need of ali tie places