The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-03-26
Homecoming Of Brown.

4 CORRESPONDING VI OIOWIis
There is Only one authentic account on
| record relating TO the exact manner in
| which recent Popul,st legislators were re
| ceived at home after the close of the ses-
| SION.
| This account occurs IN the Pratt Repub-
lean, and is as follows:
| 1t was the funniest thing that has ever
occurred in the politics of Pratt county.
| A few fellows who realize that the late
| Pop legislature was dismal failure, con-
4 ceived the idea that il would be a great
| stroke of policy to get up a reception
| for the Hon. Bill Brown of Pratt county.
The object of the reception was to fool
somebody into the belief that the Pops n
4 Pratt county were standing up for the
| gcod-for-nothing legislature, but it didn't
| fool anybody. Four men and a brass band
| can get up little meeting but they can
not always fool the voters. The band play
ed on the street. The band makes very
good music and they were hired TO play.
Then they went up into the court room and
played some more. Part of the crowd
| followed the band and when the meeting
| was called to order there wasn't less than
| thirty-nine men present to receive the Hon.
| Bill Brown. Everybody was feeling good.
I 1t all seemed so much Ike play on the
| stage. There wasn't any real sincerity
! about II and the spectators enjoyed what
seemed to be a funny farce
| William Barrett was elected chairman OF
| the meeting by two votes. In fact, there
| were only two or three men and the band
! that seemed to be interested in the recep-
! t!on-all the others were there to witness
! the play. Amos Magruder was nominated
| for secretary, but respectfully declined. He
was elected however, and pressed into ser
! vice. The chairman wanted TO know what
| was the further pleasure of the four men
who got up the meeting and one of them
moved that committee of seven be APP
| pointed on resolutions. The chairman pick
| ed up slip Of paper with some names al
ready written upon it-of course we don't
know where it came from-and after writ
| ing two more names, he announced the
following committee: Frank Barker. John
Trout, r. F. Crick. j. H. Mccoy, c. a.
Hopper, 3. D. Crawford and Tom Coats.
We will say, by way of explanation, that
we don't know why the chairman had to
write two more names on the little slip of
paper, unless it was because the fellows
who made cut the list had only figured on
committee of five.
| Judge Mckay of Harper county. made
motion that while the committee was de-
iberating the Hon. Bill Brown be called
before the meeting to make a speech.
Sheriff Reyes was sent out after the gen.
tleman from Pratt county and just he
came in the door. Judge Mckay followed
close behind and the procession-Brown,
Sheriff and Judge-entered the court room
amid the spontaneous applause and hand
clapping of his honor, Judge Mckay.
The Hon. Bill Brown was looking well.
He talked about how he labored long and
earnestly against great odds, to reform the
| mischievous legislation of the past twenty
four years in Kansas, but the 50-day ses-
sion of the legislature was not long enough
for him to properly get in his work. He
talked some about the economy of the leg
stature and said that they had shaved
down appropriations and had saved a mil
lion dollars in the pockets of the people of
Kansas.
There were several Kansas people pres
ent, but none of them took the trouble to
feel in their pockets for their portion of
that million.
The Hon. Mr. Brown said that the Harris
railroad bill was an evasion and was worse
than the law now on the statute books.
And yet. my countrymen, the Hon. Mr..
Brown voted for that Harris railroad bill
when it came. up for final passage in the
legislature.
The Hon. Mr.. Brown. for whose benefit
the meeting was called and the band was
hired, took occasion to urge the fellow
citizens there present to petition the gov
ernor to call special session of the legis-
lature-the same legislature that just com
pieted two-month's job of artistic loafing
around the state house. With a graceful
Chesterfield wave of the hand he made ths
statement that maximum freight rate bill
would save the state million dollars.
There was no great demonstration like
men would naturally be expected 10 make
when they had struck gold mine worth
a million dollars. But that was probably
due to an oversight of the Hon. Mr.. Brown.
He failed TO tell them how low he would
have to put the maximum rate in order to
make a million dollars difference, and of
course they didn't understand exactly how
rich they would be when Mr.. Brown got
his ideas enacted into law.
In conclusion Mr.. Brown said that he
didn't believe in rubbing the hair the
wrong way TO whip people into line. but
that pretty talk would do more to get the
dissatisfied ones back into line. Evidently
the Hon. Mr.. Brown thought the meeting
was called TO whip his party associates
into line but he relied more upon pretty
talk that the whip.
When Mr.. Brown sat down. someone call
ed for Judge Mckay. The judge is one of
the most accommodating fellows in Jerry
Simpsons district. His court was trying
criminal case wherein a man was charg-
ed with stealing barb-wire fence, but the
judge very kindly adjourned court to give
the reception a chance.
The Judge ripped the railroads up the
back a few times and said he was in favor
of equal and exact justice to all. He said
If the railroads made high freight rates.
the poor station agents or section hands
didn't get a share of the profits. There
fore he was in favor of cutting rates and he
din't believe it would injure any employe
of the railroad.
Now. the judge draws a salary OF over
500 per month and his salary wasn't cut
down by the late legislature. He gets ten
times as much every month as any farm
laborer In Pratt county. He is paid far
better for his services than any OF the tax
payers who live in this county. He was
enthusiastic in his admiration OF Hon b |
Brown He evidently thought that the |
meeting might look ike a put up job and |
therefore he said that he wasn't there for |
the purpose of forming mutual admira-
ton society TO BOOST each ctheI lDto loHst- \
The judge is very pleasant taIker and |
when he concluded the committee On resp /
lutions Just happened 70 be ready to re-
port
County Attorney Crawford read the reso-
buttons. There was nothing in them except /
2 little ;zffy for Mr. Brown and when the /
motion was pat 20 adopt them. there was 4
evidently some misunderstanding. At least 1
thsre was no spoa;ansous uprising OF the 4