The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-02
Willy KANSAS POPULISTS
GOV. LEEDY's RAILWAY SCHEME TO
ROB THE DEAR PEOPLE"
Posing as n Public BenefactOr, but
Secretly Planning to Enrich Him.
self at the Expense of others.
;peclal corresnondence Of the journal.

Special Correspondence of the journal.
TOPEKA, Kan, May 30.-The Sunfower
States reform Governor has again broken
loose, and, as it We're, got off his reserva-
ton. However, it matters little where or IN
what form his mouth goes off. it is gener-
ally on the subject of railroads" That is
hobby which he continually rides, with
and without passes" The other evening
at Maukato he became confidential and re-
vealed TO the people the great and benen-
cent scheme of himself and compatrlots,
who are expanding their energies in the pro-
lection of the populistic Aurora Boreals
South Pole Railway. Thus far they have
only been doing wind work" in Texas,
Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska, but later
on, with proper encouragement, they hope
to be able to ship whale oil, bear meat and
ice to the scantily clothed inhabitants of
the equatorial region and to furnish the
denizens of the frozen north with the finest
fruits Of the tropics.
Viewed from a business standpoint, Kan
sas now has direct railway communication
with two deep-water ports on the gulf and
at this time, when most railroads are being
operated at a loss, does not need any more.
What, then, is there in the Governor
scheme? Continually bear in mind that
the average Populist statesman is not in
Tie NuSllieSS LOT MS ucdilli. l4ctUy anu MS
associates do not propose to take into their
scheme any other outside private capital
but they propose to go into partnership so
extensively with the dear people" as rep
resented by counties, municipalities and
states, that through these corporate or
CARNATIONS the dear people Will have a
controlling majority of the stock. The Gov
| ernor ana his plutocratc associates Will
| build the road and then the people can
turn over their bonds and receive in ex-
change beautifully engraved certificates Of
| stock. He fails TO state whether they will
| mortgage the road to secure money for its
| construction or go down in their Jeans
! for the amount. If they can run a conf
! dence game like that on the people of three
| States and one Territory, you can just put
| 1t down that there are some smooth people
| in Kansas a State that is noted for it's
Pops, not winds and graSShOpperS.
Nothing but the chldlike simplicity inno-
| cence and honesty of the States Populistic
statesmen would prevent them from mort
! gaSlng that imaginary road for as much as
| they could get on 1t, then construct a cheap
| track and secure the bonds of cities, coun-
| ties and States and let the mortgage be
| foreclosed and road sold Goodbye, Mr..
| Stakeholder; you were chump. Your beau
| tifully engraved stock certificates are good
! as relics, but not for cash. You will be
! paying the interest on the bonds, and that
! Will be the only thing left to remind you of
! the long defunct Populist party and it's cum
| nlng statesmen. On account of what these
| retormers have been saying about each
| other, 1t would be well for the dear peo-
! pie not to exchange good bonds for worth
| less railroad stock. Experience has shown
| that cities and counties have in most in
| stances failed to realize anything on stock
{hey nave taken in exchange for bonds.
But, then, 1t is the characteristic of Pop
! ulist to bite at try TO work some old
| scheme or exploded fallacy.
| a conference between the railroad COM
| missioners and the railroad men concern
| ing freight rates has just ended in a huge
farce The commissioners did not know
| thing about securing any results. They
! asked REDUCTIONS on coal rates of 20 per
cent; on distance tariff, 20 per cent; on
grain, 10 per cent, and on live stock per
| cent, but they failed to make any specific
| complaints and were not willing for the
rallroad men to defend the present rates
| as reasonable and just. Paul Morton, vice
! president of the Santa Fe, said: There
is no disposition on the part of the railroads
Know IN specific way where these COM
| plants come from, who makes them and
Well" said Mr. billiard. from Kansas
City to Modoc you charge $3.50 per ton
for coal; to Sherlock. the same distance,
So 20 per ton, a discrimination of 81 TO-
LOCKE" queried Mr.. Morton. - 'iioA
u can't answer that question:" said Mr..
| billiard.
Sherlock is near the Colorado line and
| burns Western coal. 1t was an amusing
conference all the way through and demon
not as we'll versed in freight rates as a
hound pup is in operate singing.
At one time Mr. Williams of the Union
Pacific, illustrated the situation as follows
| we are at this time very much in the
| position of the chicken, in the good old
| days when birds could talk, which was
| summoned before the philosopher, securely
! bound IN a basket for a conference.
! - You have been summoned said the
| philosopher to decide whether your head
shall be cut off or your neck shall be
| Wrung.
" IF you please SIRE said the chicken,
| I prefer neither
" Oh, no! exclaimed the philosopher.
| you wander from the subject
The railroads are much in the same
position as was the chicken. Mr.. billiard
and the commissioners wander from the
subject
The conference was an absolute failure
and adjourned amid scenes of deep disgust
in which the commissioners admitted that
they had failed. They became the laugh
ing stock of railroad men. In the evening
at their hotel, the state officers guyed them
so much that they disappeared in mortifi-
cation and d1sgueSt In accordance with
the fundamental principles Of their party.
they demanded reduction of freight rates
but were themselves in absolute and dense
ignorance as to what constituted lust rates
between the railroads and the people 1t
was the business of the railroad men who
appeared before them to know all the in
trlcacIes OF the vast system.
There may be some good in Populism
| but thus far there has not been constructed
a microscope of sufficient power to discover
it. Kansas has tried almost all phases of
| 1T and has seen nothing but failure and
| Doodle. A. c.