The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-05-16

NxoWo Oy Saying 1nSt LeWeiiInf
Showed Great Ability in Evacing an Ex
PLANTATION of His Record-He Said ha
cuses-Sankey Looking Square at Lew
cling Says That the Railroad Commits
sion Is a Roost for Decaying Politicians
Yesterday afternoon for three long
hours about fifty of the leading Popu-
lists OF Sedgwick county held an open
meeting at Zeininger hall for the pur-
pose. apparently, Of finding out where
they are at. What is meant by the lead
ing Populists is the crowd that run the
conventions not the fellows who work
on the farms and do the hard voting on
election day, honestly believing that the
leaders Of their party are not as Janus
faced rascals as the leaders Of any other
party.
There were present not more than half
hundred as stated, and three-fourths
OF them were farmers and the other
fourth town lawyers, who did all, or
most ali, the talking, and who raised
ali the technical questions and puzzled
the plain men 10 such an extent that
they knsw less about where they were
ct when the meeting closed than when
i was opened.
Among the lawyers present were
Judges Babb. Sankey. Stratton, Hay
maker, Hatton and Helm, and l. ?.
ers and Colonel Nicholas Bird. Among
the other distinguished persons present
were "O'd Man" Irish, "Old Man" Jen-
nings, "Old Man" Webster, "Old Man"
Rose, D. C. Sloan, Del Wimple, F. ]. Ar
mold, Colonel Taylor. Colonel Jocelyn,
Jerry Howard, II. W. Ruble, Captain
Barthplf and Ores. Pratt and Parr.
william A. Ayers, chairman Of the
county central committee. called the
meeting to order promptly at O'CLOCK
and the call for lie meeting was read
by c. heley, the red headed city edi-
ter OF the Kansas Commoner. On mo-
ZION of atcut forty-nine Of the fifty or
Whereabouts present, the venerable look
ing Captain John II. Ash was chosen
chairman and he presided all the way
through with great dignity, except when
the economy of lime compelled him to
suppress the oratorical attempts of Ed
tor ]. S. Jennings Of the late New Re-
public.
Just third of a second after Captain
Ash had put several deIfs in the pine
table with the end of his jack knife in
calling the meeting &c order, Judge Babb
rose to MS feet ana moved that a COM
nittee os five be appointed by the chair
20 draft resolutions expressive Of the
sentiment 0: the Fcpu'ists of Sedgwick
county on the question Of maximum
treigh. rae legislation and the action
of the Sedgwick county senator and rep
resentatives on It.
Judge Jesse Haymaker Of the probate
court, who was switched from $500 job
10 a $1,000 job last fall so that Mr..
Lewelling might get to be senator, took
the floor and moved that the committee
take DO action uni. Senator Iewelling
and Representatives Merrill and Rut-
ledge could have been heard by the mass
meeting This raised quite a controver-
sy which was happily settled amicably
by some one moving that the committee
be first appointed, but not act until the
honorable gentlemen had been heard.
Il suppose / am the first TO speak,"
suggested Senator Lewelling as ne went
after tremendous satchel. II don't
want to be considered a carpet Dagger.
but have in this grip some documents
l want 10 read 70 you" Mr.. Lewelling
then unpacked the grip and exposed a
whole morgue full of dead maximum |
freight rate bills including the Brown, |
Bro wnlee. Harris, Campbell and Sankey !
Pills; and. as the wedding notice writer's |
say, ''and many others
As Senator Lewelling shrugged his |
shoulders until his galluses were more !
settled on them it was inter |
esting 10 watch the countenances OF
hose in the audience. Judge Babb had !
, hectic blush on his cheeks and looked |
over his spectacles at the ex-governor
he man who enabled him to have the
bell rested inc bald spot of his head
against the wall and with one eye looked
/, the ceiling while he he stared at Lew
Hing with the other. Colonel Nicholas
Sird go; out of sick bed. where he had
been for tour months to attend the
Meeting and his blue eyes twinkled
ike a pair OF stars. Farmer Miller of
alliance mercantile fame had warm
blood in his face and his hair seemed to
Re three shades redder than ever before.
I was pathetically evident that the man
Who conjured up houses full Of wild en-
husiasm in the past now looked into the
aces of eX-admirers who seemed to be
DOLLY bent on his political destruction.
There was not a sympathetic pair Of
leels in the house 10 kick the floor when
he stood up 10 speak nor a pair Of hands
o applaud his remarks but those Of
Farmer DooH;tle, who INDUCED in some
pasmodic applause by bringing the
,alm Of his hand down on the top OF an
Id square piano. with extraordinary
orce
Mr.. Lewelling commenced the eXplana-
ion of his legislative record by going in
o history OF maximum freight rate
csIslation and proving that every at
empt ever made ir that direction in
Kansas embraced the idea that the state
,oard OF railroad commissioners should
'e given power 10 raise and lower sche-
lules as justice 70 the people or the cor
,orations demanded il, except the
Brown bill which gave the power Of
making schedules solely 20 the legisla-
ure. After talking fifteen minutes
long tina. line he stated shat his posi-
ion had been purposely misrepresented
" his enemies for obvious reasons.
his remark made l. P. Campbell take
,eener interest in the remarks of the
peaker ans 70 focus both his eyes upon
nm. The senator then brought out his
irst message TO the legislature when he
vas governor. proving thar his vote last
pring was consistent with his position