The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-01-15
THINGS AT TOPEKA.
The Machinery of the State Government
Formally Turned over to Leedy,
DOster and the Democrats.
THE GOVERNORS MESSAGE.
Not Half so Wild and WOOlIy as LewelIing' s
was. Read it in Full in the
Register and See.
THE LEGISLATURE GETS STARTED.

Inc decree OF the people at the polls
last November was carried out last
Monday at noon. At that hour the
old State officers retired and the new
were sworn into their places, and for
the first time on earth every branch
of the State government passed out of
the control of the Republican party.
There was a great crowd present and
every body seemed to be in a good
humOr. Ex-Governor Osborne pre-
sided over the Inauguration ceremOn-
les, and several other ex-GOvernOrs
were present. Gov. Morrill, made a
long speech, praising Kansas, and it
was cheered to the echo. Gov. Leedy
made short talk that was very ap-
prOpriate to the occasion. The newly
installed officers held receptions in
their offices all afternoon and evening
and there were speeches in Represen-
tative hall at night, but no ball.
**
On Tuesday the Legislator con-
vened. The house organized by elect
ing w. d. Street, of Decatur, Speaker.
Street was a Republican up to 1890
when he joined the Pops. He is an
old pioneer, and has been in the
Legislature three times before. We
know him well and esteem him high
ly. Among the minor officers of the
House J. M. DunsmOre is sergeant at
arms. AS soon as the organization
was completed the Governors mess
age was received. 1t appears in full
on page of this paper and will be
read with interest. Old fashioned
calamity hOwlers will be greatly dis
appointed with it for there isn't a wall
in it. dwellings, message was one
long howl about the desperate and
hopeless condition of the people of
Kansas. Leedy swears they are all
right and don't need anybody's pity
or help. That is what the Republic
cans have been saying all the time. 1t
begins to look as if we had at last
pounded calamity out of the POpulists.
Another feature of the message is it
conservatism. 1t jumps onto the
railroads, of course, and revives men,
cries of Col. Closes great North Pole
and Gulf road; but all that was evil
IDENTIFY logged, in for the benefit of the
radicals of the party. In all other
respects the message follows in the
line of its Republican predecessors,
making suggestions here and there
along purely business lines. The
message is particularly friendly TO the
State University. and it's recommen-
dations touching the management of
the various penal and charitable in
situations are eminently wise. Moth
ing whatever is said about prohibition
or a new constitution,-and that is
rather wise also.
~
The grind began in the Senate the
second day of the session, bills being
introduced covering almost every
conceivable subject. Among the most
important were maximum rate rail-
road bills, a bill to provide for the
publication of school books by the
State, to provide for lending the per-
manent school fund to private citizens,
to amend the election law, to brand
all articles made by convict labor and
to prevent the bringing or sending of
homeless waits into the State.
~
The editor ofthis paper was subject
ed to a good deal of ridicule two years
ago because he criticised the extra
vagance of the Senate in the use of
stationery, pocket knives and other
supplies. But we notice that one of
the first resolutions introduced into
that body this session was one to put
a stop to that very thing.