Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1897-04-30
SOCIALISM THE REMEDY.

'No one can be familiar with the history of
Kansas, or, for that matter, with the legislative
history of any state, without knowing that our
lawmakers are subject to, and unfortunately
too often yield to, the demoralizing strain to
which they are subjected by the paid agents of
corporate influences. Public interest is made
subordinate to private gain. The instrument
atty of popular government is perverted to
serve the appetite of greed, and enormous evil,
tremendous loss is entaed upon the blind,
laundering people, who apparently knew no
other method to wreak their vengeance than to
.urnthe rascals out Ito put the rascals in
"Thc corporations are aided in their ncfari-
ors schemes by the professional politicians who
for self-aggrandizement make national questions
the free coinage of silver tie leading question
of issue in local contests, while the questions
of vital importance to the state or community
are evaded or ignored, as witness the treatment
and defeat of the initiative and referendum by
our recent Kansas legislature. The din and
confusion of a mock poll ical battle is waged
fercely under cover of which the cunning few
who pose as political saviors may carry out
iects and methods differ as widely as the indi-
vdual views Of PETER and Harris combine for
noltical success, and under the evangelical eff
forts put forth at caucus and convention the IN
compatibility and incongruity OF political dit
ferences are eliminated The lion the lamb
and even the Tammany tiger arc made to enter
one cage in fact, all the animals with a dis
H. II Il f1cr ,
Is it any wonder that these varied and interest
ing political nonentities, regarding each other
with watchful and jealous eye, intensely inter
ested in the welfare OF state, are yet more in
tensely interested in personal and political
schemes, which will serve personal interests?
And when it comes to a matter Of serving the
state or serving their pockets, it will be seen
how easily the pockets win, as evidenced by
the startling revelations of Legislative dishonesty
now being disclosed. Nothing has been made
palmer by the investigating committee now i'll
session than the fact that Legislative degencracy
is in the ascendency, and Legislative dishonesty
is at premium 1t is idle TO say that this po-
litical corruption is confined to any one party.
1t exists extensively; it is ( I'M i'll every party.
1t is found Ill the senate Ill tic MUS, anu
more particularly the 'thiId house, where, as
during the last two Legislative sessions, we'll
known ex-senator and eX-Republlcan employed
his time as lobbyist for the trusts, or III franz
imp and influencing the introduction OF bills
which would force the corporations to seek his
aid for their defeat, or withdrawal as witness
the introduction of the bill to reduce express
charges'-a piece of Legislative backnail, pure
and simple. Thousands upon thousands OF dol
lars are used every session of the legislature
to procure legislation favorable to the interests
of corporations Who shall compute the
amount paid by the railroads of Kansas, the
school book trust, the stock yards trust, the
liouor traffic association to defend their interests
in this state alone? Yet, it is just dawning
mon the people who are being robbed by their
dishonest representatives, and who are paying
for the privilege of being robbed in additional
charges in transportation, etc., that the evils
which have come upon us are the result ofpub-
lie utilities being controlled by private interests
for private gain, and that the state, or people
collectively, could at once purify the muddy
nool of politics, remove the temptation from the
tempter and the temptable, and have much
better service and much better facilities by TAX
inc these services, these facilities from the cor
rupting hands of private corporations, whose