The Advocate and news., 1898-09-07

really doesn't know what Mr.. McNall
has done He pointed out that If Mr..
McNall had really done all of the things
which it was claimed that he had, he
had merely done his duty and was not
entitled to any special credit.
Mr.. Stanley neglected to state that the
people took different view of this mat
ter and felt that in view of the utter
failure of his Republican predecessors
to do their plain duty, that special credit
was really due to an officer who had due
regard for the interests of the people.
Mr. Stanley juggled the figures, showing
the income from this department under
the present and preceding administra-
tions in such way as to really make 1t
appear that Mr.. McNall had not turned
into the treasury many thousands Of
dollars in excess Of the deposits Of his
predecessor. OF course Mr.. Stanley's
hearers did not take these figures Sc
riously as there was probably no one
present who was not more familiar with
the facts than the speaker.
Considerable time was then spent in
showing that the valued policy law was
enacted by Republicans and that Re-
publican Superintendents had inYaria-
bly, declared for the enforcement Of this
law. Mr.. Stanley's lack OF knowledge
Of Kansas affairs probably accounts for
omitting reference to the fact that Re-
publican Superintendents had merely
stated that the law should be enforced
and then spent their time taking life
easy, while all Of the companies that
chose to do so violated the law with
out restraint.
Mr.. Stanley is deeply grieved because
the Populists have reconstructed their
State plank on the railroad question to
conform to the decisions of the United
States Supreme court. He has discoV-
cred that this was a very unwise thing
for Populists to do, Notwithstanding
that he and his present associates al
ways insisted that maximum freight
law was not only unconstitutional but
that it would be ruinous to the railroad
interests of the State. He cited the
fact that in 1893 Mr. Greenlee, of Reno
county, prepared a bill, which in some
respects covered the same ground as the
plank in the 1898 Populist platform and
declared that Populists voted against
this bill. OF course he knew that at
that time the United States Supreme
court had not declared squarely against
maximum freight laws and that Popu-
lists were honestly endeavOring to enact
legislation in line with their platform
pledges.
Mr.. Stanley should parentheticalIy
observe at this point that it was utterly
impossible to get the Douglas house rail-
road committee to report this Greenlee
bill until after the Dunsmore house
members came in and the railroad COM
mittee was increased in order to give
the Populists representation. Mr.. Stan
ley neglected to cite any record OF the
House Of Representatives showing that
the members Of the house elected by the |
Populist voted against the Greenlee bill. |
Mr.. Stanley admitted that the school
book law had many good qualities and |
also admitted that there was some virtue |
in the stock yards law. He had evil
IDENTIFY been down among the people to !
the extent that he had discovered that |
these and most all other laws passed by |
the Populist Legislature we're so pOpu-
lar with the people that he could not af-
ford to speak Of them in disparaging
terms.
In his reference to national politics
Mr.. Stanley claimed the credit for the
Of the navy under the Har-
rison administration, but Mr.. Stanley
will learn when he has made something