The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-06-25
KANSAS CLAIM ON TREASURY
Government TO Pay For Lawrence
Hotel,

z
associates In congress some months ago.
mat If the country should become IN
Yvolved in war & would be the signal
for move upon the treasury by claim
ants all along the u1eauts all along the
line, as the large war appropriations
would stimulate general spirit OF nber-
ality in public expenditures, Is already
proving true. The scandalous assoc!a-
lions OF what Is known as the Methodist
Book Concern claim were exposed by Mr.
Lodge the other day In the senate, and
The session bids fair 20 witness a number
Of interesting episodes IN connection with
var claims Of various SIZES and degrees
Of validity.
There are other claims which. while
they cannot be classed accurately as war
claims, belong in the same general cate
CORY. and bark back TO an era shortly
preceding the civil war. when the ques-
tons involved in the war were in the pre-
limlnary stages Of controversy. A par
ticularly picturesque claim of this sort
received favorable attention in the senate
recently, and has just been reported TO the
house. This is what Is known as the
University of Kansas claim, and might be
mistaken for an educational enterprise
by those who do not know that the uni
versity appears in the matter simply as
an assignee of the rights OF other par
ties. The foundation of the claim, which
was originally put in by the New England
Emigrant Aid company, was laid in the
days of the anti-slavery agitation, when
Kansas was on the borderland between
the contending sections and became an
historic battle-ground.
The immediate basis of the Kansas
claim is the destruction in May. 1856, of
the Eldridge House, the leading hotel of
Lawrence, Kansas, but offensive to the
friends of slavery on account Of its New
England ownership and OF the fact that
was the headquarters of the Free -SoileA
who visited that part of the country. Visi-
tors oLawrence nowadays will find an
Eldridge House standing on the site of the
old Free-SoI hotel. 1t is a matter OF
pride with the good people of Lawrence
TO keep the successor Of the historic struc-
ture on the same ground and exhibit its
peaceful environments by way of con-
trasting the Kansas of the ante-bellum
period and the Kansas of today.
The original hotel was built by the New
England Emigrant Aid company rartly
as money-making enterprise and partly
for the purpose of spreading the Free-Sou
gospel from a headquarters which should
be under its own control 1t was con-
sidered very fine hotel in those days
the finest east of St. Louisiana cost $25. 0O1
which, for the then prevailing prices Of
labor and materials. was a very large
outlay. It's walls were of stone, and It
covered a space Of 75x50 feet on the ground
and was three stories high. It was fur
nished in a manner then considered lux
urious. It's establishment was celebrated
with much ceremony, the United States
officers Of the neighborhood being invited
among the rest 20 partake Of the good
cheer set forth by Mine Host Eldridge a
good deal of local opposition to the build
ing project had early manifested Itself in
the way Of petty annoyances, the pro-
slavery element Of the town intimidat-
ing or Turing away the masons and car
penters at critical junctures and in other
ways doing all that was possible TO dis
the proprietors
As these schemes failed. new ones were
evolved to get rid Of the hotel after fl had
been finished and opened The last nail
was not driven in until May. 1856. but by
the fifth of that month the grand jury OF
the county made a presentment against
the hotel. charging that II was a nuis-
ance, and that it had ben constructed
with a view TO military occupation ard
defense, thereby endangering the public
safety and encoura ging rebellion and Sc
ditiOn in the county" This was fol-
lowed by a recommendation that he NUS
ance be abolished. On the Ilth Of May
]. y. Donelson. United States marshal for
Kansas territory. isued a proclamation
announcing that he had attempted % exc
cute certain writs OF arrest in the county.
and had been resisted In the performance
OF his duty by a large number OF the citl- (
gems OF Lawrence. and that there was rea- /
son 20 believe that any further attempt /
In the same direction would be resisted by /
large bodies o. armed men; 2 therefore /
called upon the law-abding citizens II the {
territory 20 appear az Lecompton as soon !
as practicable and in sufficient numbers i
to compel submission 20 the law.
As a matter ~ fact. & is alleged by re- /
spoHsihIe citizens % Lawrence. 10 such /
resistance as the marshal described had I
been made. as no attempt had been made 4
10 arrest any one. The proclamation aas /
OBVIOUSLY hook upon which 20 hang the 4
lext undertaking; which was the azsen5-
ing o. large body % men xao had en-
cred ,he territory from ths south Tor the
purpose Of ov4r-aWlnE ,he Free Sellers
IND iaeir earo..useug as n1ars.a.'s posse
Pie governor furnished them R.th arms
1eIonrluz 70 the United states govern
neut. and their number was presc1tly
augmented 5y force from tae neiRh53T-
NJ STATE q Missouri. Wa5 brought wTta
ham several pieces u artillery. The local
Es5st.--s concerning .ac behavior q the
s5sss made some pretty serious charges.
-1e men were represented as belonging
zrEeyy 20 the la1Iess cl4zs. Ont f1r zd-
-sE-l-s -z--er than 81 sgp-.or: q s1y
.-1e.7,e, and 81 theIr camps thzy are
eser.3es as having su5s.sted .iks ban
st;l. m The goods - those 7ayfsrers NO
s1-eze5 % eau I-.7 the.r hands ard
ya5s= Eorses cattle. provisions ans
Money were seized h1ut causra-et lon.
\ protest was ser. 90 Sc governor VIZ
an Sz41-cr ov citizens - I.aErezce.
-a8 were alarmed les; fss zsera Azz1
1al51 s-.zek ard destroy use r-tre
77~o- TIE governor iTezteE t5e protest
1a; r. 4ssl-s-e ise re41as-ssa-a
zat taz-e Ezz 20 armed force s7rr e.
= Lzz-eu-s. "@zr--r -1s legally cs=s.i-
-re5 posse - gre raes States "a g.
4f ard s1~-.g ~ I5eZEsaH csi4-sg. bear
x ws t- t5e ar-.a- - se-a1s .aeu
2 Lawrence. aa1 wzr-E .aez tAzt r