Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-07-27
TO ATTACK HIS WAR POLICY.
WHERE REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE
WILL STRIKE AT LEEDX.
The Abolition of the Metropolitan Police
so They Hunted Upa New Supply
The Only Point Where They Think
His rmor is Weak.


The republican campaign commit
tee of Kansas has decided on taking
bold step for the purpose of discred.
iting Governor Leedy with the peo-
pie of ahe state. They will attack his
policy as a war governor. When one
of the {, mmittee was asked why they
did not conclude to select a less
rigorous point to attack, he said (:
1.-THE fact is, we can not attack him
on any other subject since the metro
politan police law was aboi he'd. The
action of the populist convention in
that respect compelled us to change
our entire plan of campaign"
In attacking the war policy of Gov
ernor Leedy the republicans are in
vitiDg disaster. They started out to
ooint to the fact that none of the
Kansas regiments have yet gone with
any expedition, either to Cuba or the
Philippines, aud alleged as cause
thai, through the partisan appoint
ment of company commanders by
Governor Leedv, the volunteers had
not the necessary instruction in. drill
20 warrant the war department in
sending them away. When the fact
was brought to public attention that
Governor Leedy had nothing what
ever to do with the appointment of
company officers, the republicans
changed their tune and attributed the
inefliciency in drill to the field officers.
ATTACKED FIELD OFFICERS.
Aftel taking this new tack they
irst attacked the twenty second Kan
sas regiments field officers. Such a
protest was soon made from old SOL
diers of Kansas, who knew the ability
IF Colonel Lindsey and Lieutenant
Colonel Graham, that the republicans
struck cOlOrs on these two men and
attacked the battalion officers. Here
they were defeated again, fo- the
battalion officers of this regiment are
among the best qualified men in the
service.
The republicans soon abandoned
their attack on the twenty-second and
attacked the twenty first. They
pointed to Colonel Tom Fitch as a
man with no experience in drill. They
very soon found out that Mr.. Fitch
vas for eight years at the head of the
crack regiment of national guard in
Illinois, besides being for years the
most efficient drill instructor in the
Knights Teml lar bodies of Kansas.
Not only that, but the lieutenant col.
onel is Charles b. McCrum, who.
when appointed, was actually the
major general comman ding the state
militia, with twelve years continuous
military experience. Again, the
senior major is Harry A. Smith of the
regular army, who, ty the way, was,
when appointed, and had been for
several years, the government instruct
or assigned to. the Kansas militia or
ganized. Major w. l. Brown is the
other battalion commander. About
he time that the republicans were at
acking the twenty first good and
strong all the wind was knocked out
# their sails by the reason of the fact
that Lieutenant G. lionel McC.u m was
appointed brigade inspector; Major
Smith, a member of the brigade court:
Major Brown a brigade inspector of
IF rifle iracticP; DR.. Armstrong bril-
gade surgeon, and his assistant, DR..
liiddle, chief surgeon of the reserve
hospital. Here were five twenty first
field officers appointed by republican
var department which included two
such crack militia regiments as the eight
Massachusetts, and seventy first New
York, both organizations over so year
I'D.
ANOTHER CHANGE OF FRONT,