Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-09-01
LEEDY FALLS DOWN.
His Attempt to Bring the Supreme
Court into the Campaign
0ringa to Light Some Very Interesting
Figures % to the Work OF the Pop
ulist Judges In rquelching
Railroads

Railroads
In his speech at the opening of the
campaign in Valley Falls Gov Leedy
used the following language In refer
ence to Kansas corporations, more par
ticularly referring to the railroad COM
panies Of the state:
"You cannot dog corporation into
our state court at present Five or
six years ago, when we began to COM
plain about the regulation OF corpora
tions, the corporations rushed into the
state supreme court They said:
There Is our refuge and there is
where we will go to be protected
But we turned two Of the gentlemen
Of that court out and put two other
gentlemen In. Ought that TO make
any difference to these corporation
gentlemen Why, surely 1t ought not,
but IL does, because during the last
two years we have at no time been
able TO dog them into the court OF the
state"
There is no mistaking the idea that
Gov Leedy intended to convey In this
statement. He wished his hearers to
believe that since the populists secured
majority of the supreme court in
Kansas the decisions of that court had
been so disastrous to the corporations
that they no longer dared TO enter the
court with their litigation. This not
only was the belief Gov. Leedy In.
tended to impress upon his hearers,
but is belief constantly dwelt upon
BY the populist newspapers and I'M
failingly exploited by the populist
stump speakers. Under the circum-
stances it is not to be wondered at II
the public mind has become consider.
ably imbued with the same idea. In
the campaigns through which the pop
ulists secured control Of the Kansas
court 1t was promised that the corpo-
rations would be slaughtered. Before
taking his seat Judge Doster signiA-
cantly stated in the public prints that
while he might be hampered by the
decisions and precedents Of 200 years
he would search the laws diligently
for some authority with which to curb
the money interests. II was believed
by nearly everybody that an anti-cor'
poration crusade was about TO be In.
sugurated by the populist supreme
court and we had IT from the mouths
OF the populists themselves that arad.
ical reorganization Of former supreme
court methods would certainly DO car.
ried out.
But records speak louder than the
words Of demagogic politicians and
we need only go to the docket OF the
supreme court to discover the falsity
Of Gov. Leedy's statements Judge
Frank Doster was seated as chief JUS
tice In January Of 1897. In the year
and six months which have since
elapsed Al decisions have been rem
dered by the supreme court in cases
between the railroads and private citi-
zens, and OF this number ~ were In
favor Of the railroads and 20 In favor
Of the citizens During the correspond
ing period Of time when the republic.
ans last held control Of the court %
Of the same class Of cases were dis
posed OF, II being In favor Of the rail.
roads and % in favor Of the citizens.
The comparison shows pretty conclu.
sively that there is no foundation for
the belief that the present court Is less
friendly to corporations than It's prede-
cessor, for under the populists the rail-
roads gained 81 per cent. OF their cases
and under the republicans but 50 per
cent
Going back still further, when Hor-
ton, Johnston and Valentine formed
the supreme bench, we find that dur
ing corresponding period OF time the
court passed upon 45 corporation cases,
Of which 10 were decided in favor Of
the railroads and 20 In favor Of the
citizens. Indeed, it Is impossible to
find a year since the court was organ.
lied, In 1851, when the per cent Of de-
clsions in favor Of the railroads was
larger than 1t has been under the pres
emit populist court
We do not wish to be understood ss
regarding these records as indicative
Of anything except the demagogy OF
Leedy and other populist politicians.
So far as appearances 60 the SUI
preme court of Kansas, both under
republican and populist administra.
tions, has endeavored to decide ell
cases brought before 1t according to
law, While the populist politicians
are virtually declaring that Kansas
has a supreme court that Is willing to
decide cases according to political
prejudice, they are given the lie direct
by the records Of the populist judges
who seem to be guided by an honest
purpose TO administer the law fairly.
So far from being afraid to trust
their litigation in the hands Of this
populist court, the railroads are con.
vinced that their rights are as faith.
fully guarded now Is they ever have
been, and, proportionately with other
litigation, they are taking Is many
cases to the supreme court as they
ever did before. Kansas City Journal.