The Globe-republican., 1898-09-15
Senator Sheldon, q Leader IN tho
Kansas Legislature
hys He WIN Not Vote for Lsedy for Gov.
eEn0e Of the Sunl1ower State and
Gives His Reasons There
for.


he has even used his influence to pre-
vent the legislature from passing laws
which would have redeemed the
pledges made to the people in our cam
paign of 1896. Gov. Leedy has not
only been faithless to his party,>but
recreant to his most important duty
as governor. He has been blind to
every one of the numerous opportuni.
ties he has had to carry out platform
pledges. He has been the most arrant
enemy of populist principles, and his
been the severest check the growth OF
the populist party has ever suffered.
HIS total disregard of his oath of
Office in relation to the enforcement
Of the prohibitory law is q sufficient
reason in itself, if there were no
others, why l should not cast my
vote for Leedy, and how any fair
minded. sclf-respecting man, having
always in view the welfare and honor
of the state, can a second time cast
his vote for such a man is beyond my
comprehension.
II voted for him in '96 hoping and
believing that he would stand up
squarely and execute in good faith
and in accordance with his oath of
Office all the laws of the state. He has
fooled the people once. but he can't
do it q second time.
Zone of the chief pledges of the plat.
form upon which Leedy was elected
committed the administration to the
support of corrective railroad legisla.
ton. Leedy's action in relation to
this was anything but that of true
populist A true populist when he
wants anything goes straight for it.
Leedy's whole course from start to fin
ish in railroad matters has been that
of man trying his best how not to do
it. But believe the people have fallen
on to his little game, and when No
vember comes he will find that he can
not even fool some of the people all
the time In his recent Valley Falls
speech Leedy is reported as saying
that it was not his province to pass
upon the constitut;ona!ity of any law,
q that was the prerogative of the SUI
preme court, yet in the very next
breath, while trying to defend his
veto of the maximum freight bill he
said: Il vetoed the railroad bill because
I knew it was unconstitutional
"This reminds me-" added Mr.. Shell
don, of what Senator Young recently
said to the effect that every scoundrel
brought to bay Immediately attempts
to seek refuge behind the unconstitu-
tionality of the law
"Now, I would not attempt to say"
continued Mr.. Sheldon. that the max
imum freight law was perfect. But in
the main it was a good law, and every
legislator will agree that it would
have been much easier to have amend
cd this act than to have passed an orig
inal bill at special session. as Leedy
suggested. During the legislature we
urged Gov. Leedy to tell US whether
there was anything Objectionable to
him in this original bill, but he de-
clined to do so. or to give the legislar
ture any hint of the kind of bill he
desired passed. although he was fire.
Quently impOrtuned SO to do. He sim
ply, without giving any warning or
reason at that time, vetoed q bill which
had been before two former legisla-
lures and which had been solidly voted
for by the populist minority in each Of
those two legislatures, and which he
himself had voted for on a former oc-
casion, while acting as senator from
this district He, pretending to be .
populist governor, ignored the COM
msnds Of the convention which nomi- |
mated him, and vetoed the only popu- |
list railroad bill ever passed by the |
Kansas legislature. Now. l am not |
going to say that Leedy sold out to |
the railroad corporations. but I'd like
to have some smart Alec explain to
me how . man can better servo the
railroad corporations than has Leedy
during his term of Office"
Continuing. Mr.. Sheldon said:
1.-THE populist platform of 1895 de-
manded q law reducing the rate of in
terest In accordance with that de.
mand introduced bill providing
for Q reduction of interest from ten to
eight per cent. and providing heavy
penalties for any violation of the law.
Now l know of no time or place where
In Mr.. Leedy ever expressed any SYM
patty or desire to have such law
passed. He made no such recommends
ton in his message, nor do / believe
he had any wish or desire to see such
. law enacted. We talk Of the savings
70 the people of the textbook law;
the stock yards law; the fee and sal
lry law--and they are good lawsuit
had my bill become law it would
have resulted in q saving to the peo-
pie of this state of more than $500. 600
annually. More than double the bcne-
ct claimed for either of the other laws
Any schoolboy can figure it out
Loans and discounts in this state at
his date are $40, OO0,0 900. Two per
,ent difference between ten and eight
per cent amount to $500. 900 annually.
Not even railroad legislation could
nave been more far-reaching in its eff
'ects upon the masses than the passage
II this law"
'.Mr. Leedy's whole course has been