Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-08-18
ALL PLEDGES BROKEN
Populist Platform Of 1896 Repudi-
ated by Its Representatives.
Promlses Of the Abilene Convsution shame.
fully Disrsgarded and Every Measure
II Demanded Defeated BY Popul,ss
Votes In the LegislatuPa

'~"S Dss"u~u suV Every measure
1t Demanded Defeated BY Populiss
Votes In the Legislature
Before referring to the platforr
adopted by the populist state conven
ton yesterday the value Of this nev
platform may be indicated by compar
ing the last state platform adopte,
with the record Of the populist legis
lature, that party having q two-third
majority In the senate and larg,
working majority In the house.
The platform adopted by the Abb
lene convention which nominal
Leedy and Doster and the present stat,
administration, said:
We condemn the republican house for isiIns
and refusing to pass the bills sent TO them irou
the populist senate. which provided for tn,
taxation Of judgments, the reduction Of the lie.
gal rate OF interest and providing penalty 10,
usury, placing credits upon on equality with
other property TO the purposes of taYation
the antl-Pinkerton law, the exemption Of the
personal earnings OF wage workers and the
maximum freight law
We favor the enactment OF q maximum
freight law and the election OF board Of rail-
road commissioners by the people.
We demand laws which shall prevent the
product OF convict labor from coming into COM
petition with the products OF free labor and re-
ducinR It's reward
We demand that all public salaries shall be
reduced TO correspond with prices Of labor and
Its products
We invite the prayerful considera-
ton Of all readers Of the Capital to
these specific pledges In their order as
adopted by the Abilene convention.
!. The taxation OF Judgments This
was proposed In the last Legislature in
q bill introduced by Senator Forney,
populist. 1t was defeated In the sen.
ate. But getting scared late In the
session, the legislature passed the bill.
II has been held null and void by two
Kansas district judges.
2 The reduction OF the legal rate Of
interest A bill TO this effect was In.
troduced In both houses Of the last
1t was overwhelmingly
defeated, after full discussion, by pop
ulist votes
8. Placing credits upon an equality
with other property for the purpose
Of taxation. This was proposed and
urged In the senate and the bill was
defeated by populist votes
I. Passing over the buncombe anti.
Pin kerton resolution, the exemption
'f wages was defeated by the house.
5. The maximum rate bill. Repub-
leans had been denounced In every
'opulist platform since 1890 for de-
eating populist efforts to enact such
law. Ia q caucus Of the populists OF
i the senate In the last Legislature,
he 25 populist senators being present,
motion 10 strike out the maximum
lause 10 the Harris railway bill was
'dopted BY Is votes 10 TO- The bill,
With the maximum clause stricken
ut passed both houses by practical.
y unanimous vote and was vetoed by
he governor.
9. The election OF the board OF rail.
DAD commissioners by the people.
his was introduced In the senate
nd was voted down by populist votes.
T. Preventing the product OF convict
abor local, In this state) from coming
nto competition with free labor in
he open market. This could be done
'ithout the enactment OF q law,
lerely by the consent Of the state 3D.
Illustration and Its sppointees in
barge Of the penitentiary coal mine.
Tut pcnitentiary coal has not only
cen sold In the open market, but II was
Did at price below the market rate.
was thrown on the market at the
me Of the coal strike Furthermore,
ne penal committee Of the senate in
sstigated the penltentiary manage
lent and recommended that peniten-
ary coal be restricted to the use Of
10 state institutions and the Lesven.
orth market The recommendation
as defeated by populist votes.
8 The demand that public salaries
reduced to correspond with prices
nd labor. Not q salary Of a state
hcer was touched. Salaries Of the
iancellor and professors Of the state
niversity were severely cut Salaries
the faculty Of the state normal and
le agricultural college were materi.
ly reduced, though the board Of
gents Of the latter institution since
was de.republicanized have
hid higher salaries than are
'ovided In the bill. When the sal.
lies bill was up q motion was made
a populist senator, In accordance
It'll the platform, to reduce the gov.
nor's salary from $1,000 to 81, 500. II
as overwhelmingly voted down by
'pulist votes Nofurther effort to cut
laries was attempted. Senator
lmper stated in debate that the oh.
Ct could be attained by leaving the
lsries alone, but reducing the specific
preparations. This was done. He
lded that owing to their fidelity to
form principles the reform officials
ould accommodate their drafts on
Q treasury to the amounts appropri.
ed. The result Is that every official
hose salary appropriation was re.
iced drew his customary monthly al.
vance until the total annual appro-
iation was exhausted and expects to i,
t the balance Of his usual salary ,
hen the treasury Is flush. Ed Little