The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-10-17

Iowa had been experimenting along this
line, and had what seemed to be a law
that answered the purpose. So I went
UP to Iowa and got their entire bill and
introduced it into our legislature. 1t
gave the railroad commissioners the
power to establish the rates and in
time established practically a system
of maximum rates. Before it was final
~ passed it was changed a great deal,
but it still retained the important fea-
lures and answered the purpose.
when it came to Governor Leedy he
decided that it was better to begin anew
and prepare a bill of our own, and he
acted accordingly.
1--WE did not get all the good laws
passed at the last legislature, but we
propose to continue the good work this
coming winter. Does anyone doubt that
a POpulist legislature will pass a freight
rate law for the relief of the people
next winter? What do the Republicans
propose to do? Not one thing. They
have quit promising"
The lower part of the opera house
was well filed at the meeting which
was held under the auspices of the To-
cal Democrats. Elk Postmaster A. j.
Arnold presided. With him on the plat
form sat Judge DOster Eugene Wolfe,
Walter n. Allen and few others.
Senator Harris talked both national
and state issues. His speech was as pat
riotic as an old-time Fourth of July or
alton, and when he alluded to the old
soldiers it sounded more like a Memoir
ial Day address than like the speech of
an ex-COnfederate.
I'm the recent war" said Senator
Harris, there is no question that our
nation has been united from the Rio
Grande to the st. Lawrence. There has
been no division, no politics, no greed,
and we are now slow in falling apart
again into the turmoil of political strife.
While we deplored war, when we enter
ed into it we did so with all our zeal
and might not one section, or one
party merely, but the entire nation. I
Of
our Republican friends are saying out
in the campaign that this was a politi-
cal war; that we were divided; that Mr..
Mckinley was not the president OF the
entire nation, but only of the RepubH-
can party.
There was no division in congress
concerning the war when it had COM
menced. I had the honor of talking to
the president in May, soon after the
war began, and he expressed himself
to me as extremely gratihed at the
manner in which all parties IN congress
united in his support I do not think
our Republican friends do honor to our
president when they speak Of him as a
Republican president instead of an
ties when we face a foreign foe
Senator Harris is not in harmony
with many of the radical POpuIists on
the question of increasing the standing
This great drama which has been en-
acted he said, has changed and in
tensifed some of the questions which
have been confronting US. Tom Reed
| once said this is a billion dollar coun-
try. 1t is more than that now. We must
| increase our standing army and build
| UP our navy. We must build the Mic
/ aragua canal. The great trip of the
| Oregon has taught us that, and every
| one of the ten thousand miles the Ore
con went around Cape Horn is an ar
| Eyunent for the need of the canal and ii
must be dug and owned by the govern
| ment. This will cost an enormous
| amount of money. We must increase
our coast defences. No other nation
must find US as unready for war as
| Spain did.
Even the Republicans have discover