The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-02-25
KILLED BY WOMEN.
Some Inside History IF the Paris Elk
position Bill

! '"r!ee woman m IsiItis;s mas achieved
distinction in the Kansas house of rep
( res@ntetiVes. according to the claims of
some of the friends of the Willis Paris
: exposition, bill, which was defeated in
/ the house Thursday afternoon. Since
/ the bill was defeated a number or rea-
/ sons have been alleged. but the most
/ powerful influence against it is ac-
1 knowledged to have been that II the
wives of some of the members.
Some time ago when the bill was first
introduced Mrs. j. O. Thompson, OF
| Pratt, came to Topeka to work for its
passage. Mrs. Thompson is an accom-
plished lady with a personality about
her that is said to captiVate her
acquaintances. She is a cousin of As-
sistant United States District Attor-
ney H. J. Bone, and has always had an
ambition to go to Paris. When this
bill was introduced she thought she saw
her opportunity, as it provided for the
appointment of one woman on the board
of commissioners, and as she was thor
oughly competent to fill the position
she snought she might be appointed
But the first thing was to get the bill
through the legislature. 1t was with
this in view that Mrs. Thompson came
to Topeka and began working among
the members to get 1t passed she
would not come over to the state house,
but preferred to meet the representatives
in the par1or of the Copeland. So well
did she succeed that at one time 1T is
claimed that she had So members
pledged to support this measure. That
favor is indicated by the fact that 1t
was advanced on the calendar and
passed the committee of the whole very
easily.
A number of ladies, wives of some of
the members, it is alleged by the friends
of the bill, thought that Mrs. Thompson
was acquiring entirely too much in
fuence with their husbands and the
other Legislators. This feeling develop
ed until they made up their minds to
oppose the bill in which Mrs. Thompson
1, rts@xry
with Mrs. H. F. Geissler as their leader.
they enlisted Mrs. w. E. Stanley wife
of Governor Stanley, and Mrs. J. R.
Burton, in their cause. 1t is claimed
that some of these ladies would sit in
the hotel parlorS to see what members
Mrs. Thompson talked to, and would
then bring all the influence possible to
bear to defeat her influence with that
particular member.
Mr.. Geissler of Logan, was opposed to
the bill from the start, but it is claimed
Mrs. Thompson talked to him until he
agreed not to speak against it, but only
to vote. Some of the other ladies heard
of this, and as a result Mr.. GeissIer made
a strong fight against it. 1t is alleged
that he was told he had to make the
fight of his life to defeat the bill.
When the bill came up for passage
its friends did not anticipate opposition
to it from the source from which it
through practically without any oppo-
sition at all. But as soon as it was
called a dozen or so members were
suddenly called away. A number of
others changed front. Among these
were Longley, Poison, WEIGH, Brooke,
Loomis and Wheeler. The two last are
Populists.
It is also claimed that Governor STAN
ley himself took a hand in the defeat
of the bill because he did not want the
job of appointing the commission. 1t is
said that he had already received over
a hundred applications for places on
the commission, and it had become ev
ident that if the bill passed he would
have more trouble in picking out three
men for the commission then he had in
appointing any other board, and for
this reason wanted the bill defeated.