Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-08-03

The convention adopted the report
of the conference committee by viva
voce. Less than a dozen votes were
cast in opposition. The next order of
business was the nomination of a
candidate for secretary of state
Tully Scott presented the name of
Abe Frakes, of Wakeeney. F. j. Oyler
nominated David. D. Leahy, of Wich-
tia. Frakes was nominated. The
vote stood, Frakes, 1921, Leahy, 1861
Before the result was announced the
nomination of Frakes was made unan-
imous. For the office of state treas
urer, Judge NJ. SchSonover nominated
Conway Marshall, of Anderson coun-
| ty, and J. NJ. MCGOWAN nominated
L. C. Slime, of Ottawa. Slime with
drew, pleading the demands of his
private business and Marshall was
nominated by reclamation.
For attorney general, Giles E. SEQ
Vile, of Marshall, nominated Judge
John c. Cannon, of Linn county.
Judge Cannon fairly ran down the
aisle to address the chair. 81 am that
gentleman he said, land 1 cannot
accept the nomination. I desire to
nominate Senator Hugh P. Farrelly,
of Neosho county, for that position"
A half dozen short seconding speeches
were made and Farrelly was declared
the nominee of the convention by ac-
| clamatiOn.
The silver republicans held small
| convention in which they selected
James Falcon. of Hiawatha, for elect
| or for the First district, and r. w.
| Turner, of Mankato, for elector-at-
large. For superintendent of insur
ance they named Webb McNall.
The Democratic Platform.
Fort Scott, Kan, July 26.-The DEM
| ocrats adopted their state platform
| Tuesday night David Overmyer, chair
man of the resolutions committee,
read the report of the committee and
it was adopted without debate. 1t
says:
The democrats of Kansas in state con-
| vention assembled, hereby iAdorse the
| Kansas City platform. We regard this
platform as a second declaration of indie
pendence, and point to it as the hope of
| the liberty-loving people of this country
| and of the world.
| Railway companies are common carriers
and public servants. They are given fran
! chises and great powers with the agree
| ment their part that they will serve
| the public impartially for just compensa-
ton. Our state has never had an efnclent
| system of railway legislation and present
| conditions call for comprehensive. intel
| ligent and courageous legislation. We
| believe the first step in any efficient sys-
tenn of railway regulation is to secure
publicity of railway affairs, and we there
fore favor the creation of a state officer.
| to be known railway auditor with full
powers to examine, check, duplicate and
| keep for public use, all books. records,
papers and accounts of the railway COM
| panies, and to be the public auditor and
accountant of all the affairs Of railway
| companies of the state. There should be
| created by law public tribunal clothed
| with all the power necessary for the COM
plete and efficient regulation and control
1 of the railways of the state in their re-
lationS to the public and to their agents,
servants and employees and to all persons
| whomsoever, and in all of their conduct
| and actions in the operation of their
roads. and in the prosecution of their
| business in all things and at all times.
| Among the matters requiring the special
| attention of the legislature as relating to
regulation and control of railways may
be mentioned the fixing of passenger fares
| and freight rates and the absolute pro-
hibition of all Determinations to either.
| The grossest and most offensive and in
| furious form of passenger discrimination
is the free pass, which, in addition to its
courts and all public officials, is an insid-
uOuS means of securing the favor of in
huential persOnages and is the fruitful
parent of every other discrimination and
| of all abuses practiced by the railway
| companies upon persons and the public.
| We, therefore, demand its total abolition
by making the issuance or acceptance OF
the same likewise of any discrimina-
ting favor public offense. The indiffer-
| ence of some of the railways to the safety
| and lives of their employees calls forth
strongest condemnation of all humane
persons. And we condemn the practice
of using what are known as double
| headers, two engines to train of
| twice the ordinary size, as likewise all
practices and methods of railway cOmpa-
MES which unnecessarily endanger lives
| and limbs of employees and of the public.
| While conceding TO railroads the fullest
protection of the law in the spirit of JUS
| tice yet we submit that the public inter-
ests require to be jealousy guarded and
| the peoples rights constantly defended
| against their abuses and wrongs. The
present republican state administration
| is weak, vacillating and insincere, and we
| submit that the party responsible there
for is unfit to be charged with the duty of
| enacting a system of railway legislation
for the people of this state.
The recent unparalleled growth of trusts
and mOnOpOlieS has brought the Amer
lean people face to face with the greatest
Industrial question of any age. Monopoly
| in private hands is wholly bad. There
are no good trusts and we hold that they
must be destroyed by proper legislation.
This can be accomplished only by honest
| cooperation between the state and ma
tional governments. and we pledge our
selves. in case we succeed at the polls in
4 November, to employ the full powers of
our state government in an effort to re-
Ilieve honest producers, wage-earners and
all the people from the burdens and OPP
pressions of monopoly. The inexhaustible
supply of petroleum which the Creator
has placed within our borders for the ben
eft of our people has been appropriated
by the Standard Oil company until our
citizens cannot light a lamp or oil a
machine without the payment of tribute.
/ This monopoly controls the trade in pc