Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-04-05
SLOGAN OF THE FUsloNlsTs
Their Candidates Are iden ified with 'frus'
Hut Are INDUCING IN the try Of "st0p
Thief" to Foot the People.

Expansion and sixteen to one VIII Dt
only indicental issues. The fusion
lists realize that the people of Kan
sas are in favor Of expansion and that
IL would never do to make that the
leading issue. They also know that
sixteen to one, as an issue, is bacl
number and If pushed to the front
would result, in the language of ai
old Clark county democrat, "very dis
astrable to the party and dissatis
Fashionable to the people,"
Harboring these well founded be-
liefs In their bosoms the fusion lead
ers had to drum up something else
The anti-incorporation and antitrust
Issue was all that remained. So they
took II.
In view of this brief review show
Ing where the populist leaders, per
sonally, stand in reference to trusts
may be of interest. II must be re-
membered that the republicans passed
the first antitrust law In congress
and that republican legislature
passed the first antitrust state law
in Kansas. 1t is probably well to state
right here that not a republican state
official, nor a republican leader in the
state, nor republican now seeking
office, is in any way connected with a
trust. On the other hand what is
the record Of the populst leaders
In its challenge to the republican
state committee for series of joint
debates issued recently the populist
committee said that party platforms
did not count; that the surroundings
Of those who shape Legislation in
fluenced the manner in which legisla-
ton was shaped. In other words, that
trust man would not legislate
against trusts.
How then can the masses Of Kansas
expect any relief from trusts at the
hands Of the populist leaders Of the
state and those who are running for
office on an antitrust platform, pro-
viding they are placed in power? AS
will be seen below, all of the fusion
leaders in the state almost, are tan
glcd up with trusts of some kind.
George M. Munger, of Greenwood
county, one of the leading fusion can
didate for governor, is at the head Of
the big laundry trust which has its
tentacles firmly fastened on the peo-
pie Of all the large cities Of the west.
Cleanliness Is next to Goodness says
the good book, but before the plain
common masses can get next they
must pay tribute to Munger's laun-
dry trust.
The greatest trust buster of all
among the fusion forces of the state,
Is that well-known "rabble rouser,"
the Hon. David Overmyer, of Shawnee.
Overmyer works himself into Il frenzy
In his abuse Of trusts. Yet when the
trusts get into trouble in Kansas they
have no difficulty In securing his serv-
ices to defend them. The legislature
last winter passed a bill giving the
people of Kansas cheaper school
books. This did not suit the text
book trust so it employed 0vcrmyer
to bust" the law. This is not all.
lie tried to do it by the injunction
route, another thing that he de-
nouned in his speeches. As matters
now stands Overmyer thinkstrustsare
bad thing until Oyermyer is retained
to defend them; then they are all
right.
The trust that probably holds up
the people of Kansas stronger than
any other is the plumbers trust, yet
II has for It's president, A. p Elder,
Of Franklin county, who is working
night and day to secure the fusion
nomination for state treasurer 10
Elder all trusts are bad things but the
plumbers trust, .
When the laboring men OF Kansas
showed some signs of prosperity aud
began to build themselves homes the
plaster and cement dealers formed
combination to raise prices, They
could not stand to see the laboring
man get his plaster aud cement so
cheap. At the head Of this trust is
Ed Bonesteel, of Marion county,
leader of the populst forces of his
section.
George W. Hanna, Of Clay, is after
the fusion nomination for insurance
superintendent. Hanna belongs to u
trust which controls rs creameries in
central Kansas. The object of this
trust is to pay as little as possible to
the farmers and dairymen for milk
and to force the laboring men to pay
as much as possible for butter, nee
essity of life.
John Breidenthal who has backed
into the race for governor, once organ
lied trust to control the universe
the Topolobampo scheme. But the
trust busted. Now Breidenthal is in
terested in live stock commission
trust and also trust to handle cat
tie paper.
Maj A. NJ. Harvey, of Shawnee,
lieutenant governor under the Leedy
administration, and an active candi-
date for governor this time, repre-
senting the money trust of the east
recently went into the supreme court
and knocked out the law providing
for the taxation of judgments, As