The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-03-24
WEST SIDE
MAY FORM
BIG COMBINE
Aroused BY the Defeat of the
Public Building Bill.
WHAT HAVEN OF ENID SAYS
AprOpos of the Late Defeat
by the Governor

De West Side coalition. politically and
/ otherwise? There is some indication sh-t
! there viii be. Some OF the papers Of the
central portion are leading that way.
/ Senator Haven OF Garfield county saws
/ along this line:
/ II IS about time the central and west
! ern portions Of Oklahoma began to assert
1 themselves in the legislative and political
/ affairs OF the territory Nearly every
/ important Official position In the terri
| tory IS filed by east side men. The cen
| tral and western portions are scarcely
eonsidered-exeep as sort OF a tail to
/ the kite And so long as all political
favors are conceded to the Santa Fe rail-
road line, or are allowed to be grabbed
by that locality, controlling Influences.
| will always be against as, and we shah
! get the worst of it,
The congressional delegate. the gover-
nor United States district attorney, sec
rotary, attorney general. treasurer.
school land commissioner. atsuitor. adju-
tant general, bank examiner. librarian
and pra ctically all of the subordinate
places are from the east side. And
nearly all Of them are from Guthrie.
West of the Santa Fe road we have the
United States marshal and coal oil in
spector only.
with such a preponderance Of fnfu-
ence against us we are at great disad-
vantage always. The governor has not
seemed to think that the western half of
the territory should be noticed in the
disposition Of his appointments. Amos
Ewing and Hopkins are almost the only
worthy men he has ever found west OF
Guthrie. And he would hardly have
recognized the great merits of Amos but
for Ohio influences close to the president,
which he dared not Disregard.
And yet the west casts more than half
Of the votes, has more than half Of the
wealth and pays more than half of the
taxes
So far as the discharge OF strictly Of
fetal duties are concerned It is not very
important where an officer comes from,
but when it comes to the exercise OF
political influence and power it cuts an
important figure.
In rebutting Governor Barnes reasons
for refusing to sign the public building
bin Senator Haven says:
THE reasons given by the governor for
his veto of the public building bill, are
reasons with which he was entirely fam
liar throughout the session of the leg
islature. And if he had intimated dur
ing the session that he entertained the
views expressed in his veto message.
there would have been no effort made to
pass the bill. But instead OF indicating
unfriendly purposes he repeatedly assur-
ed councilmen and representatives inter
ested in the bill that II the legislature
passed it he would sign 1t. And when
the Guthrie amendment was made by
the house he insisted that II must be
stricken out as a condition of his sig
nature And it was stricken out accord
ingly. Governor Barnes not only assur-
ed AIessau. Millard and others Of his sig
nature, but he aided materially in the /
passage Of the bill. When the Enid dele- /
cation called upon him four days after /
the adjournment he stated in the pres
enc eof all of them that he had given as
ence of al Of them that he had given as /
the legislature
One Of the reasons given for the veto I
is that it was passed as the result Of +
combination and reciprocity. II this was /
true who was deeper into the combina-
ton than the governor himself He had [
ious to have passed. One Of them was for
the payment Of the Alva Normal debt
Opinion throughout the territory had
been almost unanimous that the COVER
nor had no legal right 70 contract that
debt. and that it was not a valid claim
against the territory.
The previous legislature had refused 70
provide for its payment. and the present
legislature would certainly have done the
same thing out for the reciprocity
which the governor invoked.
The legislature OF 1893 refused TO sp-
money TO purchase certain fur
niture and fixtures for the Alva building
which the governor desired, but appro-
1riated funds to carry 90 the school
Agafnst the advice Of his own attorney
general and in disregard Of the legisia-
-ure rs took the latter appropriation ana
used it to purchase the desired furniture
and fixtures He wanted this act lagaiiz-
I'd and an appropriation n make good
The consequent deficiency in the expenses
Il carrying on the school And he got
& by assurances Of reciprocal favors He
also wanted appropriations for several
lther purposes which be had good reas-
lns 10 Doubt the wiilirgrees - tho lcEis-
azure 70 make. The veto power was the
ready resource ana the reciprocal inel-
.rca en- t-e alte cf the governor hv
ehirh the necessary votes were secured
7he Norman arrronria t.el ~ OYER fa-
~ was product ~ reciprocity Tire
enlistment ~ thlr1 rmai she
vhen the 1erritrrr hae afrascy two c1I
.ct have been secured except ~
--.- lre- ~ e-rr-a NaI-Aar rl rrr-