Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1903-03-27
10 McDILL'S MUSINGS.
1.-THE SHOW" AND. SHOWING.

I'LL 1uAVV fSlNbA StNsWSNU
To quote the language Of J. A. Ramsey, 1.-THE
show is over" To. be explicit: Mr.. Ramsey
was clerk in the Kansas senate, and acted as
chaplain for some eight days., The letter from
which quote was Published ID the Paiudealer
Mr.. Ramsey says of the senate that it "was
as fine body of men as ever / saw-not cot
trolled by anybody; but theshouse, from start
to finish, was controlled by cy Leland" Nj.
Ramsey further says Of the house, that "its
payroll was loaded up with political buns,
some Of whom never came to Topeka. People
who doubt Mr.. Rsmsey's statements are refer
red to Senator rum for veri6cation. There is
not much doubt that Mr.. crum would sustain
Mr.. Ramsey's statement as to the s'ine body"
but what he would say as to the 'spolitical
bun,s' is quite another question.
Neither Mr.. Ramsey or Mr. crnm can Be
taken as auprejudiced authority. :
Fsom Mr.. Ramsey's letter. We gathef that he
was disappointed in the matter ef pay, the
house Of c, Leland being unwilling ID apprs.
pirate alt Of Mr.. Ramssyss senate allowance.
Mt. Ramsey probably told. the truth as to the
Cy Leland house, for the facts are strongly cor.
roborative, but as the tossenstorial ''fae body"
there is room for quite q, different conclusion.
Most people who agree viii Mr.. Ramsey in his
opinion Of the Cy Laland house have NO bettes
opinion Of the trust.ridden senate. Lelana
bossed the house, but the mergers boss Leland.
The trusts had no need of boss in the senate.
The senators seem to have been so completely
in the grip of the mergers that no boss was
needed. The fact that the house had to have
a boss is evidence that some Of the members Of
the house had some, little independence The
senate suffers in the comparison.
II is not to be presumed that no good bills
were passed, and that none Of the ''bum poll.
ticians" were in the capital. There were q
great many ''bum politicians who attende6
the sessions of the Legislature, and not many gf
them but drew all the pay they could lay hands
on.
Among the good bills passed were the a.si.
snake-eatiug and ant.slot. ot.machine bills. The
stock -yard-charges bill is all right, but is snre
to be found Unconstitutional. The stock.yards
bill affects large corporate interests; and, since
all laws adverse to the mergers are uncenstitu-
tional, this bill cannot form ah exception. Ii
the unconstitutionality of antitrust laws there
are no exceptions. The constitution on this
point is as unalterable as the laws of the Medes
and Persians. The anti-snake.eating bill will
stand the test of tue courts, for none Of our
couri judges have any interest in snake-eatiug
corporations. The anti.slot-machine bill is in
doubt-that law affects class Of people whe
get something for nothing.
law prohibiting people from getting soae-
thing for nothing is, even in minor matters, in
line with the unconstitutional side.
The governors salary raise goes without
question. Also the euti-hog bird-hunter, VINO
is not now permitted to kill more than twenty
fve binds in any one day--Sundays included.
There is also bounty on gopher scalps, and
tax for the determination Of pfaifie.doss,
and NO banking on less than ten thousand dol
lars. Cbattel mortgages are to have two
years lease of life, and railway trains ale not
(concluded on editorial page