Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1906-10-20
HARRIS DOES NOT KNOW
CONFIRMS STATEMENT THAT HE
IS OUT OF TOUCH WITH
KANSAS.
HI is A "MAIL ORDER CANDIDATE
A Few Things Regarding Republican
Administration of the Attorney
Generals Office-The Record
Made a Good One.

A little more than year ago, while
paying the state a visit, Col. w. A
Harris, of Chicago, was asked by q
newspaper representative to express
an opinion regarding the political sit
uation in Kansas. He declined to do
so, COUGHING his declination in the
following language: ct have been
away from the state so long that /
am out of touch with Kansas affairs.
I do not want to discuss Kansas poll
tics for publication for the reason
that my lack of information on the
subject preciudes intelligent discus
sion on my part
At that time Col Harris had not
been brought to Kansas to run for
governor as the mail order candi-
date of the Democratic party. He has
made no such statements since he
began his campaign this year and
they have really been unnecessary as
he displays his lack of familiarity
with Kansas affairs in nearly every
speech he makes. In fact his lack
of information regarding the politics
of the state is at times so ridiculous
that it provokes laughter in his audi
ences.
For instance, Col. Harris declares
that the office of attorney general
has been poorly administered for
number of years, his idea being to
show that the present Republican
nominee will give the state a repeti-
ton of the administration of his pre-
decessor. Says he: Goddard was
attorney general and Coleman was his
assistant; Coleman is attorney gen
eral and Jackson is his assistant; now
Jackson wants to be promoted. 1t is
the same old breed"
Coleman was not Goddard's assist
ant and everyone who has been keep
ing track of Kansas affairs knows it
but Col. Harris of Chicago does not
In his anxiety to spread poison
against the Republican candidates he
even forgets to give Coleman credit
for the many things he has done dur
ing his administration as attorney
general.
Attorney General Coleman vfndi-
Gated the eight hour law in the SUI
preme court of the United States, and
the antitrust law on two occasions in
the same forum. The interests of the
Arkansas Valley have been protected
by every resource known to the law
in the Kansas Colorado suit now APP
politan Street Railway of Kansas
City, the great express companies,
the Kansas City packing houses, the
pipe line companies, and other cor
poroations which have done business
for years without even pretending to
ask the permission of the state and
without any charter authority have
been compelled to submit to the law
of the land to pay in their charter
fees and submit to state regulations
lust like a village bank or some small
local CORPORATION. This has mater
tally augmented the revenues of the
state and together with the economies
practiced by the legislature and state
institutions, has caused a reduction
of the state taxes of this year from
ST to Al mills. This is an official
policy which brings results-results
that you will see when you walk in
to the county treasurer's office this
winter to pay your taxes
There are other suits still pending.
The Pullman Company, and the Yves
tern Union Telegraph Co.-both cor
porationS-have never had authority
from the Kansas Charter Board to do
business in this state. They have
paid no charter fees. The Attorney
General believes that their great
wealth and enormous capital place
them on no different footing from that
of a village corporation for making
brick or digging coal. They are fight
ing hard, but it seems safe to predict
that in time the State will win and
these corporations, so far as they are
doing a purely Kansas business, will
be held amendable to the Kansas cor
poration laws. Coleman is not a can
didate this year but his party does
not apologize for his administration