Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-06-06
The State Ticket.
WHITEfREPLIES TO HOCH.

WHITEkREPLIES TO HOCH.
Under the head" The Governors De-
Tense, William Allen White in the En-.
poria Gazette replies to Governor
Hoch's statement regarding the M. K.
& T. railroad suit for lands in Indian
Territory worth so million. He says:
I'm Saturdays paper Governor Hoch
made dignified and convincing reply
TO the charge that he had acted lmprop-
II In lending the name Of Kansas to the
Katy railroad in its suit against the
government. 1t Ia, of course, an ex-
parte statement and omits some facts
that are damaging to his case. For
whatever one may say about Governor
Hoch,nO one has ever questioned his
personal integrity. When he sees
thing clearly he acts braYely. But he did
not see this Katy suit clearly. Ho went
into it blindly aud now refuses to be-
lieve that those who led him were in
spired by selfish interests.
MEANS $500. 900 A MILE.
"But the people OF Kansas are emit
tied to know these facts, and on some of
those facts Governor Hoch and his crit
les can agree. One of those facts is the
value of the land in controversy. No
one has put its value at less than so
million dollars. 1t occupies an area
nearly as large as New England state.
Nations have gone to war for smaller
treasure. Stripped Of Its legal VERDI
agethe suit is brought to determine
whether the government of the United
States shall pay the Katy railroad so
million dollars for building road $50
miles.
The sum of 5000, 900 dollars a mile
at once appears ridiculous and unfair.
The rOadcould not have cost that much
ana 1t has been and is now a paying
piec9Of railroad. 1t is also agreed by
the governor and his crstics that If the
Katy WINS this suit the government
Will have to pay this 50 million dollars
out of the federal taxes, and Governor
Hoch cannot deny that Kansas's share
OF that sum would be about million
dollars. One million dollars then is the
sum that the taxpayers of Kansas will
nave to pay to railroad, known as a
Rockefeller road, that the governor of
Kansas might violate the precedent of
long line of governors Of Kansas and
bring this suit.
ONLY HOCH SAW BUSINESS.
"Other governors have had this case
laid before them and have given the
people the benefit of the doubt. Gov
ernor Hoch seems to think that the
Rockefeller railroad needs the benefit
OF the doubt rather than the taxpayers
But others besides the governor of
Kansas have reviewed this case. It is
an old case and has been on the records
or the United States for nearly half a
century. The grant Of land in question
was made in 1853, when the govern.
ment land was being stolen by the great
railroad bandits of this country while
the people were engaged in greatwar
The grant was made originally to a
company chartered in Pennsylvania to
do business anywhere outside of Penn
sylvania, and the same company was
afterward declared an outlaw in the
state of Kansas.
1.-The grant was so preposterous that
Congress ignored it and over the pro
test Of the present Katy railroad after
thoroughly investigating the old claim,
which Governor Hoch now brings to life
by his action. Congress passed laws
practically annulling the terms of the
grant, and went ahead with its business.
But the old grant was hidden treasure
for the schemers of the Rockefeller sys
tenn. They kept it alive according to
their own brief just filed in the United
States Supreme court, page 100. The
Katy took Its case for review first to
the Indian )commission, second to the
Secretary OF the Interior then to the
President Of the United States Each
or these tribunals after carefully going
over this case decided that the claim
was fraudulent and turned 1t down.
DANGER IN LEGAL TANGLEs
Here We have then both the legisla.
tive and executive branches of the
national government deciding that q
claim or 80 million dollars for building
20 miles OF road is absurd on its face
The decisions were made according tC
common sense and not according to
legal technicalities. But the Supreme
court OF this country is no more sacred
than are the Congress and the President
or this country and everyone who has
lived TO mans estate knows that injus
tees are done every day by the courts
or this country who follow old rules anG
old laws and old presidents and ignore
the plain justice of the matter before
them. Thousands Of dollars in ole
claims have been foisted on innocent
people right here in Kansas by the res
direction or old county bonds and the
Endorsement of fraudulent claims by
the courts who decide according to prec
edent and not according to horse sense
and common honesty.
The Katy claim has been reviewed
by honest men who had been officially
requested by the Katy TO Investigate
the claim and these men including thu
Congress of the United States, the Sec
rotary Of the Interior of the United
States, the Dawes commission and Pres
sdent Mckinley, all decided that the
claim was worthless. The governor
of Kansas have decided the same thins
until Governor H0ch came along an(
bscsme blinded By pardonable Rdmira
ton for John Madden. the 'bright-fac