The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-18
Nearly All of Them Rated as
Wealthy Men.
STUBBS AT THE HEAD.
His Fortune Estimated at Half
Million at Least.
Kirkland, Ham, Davidson and
Bergman Also Rich.


square deal leaders in the house of rep
resentatives are wild eyed Populists'
and calamity howlers' because they
advocated new laws for the regulation
of railroads and politicians.
Even the members of the Topeka
Commercial club have intimated that
the 2-cent fare, antipass and primary
election laws are Populistic-
All of which is funny when a COM
parison is drawn between the old time
Populists and the present leaders of the
square deal movement. The Populists,
when in power, would not recognize a
leader unless he was able, like Jerry
Simpson, to boast of his poverty be-
cause of the robber tariffs and the
Great Golden Dragon of Wall street.
The Populist leaders got the name of
calamity howlers'' because they were
themselves people who were suffering
from the pinch of the foreclosure laws.
The Populists demanded reforms be
cause times were hard, money scarce.
labor unemployed, and everybody dis
couraged.
1t can't be that the square deal lead
ers in the house are discouraged, or
crushed down by poverty. for there are
eighteen of them whose aggregate
wealth foots up to 81, $50, 900.
OF course this is an estimate-doubt-
less the men themselves could not give
exact figures on the value of their prop
erty. Some of them whose fortunes
value upon those holdings at this time,
and some of them may be inclined 20
under estimate rather than over esti-
mate their possessions.
For instance, there is w. r. Stubs
Stubs friends estimate his wealth all
the way from $3.50, 900 to 81, 100000 Very
likely 1T is at least half million dollars
Stubs is not only the belI-wether of
the square deal flock, but he is probably
the most wealthy man in the legisla-
And w haf hd ic
a shrewd business man, not to be class
ed with the unemployed, mort ga ge-rid-
den, and oppressed.
G. L. Davidson of Sedgwick county
is another very wealthy man in the
square deal camp. Davidson is such
good busir~-s man that people say he
never touches an investment unless it
promises at least 20 per cent. 1t is said
that he is worth from 100000 to $400, 900.
J. w. Bergman of Clark county,
and W. B. Ham of Rocks county are
both said to be in the $150.0OO class
Bergman may be worth even more
than that. He owns cattle. and banks
and lumber yards. and is director in a
lot of the Socalled chandler" banks
in southern Kansas. Mr.. Ham is a
lawyer. but he has made his money
by investing in Kansas land when it
was very cheap. and selling it off at
good prices Mr. Hams friends say
that he has accumulated a fortune
very rapidly during. the past ten years
in the front rank of the square deal
fight.
There are quite a number of $780,
600 men in the square deal fight
There is H. w. Grasse of Rush, who is
q banker and land owner, and one of
the most safe and conservative men in
the house. George Plumb and c. A
Stannard of Lyon county are probably
worth 100000 apiece, and they made
most of theirs in the cattle business.
Stannard goes in strong for fancy
stock. and at his farm, ''Sunnyside,"
he raises some of the best thorough
bred stock in the country. w. Y. Nor
gan of Reno is also said to be worth
100000. He owns the Hutchinson
News, a very valuable newspaper prop
erty, has bank stock, and is said to
control one of the other papers in
Hutchinson.
]. NJ. Davis of Bourbon, a Democrat
who has voted with the square dealers
on all important bills, is said to be
worth $4,000. Robert S. Hendricks
of RawlinS, who is one of the biggest
and best looking men in the house. as
we'll as being a Democrat is credited
with being worth about $4,000. S H.
Brandon of Butler is a banker, and is
said to have about $4,000 he can call
his own. E. F. Dawson of Marion is
another banker, and is placed in about
the $4,000 class. C. B. Kirkland of
Saline owns a fine home, big flour
mill and several valuable farms the
be about $4,000. J. T. White of OF
tawa county has $4,000 or more
which he has made out of cattle. farm
ing and land Robert Stone of Shaw
nee, is a lawyer whose profession has
probably netted him $4,000. He
made his big killing in the DeBois-
siere case, which resulted in his COM
ing into part ownership of the mag
ntfcent farm of the celebrated French
Spectator down in Franklin county
]. H. Ransom of Ransomville,
Franklin county. not only owns most
of the town which bears his name
his wealth is conservatively estimated
at $25,0O0. John Edwards of Green
wood county is probably worth $25,-
600. made in cattle feeding and specu-
1ations. Charles Lander of McPher-
son is worth about $4,000. most of
which is in valuable farm land
All of the men above mentioned are
active in the square deal fight. They
do not f1frt with the opposition. and
switch their votes at unexpected times
and for unaccountable reasons.
OF course there are other rich men
in the house. but some OF them are
decidedly opposed to the square deal
measures, while Others are inclined to
flop around. Cyrus Leland is one of
the rich men of the house. and he
usually lines up for square deal
propositions. but has none of the
square deal brands on him William
Gesne- of Barber county is wealthy
out is not III the square zeal crowd.
J. w. Creech of Dickinson is a wealthy
man, but he is opposed to the square
deal system. J. B. Taylor of Osborne
and Sigmund Lehman of Labette are
the merchant princes" of the house
and are probably worth upwards of
$4,000 each, but they do not train
regularly with the square deal forces,
though their votes are usually with
that portion of the house.
Grip Invades Orphans Home.