Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1909-11-13
An Open Letter From Con-
oressman Reeder.

DOllb1cdI CAIN I)d1Su u1blI ULlc CiIlc
arrived when we could more fair
ly Judge as to what should be
done as to representative in
the Sixty second congress from
the Sixth district of Kansas, but
| note that the papers of the
country are taking seriously
your suggestion that my silence
means that | will not again be a
candidate; therefore l write you.
/ want to assure you that the
Republicans and the people of
the Sixth district owe me moth
ing. They have placed me un-
der obligations that l can never
repay. The ambition that | had
for years entertained and which
was the primary foundation of
my determination to ask the peo-
pie of this district to elect me to
congress has been realized /
wanted to see the government
bring about the reclamation of
the great deserts of the west by
developing irrigation projects
that were too vast in scope for
individual effort to Surmount.
My desire in this direction has
been attained, and by an act of
congress, of which [ was one of
the chief originators, there is
now a grand work going forward
throughout the arid states of the
west that is annually making
homes for millions of people.
AS | view it, the people of the
SIvfh hi
yet by retaining me in congress
for an extended term they have
made it possible for me, by my
experience and length of service,
to be of value to them that no
new member can hope to attain
except by years of service. The
Kansas delegation by reason of
it's length of service, is one of
most powerful in congress. Kan
SaS has the craftsmanship of more
of the great committees to her
credit tnan any other of the
great states of the union.
This is a critical period in the
history of the Republican party,
and the great policy of protec-
tion that has been the keystone
to the prosperity of the past ten
years is threatened by the ma
chination OF individuals who have
no honest political convictions
but who are cunning and unScru
pulouS in their methods. AS a
result we find the policy of pro
lection fighting for it's very ex-
iStence in a state that has become
powerful, with plenty on every
hand, by reason of having lived
for the past ten years under the
provisions of the Dingley law
and the rule of the Republican
party. Demagogues, cloaked in
Republican garb, are at this
very moment fighting the admin
iStration of President Taft and
the party because a minority of
less than ten per cent of the Re
publican party were not allowed
to dictate as to the schedules
contained in the Payne tariff bill
Three gentlemen have so far an
nounced themselves as candi-
dates to succeed me in congress.
Each of them endorses the
square deal" movement that
now engulfs Kansas and which is
slowly but surely impairing her
national credit. Being of that
political faith they cannot sue
cessfully deny that they are in
sympathy with our junior United
States senator in his free trade
TRADES and his attacks on the
party and the administration.
The business man and the
farmer of Kansas are largely re-
Sponsible for the political situa-
tion that is such a menace to our
great state. They have been so
absorbed in making dollars un-
der the present protective policy
that they have given no attention
to politics. As a result of no at
tention Kansas has fallen into the
hands of a band of political fakirs
who are exploiting the state to
their advantage, through a series
OF fake reforms, and the people
are paying the bills. This clamor
from the Demo-Republican press
and the square dealerSn for the
retirement of the members of
congress from this state. for the
reason that the said members
voted for the Payne tariff bill. is
the wall of the demagogue to
catch Democratic votes. Wheth
1 n M oil