The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-18
TO SENATE
Asks That Investigation Be
Dropped at Once.
Also Reiterates the Charge OF
Political CrOOkedness.o
JUSTIFIES HIMSELF.
Says VIM. Allen White Endorsed
What He Said.
Senate Refuses to Listen to the
Communication.

needed. Legislation" the senate slapped
the newspaper correspondent squarely
in the face by refusing to accept his
letter and ordered it dumped into the
waste basket.
No sooner had the clerk completed
the reading of the first paragraph
than Glenn of Greeley county moved
that the further reading be dispensed
with and that the senate positively re-
fuse to accept the letter. His motion
carried with a whoop and the slap
which Leahy proposed TO take at the
legislature in his final message was
converted into a rebuke to the man
whose vivid imagination has already
consumed two days of the present
session of the legislature.
Leahy's parting shot was as follows:
Saturday Morning, Feb. Is, 1911.
Hon. Richard ]. Hopkins, President of
the Senate.
Ny dear Sir: Will you do me the
great kindness of conveying my re-
SpectS to the distinguished members of
the honorable body over which you so
ably preside and to say to them that
in the interest of public business in
the legislative branch of the govern
ment I shall not make unnecessary
additional effort to further support the
facts set forth in my interview in the
Wichita Eagle of February ~, and for
which interview you hold me in con-
tempt.
There have been more than a thou
sand bills introduced in the present
legislature and after six weeks of the
session have been exhausted only 20 of
such bills have reached the governors
office for his approval. The cost of the
legislature to the taxpayers of Kansas
is about 1900 a day. Two days have
been wasted in a hearing of absurd
charges against me-charges that cas-
lily could have been Investigated in 40
minutes with better results, so far as
Illuminating the facts is concerned
than have been attained by the nom
sensica1 sparring we have been COM
PEELED by nonsensica1 ideas of pride
and honor to indulge in.
AS the matter now stands, can not
see any prospect that the public can
obtain further illumination by contin-
uing the controversy and thus leopard
ize some excellent legislation which
our paymasters-th peop1e-are de-
handing.
The senate charged that I have
committed the crime of lese majeste in
printing three statements, as follows:
That political crookedness is ram
pant
That the pork barrel idea has been
introduced in the situation
That an effort had been made to
falsify a record of the legislature
There has not been a single denial
of the latter charge. not even from
Jackson T. Moore, the man against
whom it was directed by me. On the
contrary, he has admitted it upon the
witness stand and the corroborative
proof of my evidence in that regard
is Overwhelming.
That the pork barrel idea was in
troduced into the situation no senator
can deny. Senator Carey admitted
upon the stand, in response to di-
rect question put to him by myself,
that he did tell Judge Jewett of Wich-
tia that his town might get a branch
asylum out of it. This statement alone
and unsupported is sufficient justifica-
ton for the allegation I made in my
interview. But that was not all. Will
lam Allen White, possibly the most
distinguished and universally honored
citizen of our state, as he is certainly
one of the best and safest interpreters
of public opinion in Kansas, Endorsed
what I said without equivOcation, not
only publicly, but afterwards in sworn
evidence before your honorable body.
Nothing remains then but the state
ment that political crookedness is
rampant"
Stands by Charge.
1 regret exceedingly that the attor-
neyS for the senate, with all the arts
of their profession. and all the tricks
of their trade. made desperate effort
to prove that 1 said political corrup-
ton instead of political crookedness,
but the senate cannot fail to remem
Der that 1 repeatedly corrected them in
this error.
The words 1 used were political
crookedness'' and by these words
stand unmoved and unwavering-
The attorneys in question claimed
that they had the right to defeat the
resolutions relating to the initiative.
the referendum and the recall without
being open to the charge of political
crookedness OF "unfaithfulness to pub
lie duty as I interpreted it for them.
If they can prove to me that the de-
politics and that they dealt their cards
over the table in 6ef~ating it I pray
that / may be courageous enough to
apologize to them. But if they cannot
do it 1 will stand by my statements
and make ready to be shot at sun
desire and adjudge.
The senators in question, notably Sen
atorS Stewart, Carey, Brewster, Cald-
well and Porter openly declared that
their justification for opposing and de-
feating the initiative, the referendum
and the recall was in their belief that
the principle upon which these three
things are founded is not according to
sound public policy. What has that got
to do with it? They were not asked to
adopt the initiative, the referendum and
the recall into our constitution. They
were asked only to place the PROPOSE
tions before the people of Kansas to be
voted on at the general election is
1872 Then is the time for them to OPP
pose the initiative, the referendum and
the recall and not now. Who demanded
that these propositions be set before the
people for action in 1872? The people
themselves demanded it in all recent
party platforms-the traditional, his
trical and proper manner for making
such demands. During the life of our
government, and necessarily in the pol
lev of all governments instituted and
conducted for of and by the people the
party platform has been, or should be,
held as sacred covenant between the
people and their leaders and represent
tatives; and ii is uncomfortable to me-
and to many others, that any citizen of
this great and intelligent state of Kan
sas could deny this proposition by any