The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1912-07-06
DICTATES POPULISM'S
HISTORY IN BED

Hospital, in Topeka, an old gray haired,
gray -whiskered, thin man lies on couch
and dictates for 20 to 30 minutes four
times a day that the real history OF popu-
lism may be preserved. This thin old
man suffered an amputation of his leg
at the age of 81 years, so this history
might be completed. 1t probably never
will be published, but it will be kept in
the archives of the Kansas State His
torical Society, where it may be read
by historians in the years to come.
William A. Pfeffer, the first and only
Populist Senator from Kansas, the guile
less, long whiskered man who led the
farmers of the State to the most decisive
political victories the State has ever
known, has no hope of seeing his big
book in print. 1t was started as an auto
biography but sin,e it has been almost
completed Senator Pfefer is anxious now
only trat his life will be prolonged suf-
fciently to complete the memoirs.
For six years Senator Pfeffer was the
butt of the gbes OF the cartoonists and
jokesmiths, and his whiskers furnished
more ammunition for sharp thrusts, not
only against Pfeffer, but against others,
than anything in the Senate of the United
been asserted that no Senator before
Pfeffer and none since has had so many
Jokes made concerning him and his whis
kers or so many cartoons printed OF
him in various poses and all displaying
the whiskers
Benator Ffeffer saved thousands of
these cartoons and kept them in scrap
book, and these will become a part of
~
posterity. Whiskers have become con-
nected with every reform movement that
Kansas has fostered since Pfeffer's days
in the Senate, and the former leader of
the populists and farmers is having a
great deal to say about them in his book
as they really played an important part
in some of the political campaigns in
Kansas, when the adornment of hirsute
appendage of good growth was almost
as necessary of election as an ability to
rouse the rabDle TO arms.
Two months ago Senator Pfelfer was
told that he could not live 20 complete
his memoirs because of an infection of
the bone OF his leg. The only alterna-
tive was to amputate the leg. Senator
Pfeffer had then given up hope of having
his memoirs published, but ne wanted
the history of the Populists and Farm
ers' Alliance preserved, so he willingly
went upon the operating table. Since
then a second operation has had TO be
performed, as not all of the infected
bone was removed in the first operation.
The second one was not serious, and
within two weeks Senator Pfeffer had
recovered from it.
During the six weeks that he was fore
ed to lie in bed, too weak to dictate
Senator Pfeffer mapped out the remaining
part of his memoirs, and when the sur
geonS said he could begin work for shol I
periods zach day, he was able to make
much progress It each period. He has
been able to work short time each day
for almost two weeks now, and has the
most important parts of his memoirs
completed.
He was right in the midst of the cl.ap-
ter dealing with the rise and fall of the
popul!st movement when he was taken
to the hospital. The encouragement OF
the physicians that -.e would surely live
to finish the Work is said to have had as
much to do with his recovery as the care
he had in the hospital.
Senator Pfeffer expected to leave the
by that time he hoped to have the entire
first draft of the memoirs He is going
to visit three of his children-two daugh
tiers IN Kansas and a son in lowa-and
when he comes back to Topeka in the fall
he will revise his manuscript. 1t will
be copied free of charge by old friends
of the Populist leauer, and the copy
placed in the Historical Society Tor
reference.
This viii be the most important his
torlcal manuscript in the State House
Pfeher, as the editor OF farm paper
began the agitation that brought the Kan
sas Primary law, the Pubic Utilities
Commission, the control of the railroads,
the direct vote on United States Sena-
tor, the prohibition against railroad re-
bates and rate dis Elimination, the mi
tiatlve and referendum, the recall of
judicial decisions and limiting terms of
office to single term OF i've years, ex-
cept court pustlces.
Pfefler introduced in the United States
Senate bills embodying these cardinal
principles of populism, as they were
fought Tor in Kansas He also intro
duced postal savings bank measure Il
postal telegraph proposition, the amend
menI to elect Senator's by direct vote
and amendments to the interstate Com
merce at, some of which finally became
part OF ne law with the passage OF the
Hepburn bill
Prefer was the leader of the populist
hosts from the very beginning. and he
was the one VINO advocated .ariners or
gam ing ana has much irs5-hand infor-
nation of the Iisa OF the Alliance and
popul'sn that no one else has or could
get. There have been hundreds OF peo-
pie who offered to buy the book when II
was printed but there were not enough
of these 10 make certain the book would
be profitable, 50 hope OF publishing it
was given up by Senator Pfefler, as an
advance sale of at least 2,oQO copies
would be necessary before the publishers
would undertake the printing.
State OF Ohio, City of Toledo,
Lucas County S.