KANSAS. 



419 



for the Fish Commissioner. This was the 

 ily bill found on the journals of the Legisla- 

 ire involving the question at issue, which was 

 jrought before the Supreme Court in 1877, but 

 ras not decided for want of jurisdiction. The 

 ittorney-General then brought an action of 

 uo warranto against a member representing 

 Uish County, in accordance with a joint reso- 

 ition of the Legislature requesting him to have 

 tie Supreme Court pass judgment upon the 

 luestion whether this district, numbered 127, 

 in be represented, when the Constitution limits 

 number of members in the House to 125. 

 ?he Court ruled that each House of the Legis- 

 bure alone has jurisdiction of election returns 

 ind the qualifications of its members, and can 

 lot by any legislative act vest it in another 

 ribunal, deciding at the same time the ques- 

 tion of the constitutionality of a law enacted 

 by the aid of the votes of persons admitted be- 

 yond the constitutional limit, and which would 

 not otherwise have passed. Such an act was 

 found the one above mentioned, which would 

 have fallen short of a majority one vote with- 

 out the votes of four members sitting for new 

 counties. The Attorney-General has therefore 

 applied for an injunction to restrain the Treas- 

 urer from paying a warrant issued for a small 

 balance of the fishery appropriation, in order 

 to test this important question. 



The case of Senator Ingalls, elected to the 

 United States Senate, January 30, 1879, against 

 whom charges of bribery and corruption in pro- 

 curing the election had been considered and 

 dismissed by the Kansas Legislature, was in- 

 vestigated by the committee of the United 

 States Senate on privileges and elections. The 

 committee on February 16th unanimously 

 agreed to a report exonerating Senator Ingalls 

 himself from the charge of bribery preferred 

 by Kansas memorialists who asked for the in- 

 vestigation ; but the Democratic majority of 

 the committee offered an accompanying report 

 refieciing severely upon the methods employed 

 in the Kansas Legislature to secure the election 

 of a Senatorial candidate. The memorial to the 

 Senate had been signed by a number of the 

 Democratic, Greenback, and Republican mem- 

 bers of the Legislature, who had coalesced to 

 defeat Ingalls in the heated Senatorial contest, 

 in accordance with a minority report of the 

 only Democratic member of the Legislative 

 committee of investigation. 



The Republican State Convention, for the 

 election of delegates to the National Convention 

 and candidates for electors, met at Topeka, 

 March 31st. Delegates favorable to the nomi- 

 nation of Blaine were chosen by resolution, all 

 together, against the protest of a minority. It 

 was announced by supporters of Grant that 

 two of the districts would send contesting del- 

 egations to Chicago. The four contesting del- 

 egates were subsequently admitted to seats at 

 Chicago, but the whole ten delegates were 

 granted but six votes. The platform adopted 

 by the Convention contained planks charging 



the Democratic party with causing the civil 

 war, and declaring all who have wavered 

 from fealty to the Union unfit counselors ir> 

 the affairs of the nation, and one instructing 

 the delegates to vote for Blaine, together with 

 the following: 



That we are a nation, and that the mission of the 

 Republican party will not be completed until under 

 one flag every citizen, however humble, is seeurc in 

 the honest expression of his opinions in all parts of our 

 dominion, and is fully protected in his life and liberty 

 and in the full enjoyment of all the political rights of 

 an American citizen. 



That the unhappy cause of the migration of the col- 

 ored people from the South to the North, is the appre- 

 hension, persecution, and robbery of them by the white 

 people, their former masters, and present owners of 

 the soil, and it is the duty of the Government of the 

 United States to extend to the colored people of the 

 South such protection that their removal from their 

 native land shall cease to be a necessity. 



The Democratic State Convention met at To- 

 peka, May 26th, to elect delegates to the Nation- 

 al Convention. Instead of the majority report of 

 the Committee on Resolutions of a platform in- 

 structing the delegates to vote for Seymour and 

 Hendricks, a resolution to the effect that they 

 should act without instructions was adopted. 



The Greenback-Labor party met in conven- 

 tion at Topeka, August 4th. The following 

 candidates were put in nomination for the State 

 offices : for Governor, H. B. Vrooman ; for 

 Lieutenant-Go vernor, H. L. Phillips ; for Secre- 

 tary of State, A. B. Cornell ; for Treasurer, Dr. 

 S. A. Marshall; for Auditor, D. J. Cole; for 

 Attorney-General, D. B. Hadley ; for Superin- 

 tendent of Public Instruction, Charles Smith. 

 In the platform were the following resolu- 

 tions : 



That we favor an equitable appreciation of all lands 

 sold under mortgage or legal process, and an equitable 

 stay or redemption law on forced sales of real estate by 

 process of law. 



That we oppose any modification of the present con- 

 stitutional tax-exemption law, and that we are unable 

 to perceive any good and sufficient reasons for holding 

 a State Constitutional Convention at this time. 



That the act of the last Legislature in abolishing the 

 one mill State-school tax, which has been levied from 

 the beginning of our State's existence, merits _our un- 

 qualified condemnation from the fact that it was a 

 blow struck at the people's colleges the common 

 schools of our State in the interest of corporations. 



That we are in favor of the regulation of common 

 carriers so as to prevent extortion and discrimination 

 in rates of freight. 



That we condemn the extravagance of our last Legis- 

 lature in the expenditures of public money, adding 

 about $150,000 to the annual expense of the State, and 

 raising our State tax one mill on the dollar, and we 

 demand in future the most rigid economy in all State, 

 county, and municipal affairs. 



That we are hi favor of taxing the mortgages of non- 

 residents recorded in this State the same as residents, 

 and the strict enforcement of our State tax laws so as 

 to include all property subject to taxation. 



That the rate per cent, just fixed by law in Kansas 

 is ruinously high, and is fast swallowing up the wealth 

 of this State, and that we demand of the next Legisla- 

 ture a law fixing a low rate of interest and a penalty, 

 forfeiture of all Interest and principal for its violation. 



That we are opposed to tne employment of convict 

 labor in competition with the free labor of the State, 

 und we demand appropriate legislation to protect the 



