KANSAS. 



471 



Supreme Court. The case was pending in the 

 latter court at the close of the year. 



Political. The political contest of this year 

 was remarkable for the breaking down of old 

 party lines. In addition to the three old organ- 

 izations, two new ones appealed to the suffrages 

 of the people the Resubmission Republican 

 party, whose origin is considered above, and 

 the People's party, which was an outgrowth of 

 the Farmers' Alliance movement. The history 

 of the Farmers' Alliance in the State dates from 

 1888. During 1889 it enjoyed a surprising 

 growth, absorbing the State Grange in December 

 of that year, and began the year 1890 with a 

 membership of over 100,000. Up to that time 

 it had taken no active part in politics, but its 

 growing power proved too great a temptation to 

 its leaders. While they refrained from trans- 

 forming the Alliance directly into a political or- 

 ganization, they united in creating a so-called 

 People's party, which adopted the Alliance prin- 

 ciples and which every Alliance man was urged 

 to support. 



The first ticket for State officers placed in the 

 field was nominated at McPherson on July 4, by 

 the third-party Prohibitionists. They selected 

 the following candidates : For Governor, A. M. 

 Richardson ; for Lieutenant-Governor, E. Leon- 

 ardson ; for Secretary of State, Charles Fairfield ; 

 for Treasurer, J. A. Myers ; for Auditor, H. F. 

 Potter ; for Attorney-G'eneral, D. W. Kent ; for 

 Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mrs. S. S. 

 Weatherby. On Oct. 13 D. W. Kent withdrew 

 from the ticket and advised the party to support 

 the Republican candidate for Attorney-General. 

 The State convention of the People's party was 

 held at Topeka on Aug. 13. The following ticket 

 was nominated : For Governor, John F. Willits : 

 for Lieutenant-Governor, A. C. Shinn ; for Sec- 

 retary of State, R, S. Osborn ; for Treasurer, VV. 

 H. Biddle : for Auditor, E. F. Foster ; for At- 

 torney-General, John N. Ives ; for Superintendent 

 of Public Instruction, Miss Fannie McCormick ; 

 for Justice of the Supreme Court, W. F. Right- 

 mire. The platform included the following : 



The use of labor-saving machinery should shorten 

 the hours of toil and inure to the benefit of the em- 

 ployed equal with the employer. 



The earth is the common heritage of the people ; 

 every person born into the world is entitled equally 

 with all others to a place to live, and earn a living, 

 and any system of government that does not maintain 

 and protect this inalienable right is wrong, and should 

 be changed or abolished. 



We demand the abolition of national banks. 



We demand the free and unlimited coinage of silver. 



We demand that Congress shall pass such laws as 

 shall effectually prevent the dealing in futures in all 

 agricultural and mechanical productions. 



We demand the passage of laws prohibiting alien 

 ownership of land. 



We demand that Congress provide for the issue of 

 sufficient amount of fractional paper currency to facil- 

 itate exchange through the medium of the United 

 States mail. 



We demand that the means of communication and 

 transportation shall be owned by and operated in the 

 interest of tbe people, as is the United States postal 

 system. 



Resolutions were also passed favoring a Board 

 of Labor Arbitrators, denouncing the importa- 

 tion of Pinkerton detectives by railroads to 

 coerce their employes, denouncing the con- 



spiracy law of the State affecting railway em- 

 ployes, and demanding a law that freight cars 

 should be equipped with automatic air brakes 

 and safety coupling appliances. 



The Republicans held their convention at 

 Topeka on Sept. 3. They renominated Gov. 

 Humphrey, Lieut.-Gov. Felt, Secretary of State 

 Higgins, Attorney-General Kellogg,' Superin- 

 tendent of Public Instruction Winans, and Chief- 

 Justice Horton. For Auditor the nominee was 

 Charles M. Hovey, and for Treasurer S. G. 

 Stover. The platform included the following : 



We are in favor of a uniformity of text books in all 

 the schools of the State, and demand such legislation 

 as will procure, by contract or otherwise, the best 

 standard books at the least possible price. 



We are in tavor of electing the railroad commis- 

 sioners by a vote of the people, and we demand of the 

 next Legislature to confer upon the Board of Railroad 

 Commissioners ample power to regulate the passenger 

 and freight rates. 



We favor such a change by legislation as will pro- 

 duce a more effective system of the assessment of prop- 

 ertv for the purpose of taxation, and a reduction ot the 

 excessive fees and salaries of public officers, including 

 tbe public printing and county officers. 



We demand that the Legislature create a State 

 Board of Arbitration lor the settlement of questions 

 arising between employes and corporations. 



We are in favor of so amending our existing laws 

 on' the subject of the payment ot employes of indi- 

 viduals, companies, or corporations engaged in man- 

 ufacturing as to provide for weekly payment of wages 

 in lawful money. 



We are in favor of legislation prohibiting the em- 

 ployment of children under the age of fourteen years 

 in mines, factories, workshops, or mercantile estab- 

 lishments. 



The Democratic State Convention was held at 

 Wichita on Sept. 9, Its nominees were : For Gov- 

 ernor, Charles Robinson ; for Lieutenant-Gov- 

 ernor, D. A.. Banta ; for Secretary of State, S. G, 

 Isett ; for Treasurer, Thomas Kirby ; for Au- 

 ditor, James Dillon ; for Superintendent of Pub- 

 lic Instruction, M. H. Wood ; for Justice of the 

 Supreme Court, M. B. Nicholson. The Farmers' 

 Alliance candidate for Attorney-General, John 

 N. Ives, was indorsed for that office. The plat- 

 form included the following : 



We are opposed to all sumptuary legislation, and 

 demand the earliest resubmi^sion of the so-called pro- 

 hibitory amendment to a vote of the electors, and an 

 immediate repeal of the laws passed in tbe interests of 

 prohibition, which confer dangerous power when the 

 courts substantially deprive tbe citizens of trial by 

 jury, and of local self-government, and we declare 

 unequivocally for high license and local option. 



We are emphatically in favor of the exercise by the 

 Legislature of its undoubted powers to regulate the 

 operation of railroads in this State to the end that 

 passenger and freight rates shall be equal, reasonable, 

 and fair. There is no legal right in railroads to 

 charge a small shipper a higher rate than a larger one, 

 nor is it just for common carriers to charge a higher 

 sum for the transportation of agricultural products 

 than of any merchandise. 



At the same time and place the Resubmission 

 Republicans met in State convention and 

 adopted the ticket nominated by the Democrats, 

 which was in reality a fusion ticket, the candi- 

 date for Lieutenant-Governor being the chair- 

 man of the Resubmission Convention. The fol- 

 lowing is a portion of the Resubmission platform : 



We renew our pledge of unwavering loyalty to the 

 principles of the national Republican party, which 



