354 



KANSAS. 



ownership of public utilities ; an open public market 

 under control of the State for the purpose of pre- 

 venting combinations of buyers and commission 

 men from fixing and regulating prices; insurance 

 protection furnished at cost by the State ; the enact- 

 ment of a freight-rate law giving to a court of rail- 

 way commissioners, to be elected by the people, the 

 power to fix rates and classifications of railways, 

 and the further power to compel the railways to 

 make full reports with reference to their business; 

 a general text-book law ; a law making county 

 clerks' offices free public employment agencies; 

 complete revision of mining laws : a law taxing as 

 costs in actions for the recovery of wages a reason- 

 able attorney's fee for the collection of the same, 

 and providing that in case of an employer's assign- 

 ment or insolvency, wages shall be a prior lien to 

 all attachments a-ml mortgages; a law confining the 

 output of the penitentiary mine to the needs of the 

 Stale institutions; and immediate suspension of the 

 metropolitan police law also its repeal by the next 

 Legislature. On national issues the platform de- 

 manded free coinage, and the issue of legal tender 

 notes good for all debts in preference to the issue 

 of interest-bearing bonds ; " opposed the issuance of 

 all bonds and condemned the Republican party 

 for its action in fastening upon the people a large 

 bonded debt ostensibly for war revenue, but in 

 reality for the perpetuation of the national banking 

 system " ; favored increase of pay to the volunteer 

 soldiers, and service pensions for veterans of the 

 civil war; denounced the Republicans in Congress 

 for " voting against an income tax and the one 

 fourth of 1 per cent, on railroad corporations 

 which are being enriched by Government contracts, 

 and also their refusal to tax Wall Street transac- 

 tions." 



The entire list of State officers was renominated. 

 All are Populists except A. M. Harvey, Lieutenant 

 Governor, who is a Democrat. 



In the Democratic convention at Atchison a 

 minority report of the resolutions committee de- 

 manding a straight Democratic ticket was voted 

 down, and the candidates presented by the Populist 

 convention were approved. The resolutions de- 

 manded free coinage, and favored " an amendment 

 to the constitution of the United States if the same 

 be necessary, such as will authorize Congress to 

 levy direct taxes upon incomes, corporations, es- 

 tates, and all forms of aggregated wealth." They 

 also favored vigorous prosecution of the war, but 

 not territorial aggrandizement or the establishment 

 of a colonial policy; favored the resubmission of 

 the prohibition amendment, and denounced the 

 metropolitan police law : commended the State ad- 

 ministration, and especially the stock-yards legisla- 

 tion and its vigorous enforcement, and said also : 

 " We commend the course of Senator W. A. Harris 

 in preventing the loss of millions of dollars to the 

 people through the machinations of the Wall Street 

 operators interested in the purchase of the Union 

 Pacific Railroad ; and we commend him and those 

 Kansas congressmen who voted against the issu- 

 ance of further interest-bearing bonds at this time." 



The Democrats who were opposed to fusion with 

 Populists decided to support the Republican ticket 

 rather than'make nominations of their own. 



The Prohibitionists met in State convention at 

 Kmporia. June 8. The platform declared for pro- 

 hibition and woman suffrage, and approved the ac- 

 tion of the National Government in the war with 

 Spain. One of the statements was: "We regard 

 civil government as an ordinance of God, and rec- 

 ognize the Lord Jesus Christ as King of Kansas, 

 and therefore believe that the administration of 

 civil affairs should be in harmony with the law and 

 in his spirit." 



The ticket follows: For Governor, William A. 

 Peffer ; Lieutenant Governor, R. T. Black ; Secre- 

 tary of State, J. B. Garton ; Treasurer, John Bid- 

 die ; Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mrs. E. 

 N. Buckner; Auditor, H. Hurley ; Congressman at 

 Large, M. Williams. For Attorney-General and 

 Associate Justice no nominations were made, the in- 

 tention being to support the Republican nominees. 



The Socialists held a convention at Fort Scott, 

 June 28. The platform demanded better pay for 

 soldiers, the issuing of more paper money, the 

 breaking of the land monopoly, and other reforms. 

 A full State ticket was chosen, headed by Caleb 

 Lipscomb for Governor. 



The Republicans were successful at the polls in 

 November. The vote for Governor stood : Stanley, 

 Republican, 149,292; Leedy, Populist, 134,158; 

 Peffer, Prohibition, 4,092; Lipscomb, Socialist 

 Labor, 635. 



The State Senate of 1899 will be composed of 26 

 Populists, 12 Republicans, and 2 Democrats ; the 

 House, of 93 Republicans, 19 Fusionists, 10 Popu- 

 lists, 2 Democrats, and 1 Independent. 



Legislative Sessions. A special session of the 

 Legislature was called to meet Dec. 21. The reason 

 was given in the following preamble : 



" Whereas, assurances have reached me to the 

 effect that if the Legislature shall be convened 

 suitable legislation for the regulation of railroad 

 charges can be enacted and, deeming such matters 

 of sufficient importance to justify the convening of 

 the Legislature in special session," etc. 



The Republican Senators and Representatives 

 signed a protest against the calling of the session, 

 as violating " all the usages and precedents of the 

 State and country, by interposing this Legislature 

 in the last moments of its existence between the 

 people and the Legislature they have just elected, 

 and at the very moment it is about to convene to 

 legislate as it has been commissioned to do." This 

 protest was ruled out of order in the Senate. 



The Governor's message gave the following in ex- 

 planation of his action in calling the Legislature to- 

 gether to enact a law like the one passed at the 

 regular session, which he had vetoed (see "Annual 

 Cyclopaedia " for 1897, page 435) : 



" Although the present executive and a majority 

 of each House of the present Legislature were elec- 

 ted under a pledge to the people to enact a maxi- 

 mum-rate law, when the time arrived for fulfilling 

 that pledge the menace of a judicial decision, by 

 the highest tribunal in the land, which would make 

 legislative regulation of railroad charges practically 

 impossible, caused many to doubt the wisdom of at- 

 tempting the promised legislation; and such dif- 

 ference of opinion prevailed that the executive felt 

 called upon to withhold his approval from the com- 

 promise measure finally passed. There was then 

 pending undetermined in the Supreme Court of the 

 United States a case which involved the question 

 whether, as to railroad legislation, the legislatures 

 of theoretically sovereign States should be reduced 

 to the level of city councils or school district boards, 

 upon the reasonablenesses well as the authority, 

 of whose acts courts may sit in judgment. 'I' lie 

 decision of that case, announced soon after the ad- 

 journment of the Legislature, fully justified the 

 fears and anticipations of those who deemed it 

 futile to pass a maximum-rate bill ; for it rendered 

 such an enactment a mere proposal of legislation. 

 not a law, which must be submitted to the Federal 

 court for approval or rejection. 



" At the same time the court declined, though 

 urged, to lay down any definite rule by which, in 

 advance of its judgment in each particular case, a 

 Legislature might be able to say whether suggested 

 rates would be held reasonable or not. 



