166 THE AGRARIAN CRUSADE 



with comedy; and the actions of the contestants 

 made it nothing less than farce. The assembly 

 convened on the 10th of January, and both Repub- 

 lican and Populist speakers were declared duly 

 elected by their respective factions. Loftily ignor- 

 ing each other, the two speakers went to the desk 

 and attempted to conduct the business of the 

 house. Neither party left the assembly chamber 

 that night; the members slept on the benches; the 

 speakers called a truce at two in the morning, and 

 lay down, gavels in hand, facing each other behind 

 the desk, to get what rest they could. For over 

 two weeks the two houses continued in tumultuous 

 session. Meanwhile men were crowding into To- 

 peka from all over the State: grim-faced Populist 

 farmers, determined that Republican chicanery 

 should not wrest from them the fruits of the elec- 

 tion; equally determined Republicans, resolved 

 that the Populists should not, by charges of elec- 

 tion fraud, rob them of their hard- won majority. 

 Both sides came armed but apparently hoping to 

 avoid bloodshed. 



Finally, on the 15th of February, the Populist 

 house retreated from the chamber, leaving the Re- 

 publicans in possession, and proceeded to transact 

 business of state in the corridor of the Capitol. 



