[Rarebooks] FS: Rare albumen photographs of the 1893 REPUBLIC STORMING OF THE CAPITOL, TOPEKA, KANSAS: THE POPULIST WAR

[Ezra Tishman]

Ezra from Aardvark offers this stunning (and historically reverberatory) group of nine albumen photographs depicting the struggle at the Kansas Capitol/Statehouse in February of 1893.

																															.$3,500

Farrow, W.F. (Photographer). STORMING OF THE CAPITOL, TOPEKA, KANSAS, 1893: ARCHIVE OF NINE ALBUMEN PHOTOGRAPHS. Topeka, Kansas: W.F. Farrow, Photographer, 1894. An archive of nine albumen photographs, mounted, measuring 10" x 8.25" (visible image size 8 1/4" x 5"). The photographs came out of the studio of W.F. Farrow, an an artist from Garnett, KS, who started doing commercial photography about 1886 and sometime after that relocated to Topeka. He was a “view” photographer who specialized in photographing buildings and social/community events, and...was ideally positioned to photograph the events of the Populist War as it was happening. Research suggests that Farrow appears to be the dominant photographer of those events, and there is some suspicion that he may have had a closer affinity with the Populist cause. Each of the photos bears the stamp of Mr. Farrow's Topeka, Kansas photography studio on the back. The photos are mounted and some of the boards show light spotting, as does one photo. Very slight wave in mounts.
The nine views cover aspects of the three day "Legislative Wars" which occurred in Kansas in early February, 1893.

1) CAPITOL OF THE STATE OF KANSAS in time of peace, before the asembling of the Legislature of 1893; 2) FIRST SCENE OF THE EXCITEMENT on arrival of the militia at the Capitol of Kansas, February 15, 1893; 3) MOB IN FRONT OF THE STATE HOUSE after the attempt to disarm a member of the Militia, Topeka, Kansas, February 15, 1893; 4) BROKEN DOOR OF REPRESENTATIVE HALL, Topeka, Kansas, February 25, 1893; 5) THE SLEDGE HAMMER with which speaker Douglass opened the door of the House, February 15, 1893; 6) GROUP OF OFFICERS OF BATTERIES "A" AND "B", AND GATLING-GUN, Topeka, Kansas, February 17, 1893; 7) GROUP OF ASSISTANT SERGEANTS-AT-ARMS, Under R.B.Welch, Esq., of Topeka, who defended the legal House of Representatives in Topeka, Kansas, February 15 to 20, 1893; 8) DOUBLE LINE OF MILITIA on duty in front of the Capitol, Topeka, Kansas, February 16, 1893; 9) ASSISTANT SERGEANTS-AT-ARMS, Under R.B. Welch, of Topeka, photographed in Representative Hall after the peace was made between the Populist and Republican Representatives, Monday, February 20, 1893.

GOOD PLUS. Photographs

"Both the Populist and Republican parties claimed control of the Kansas House of Representatives during the Legislative

War. The People's or Populist Party was a significant third party movement in Kansas politics during the 1890s. Its adherents promised to protect government from the influence of corrupt politicians and big business. The peak of the Kansas Populists' dominance came with the fall elections of 1892, when the ticket won the governor's office, four congressional seats, and control of the state Senate. But with the the House of Representatives, both The Populists and Republicans claimed control of that hall. The Populists charged the Republicans with election fraud, and the unusual situation arose where there were two political parties occupying a single chamber, both of which were seated in early 1893 (in the same chamber, though having agreed to meet at separate times), called to order, and both sent messages to the Governor and Senate that they were ready to do business. But the Populist governor, Lorenzo Lewelling, and the Populist-controlled Senate naturally recognized only the Populist House.... The breaking point came in mid-February with the arrest of Ben Rich, clerk of the Populist House, who was charged with disturbing the peace in the legislature. After his "rescue," both sides began to muster their forces. The conflict between the parties further escalated and reached a crisis point when the Populists locked themselves in the House Hall. The next morning members of the Republican House, led by Speaker George Douglass, marched on the Capitol and demanded entry to the House hall. A few guards tried to stop them but were easily swept aside. Using a sledge hammer they smashed the doors and took control of the chamber. Tension in the state capital was high and a fighting war appeared imminent. In order to restore order and provide protection for his fellow Populists, Governor Lewelling called up several militia companies, requested support from the state militia, and the Shawnee County Sheriff deputized several hundred citizens. Fairly soon aftewards, the governor sent for Battery "A" of Wichita and instructed the men to bring their Gatling gun. The militia arrived but, since it was composed almost entirely of Republicans, most of the units refused to obey the governor. After a three-day standoff, Governor Lewelling was able to negotiate an agreement with the Republican speaker of the house, which essentially amounted to a Populist surrender. The final decision was left to the Supreme Court. On Saturday, February 25, by a partisan vote of 2 to 1, the court found in favor of the Republicans. On Monday,the Populists went to Representative Hall to assume their position as minority party in the Douglass house. ...Populists left without a fight and no blood was shed. (Notes quoted and paraphrased from Kansapedia and The Kansas Historical Society, and in particular, Michael Church, Senior Archivist for Collections at the Kansas Historical Society. 


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