A photograph showing a group of assistant sergeant at arms under the leadership of R. B. Welch, Esq. of Topeka, Kansas. During the Legislative War, these Republican affiliated men defended the legal House of Representatives at the statehouse in Topeka, Kansas, February 15-20, 1893. The dispute began when both the Republican and Populist parties claimed victory in the Kansas House elections in 1892. A number of contests were still being disputed when the legislative session began in January 1893. The conflict between the parties reached a crisis when the Populists locked themselves in the House Hall. The Republicans used a sledgehammer to break down the doors to the hall. The governor requested support from the state militia. After a three-day standoff, Governor Lewelling was able to negotiate an agreement with the Republican speaker of the house, which amounted to a Populist surrender. The state Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the Republicans.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
Group of assistant sergeant at arms at the statehouse during the Populist War, Topeka, Kansas