The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1881-08-11
"SLASHING AROUND"
A Trip from Kansas to West Virginia.
LAUREL POINT, West Va,
Au0tisf 1891

A Trip from Kansas to West Virginia.
LAUREL POINT, West Va,
August 2, 1881.
Out of the rain storm in Kansas
through the drouthy region of Illinois
a day in the bustling, roasting, gushing
Chicago-up the lake to Milwaukee
across the states of Indiana and Ohio
into West Virginia. Here VIC came yes
terday Our estimate of West Virginia
is raised about 75 per cent. We are at
the house of William Jones, Esq, on a.
hillside in little valley flanked by hills
two or three hundred feet high. Mrs.
Thos. Murdoch and Mrs. Stotler are en-
joying a visit with Mrs. Jones, a sister
and aunt they had not seen for twenty
six years. While l write Mr.. Murdoch
is devouring the contents Of last weeks
News, which arrived today. We went
through it on the way from the post
office.
THE ILLINOIS DRoUTH.
We struck an extensive dry spell'' in
the neighborhood of Peru, Illinois, and
it lasted we'll up to Chicago. The travel
ing here was disagreeable, and the wealth.
or very warm. If this drouth existed in
Kansas it is altogether probable the Chi
cago papers would have itinerant CORE
spondents gadding around writing
it up, with sensational headlines
and all the trimmings which a Chicago
paper is wont to use when lying about
Kansas. No notice is taken of it so long
as it is in their own state. John Tatham's
old town, Morris, and the region there
about seemed the center of the dry region.
The old song about Eaters growing small
over there, can be revived and applied to
the corn crop in Illinois, unless it humps
itself betwiXt now aud frost. There is
no comparison between the corn in Iowa
and Illinois and the crop in Kansas. AT
least this is true of those portions OF
the first mentioned states which we saw.
| In some particulars Chicago has the
newspapers of the country. In the mat
ter of enterprise they have no rivals. Be
fore leaving Chicago Saturday morning
we stopped at newsstand and pur.
chased a Tribune and Inter Ocean. The
attendant handed us the bundles, which
were about all we could carry. A man
with a carpet-sack, an umbrella, and two
copies of Chicago papers to manage, es
pecially on days whom the proprietors oil
said papers have "both feet in tho
trough" and il isSa struggle which car
spoil the most white paper, is in poor
plight to show his railroad tickets to the
fellow at the gate of the parting fence
then to the brakeman, anC
also to the porter of the sleep
the sunny side of the car and mops hi
brow, he is ready to join hands with thl
fellow who is hunting for the author o
the latest popular song. When he pullsou
one of these Chicago papers he is dies
perate. He chances over it and is dis
gusted at the wasted energy which ha
spread itself over sixteen pages of news
paper. He picks out one of the sheet
and throws the balance away, becaus
he knows II Is largely trash, not WORT
| tue llIlG IL lahCS W AEdO H. AAC SSANS
the other paper the same way. and thi
is about the way such papers are read
They are a nuisance, and every sensibl
/. man sengs for the day when there viii
be reform. Notwithstanding the el
forts of the Times and Inter Ocean q
make il appear that the Tribune Is in
bad way financially, the latter pape
seems to survive. The Tribune has ha'
to stand good deal from the fellow
who have pEacticed political hot
bies in its columns, but y does not seen
10 be very dead. Il is an able papeT
The Inter Ocean always had the appear
ancc TO us of being hard up. 1t wa
started as an "organ." 1t ran tn
gauntlet Of fnsno;sl breakers for som,
time. and may now be on coed basis
We knew its proprietors when the,
Yare very ordinary country schoo
, teachSrs We have always though
the manager OF the co4eern hal
mistaken his calling and that the Int
Ocean would never be 9 great paper IN
der his management. The eoHcSrn va
badly afflicted last year with Third
iLermism and Grantism. II has flourish