The Press., 1885-08-27
Issued Every Thursday Evening.
Written for The Press.l A CYCLONIC REMINISCEN CE.
Topeka, Kansas, 1885

Topeka Kansas, 1885.
 We have seen by The Press, which makes its pleasant weekly call even here, that the Fourth of July was passed in Connecticut, thanks to the sensible legis- lation of the state, in a decorolis and civil ized manner, though somewhat to the dis gust of the rampant small boy who delights in making night, as we'll as day, hideous. by his noisy implements of patriotic ex- pression. Here, too, in the wild west, or rather on the border of that fairy land in the great American desert, the Fourth made it's annual call, arousing as elsewhere and ever, that same small boy, and also his uncles and cousins and aunts.
 This young and growing city has park on the right bank of the Kansas river, called on old maps the Kaw, skirting the grand thoroughfare, Kansas Avenue, the Broadway of Topeka. Here meeting was projected and competent speakers en- gagged to address the multitude. The day was very warm, as becomes properly got ten up Fourth of July, to close with shower, of course, the intention being, doubtless, to wet down and cool off any excess of patriotic ebullition that might otherwise produce spontaneous combus- tion and general disaster.
 
 try large crowd of patriots, old and young, white and black, ,-colored, should say, for that IS the polite, considerate and large percentage of our citizens, quite an important factor about election time, and one which candidates for office delight to bow to, and heartily shake by the hand. This same factor also delights on his own account to gather at corners of important streets, and with impassioned eloquence hold forth upon the needs of the country, the importance of the colored vote, the claims of the colored voter, and especially the qualifications of candidates, stirring up the same passions and prejudices that white men delight to arouse. If perchance there is a candidate of their own race, the orator is ill his glory, and the excellences of that candidate are lauded with appro- priate gush, and in fact do we not boast of a colored state officer? Certainly, and MT. McCabe has proved himself to be 8 very efficient auditor, as he IS 8 popular, atfable, and honest gentleman his color, by the way, has many shades of light, if ''shades of light'' is correct expression
 But let us get back to that meeting be- fore it adiourns. A distinguished orator was holding 8 delighted audience in silent, or applausive admiration while he depicted the tyranny of the ''effete" monarchies of foreign lands, the starvation wages which grind down their laborers, the fair prices paid American wage workers, as well as those who come hither from the ends of the earth to build themselves homes in this paradise of the world, etc., always, however, keeping in the background and far out of sight, the ominous, tell-tale, strikes in various states, strikes and vio- lence which should very seriously admon- ish our statesmen and all Amerlcan citi. zens, that the wholesale and unlimited i'm. migration of the '3down- -trodden" serfs of the old world, by overlooking the labor market with muscular ignorance, and with hatred of all governmental restraints, guid- ed and controlled by designing villany, they are sowing the wind, to reap the ter rible whirlwind that is surely coming. He was lauding Kansas especially, as every true Kansan IS bound to do, in season and out of season, her healthy and delightful climate, skipping the trivial items of weeks of zero weather in February, and the mer- cury ranging from 95 degrees to 100 de grees day after day ill July and August threatening to wither and exhaust every particle of energy and vitality in man and beast--her rich, eXhaustless soil, now bringing forward to maturity the most magnificent crop of corn that the world has known since Jacob and his many sons (those jealous, sharp, speculative, vera cious fellows, who could so deliberately trade off to strangers for money, theil young brother, the pride of their vener able father, then lie to the old gentleman about the blood stains which they had put upon the coat of his favorite son) went down into Egypt to get something to eat.
 So glowing was our orators laudation O all the elements of Kansas life, and so en wrapped his auditors, that they did not in the fine shady grove, observe the omi nous cloud fast rising from the north west and the distant thunder, if heard at all was regarded as the outburst of spontane ous patriotism somewhere, while the ora tor complacently accepted it as Jupiter nod of approval and encouragement, rec ollecting that such sign used to character ize that old profigate in the days of Prian and Troy, long before the Fourth of Jul was invented.
 But all outsiders saw the rising tempes and knew that something was going t happen, and it did happen in this wise down the beautiful valley of the ''ragin Kaw" rushed the impending storm al ready the scattering rain drops came dow through the trees whose leaves and sweep ing branches indicated the advent of
 brisk and lively breeze, when 8 voice ran through the grove clear and high, cyclone
 With a scream that we'll became our ns tional bird, the American eagle swoope down from his erie, the orators speec was forgotten by himself as well as hi auditors, and his voice silenced in the yer midst of his most impassioned eloquence and old and young, white and black 'witf out distinction on account of race, colol or previous condition of servitude," ignol ing for the moment the dignity of Amer can citizenship and independence, rushe madly from the grove pell nell into tn avenue, much to the astonishment of quie outsiders who quite failed to properl take in the perilous situation, and espec ally the fright of their patriotic friends On they went over ditches and throug the unspeakable mud of this section, tn spotless white dresses of ladies of quality and all others of whatever condition ( color, the exquisiteness of the dainty dude and the dignity even of the old settlers ( Kansas, afforded no exemption from tn certain fate of sublunary things left to tn mercy of wind, rain, mud and fright. Ws not the very arch fiend of the air, the rea ing, whirling and bowling cyclone at the
 heels, scooping the muddy waters frol the very bottom of the river. uprootin