Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-04-03
THE RAMBLER.

and there is little doubt that it fooled more
people than the previous day. All fools
day was as fine as one could wish to see,
but yesterday was the reverse, though there
still remains that one consolation to fall
back on, VIZ: that other sections of the coun-
try are suffering worse than We are, as indi-
Gated by tie terrible accounts of storm and
flood brought to US by the midnight wires.
If precedent cuts any figure in the
weather, April will be bad month. The
first day of January WIS bright and warm,
but the next day the toughest sort of
weather set in and it was bad month
throughout. April began just that way.
This leads me to take gloomy view Of
things. With old boreas hurting drifts of
snow from Lake Superior down through
Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan,
blocking travel and playing thunder gen.
orally; the floods sweeping houses, and peo-
pie and stock down the streams in the south,
spreading death and devastation in their
track, and labor disorganized and riot and
bloodshed threatened all over the land, the
situation is indeed blue.
The sun this year appears to have backed
up long way from the earth, Prof. Swift
to the contrary Notwithstanding. That phil
osopher went over the line from this planet
to the sun with corps of engineers some
time ago and asserts that it is only $780,
600 miles away instead of 95,0oO,OOO OF
miles, which was the proper geographical
theory when went to school. l am gener'
ally pretty good in measurement with the
eve, without putting down any stakes, and
in taking critical look at the sun last win
ter thought the measurement was few
miles out of whack myself, but l imagined
i. was the other way. Some days last JAN
uary l was sure the great luminary
was 99,O00,O00 of miles distant,
but might have missed it
a few feet. The sun must have done some
thing mean lately, for it appears ashamed
to show its face.
There are hundreds of points that scient-
lists and moralists neglect to take cognizance
of in their calculations. A temperance lect-
urer not long ago estimated that S25, OO0.-
600 year is spent in this country for to-
bacco and beer, and goes on to figure up
how long it would take to pay of the
national debt with the saving if these per-
nicious practices were stopped. Now l am
sure, after careful investigation. that if peo-
pie would stop the soul-and-body destroy
ing habit of wearing shirts, enough would
be saved in one year to pay off the national
debt, and people who have given this sort
of thing some attention, assert that If the
inhabitants of this great and glorious land
would pay no attention to the little bits OF
paper the bill fiends present to them the
first of each month, enough would be saved
at one dash to take this grand republic out
of soak. Why amt it done?
As was playing the skate act along the
CLASSY sidewalk down Emporia Avenue to
breakfast, met Uncle Billy Polk, basket in
hand, navigating the middle of the street.
He said RAMBLER, here is an item for
you. 1t is Just one hundred years since
Easter Sunday last fell on the last Sunday
of April" As l was quite young at that
time, cannot tell whether this is so OF not
Farmer Doolttle was on the rampage
yesterday over the strike, and was ready to
tackle the biggest man in town on the SUBJ
iect. Between him and Prof. Abbott, the
7 "a fhot ctrhiaaf
has Matched up terrible dose of cores
pondence, although both of the gentlemen
deny having the "writer's itch" This is the
time of wear the blood is out of whack, and
there is some danger of their getting the
itch if they don't take some disinfectant.
1t is to be hoped that they will look to
this. Judging by the amount Of stuff
they write now without the itch, the Lord
protec. suffering public if they catch it.
l had long talk with a gentleman from
Chicago who appears well posted in Okla
homa matters and he said: 'The time for
opening that country is at hand. 1t will
make Wichita great city," he said. at will
be to Wichita what the opening of Iowa and
Nebraska was to Chicago" lie say the In
dian Territory has been big bonanza for
click for years. The cattle barons, as they
were called. paid enough for the pasturage
of their stock, but very little of it found its
way to the masses of the Indians, and the
Cherokee Freedmen didn't get dollar. The
cattle men were not the ones who obtained
the leases, but men who never owned steer
They were men in Washington, in Illinois
Indiana, Missouri, and all oyor the country
Like the telephone stock, the lease stock was
distributed where it would do the most good
and when the money was paid Chief Busby-
head, Dick and Bill Ross, Dick Wolf, Col.
Phillips and Bell would go into room and
make divyy, then the balance went to In
dams who would be likely to give trouble
if they were not soaped. As pointer
to the way the peoples money isspent, he
said that Ben Keith, a white man, who is
married to q squaw, and who lives near Fort
Reno and who has generally about $50 acres
of corn, 1000 head Of cattle and everything
else rich farmer can have, draws his flour
and beef monthly at the post for himself, his
wife and eight children, each of whom draws
1000 pounds of flour per month, so that Mr.
Keith can sell flour cheaper than the millers.
He SAYS the house will pass the present
Oklahoma bill like creased lightning going
down a well and that many senators are
pledged to the measure. From talks have
had with others, 1 believe the Oklahoma
boom is going to bresk ost afresh all over
the country.
| heard it reported that Ches. Firebaugh
is TO be brought out as q candidate for
councilman in the third ward and thst i; lays
between him and squire Martin. The ma.
chine invented for telling mems thoughts
is destined to cut big figure in politics.
When it touches any part of the human
anatomy, it will indicate the mans thought
There seems TO be another mysterious
move n Santa Fe railroad matters. heard
that the Mulvane extension is to be aban-
doned, and it has irsnspired that
Mccoy & Alexander have been ordered
TO move their forces and outfits to Clearws-
ter, whstever that means. A railroad man
who was talking to me about the matter
said that probably the scheme was to get
in ahead Of the other road further west, and
again it was surInised thst the Santa Fe had
bought the D. NJ. & A. road and were going