Wichita eagle., 1888-05-17
DEMOCRATIC EDITORS.
Continued from Fifth Page.

| CulCOI IOt W Dt S1OC ny
and certainly editors ought not to shoot
each other
/ Good and useful men are already toe
scarce IN almost every community, and the
| public cannot spare any of the editors
| If editors go to shooting each other, il
can scarcely be expected that the people
| outside of the noble profession of journal
J ism will have that tender respect for the
| lives and welfare of editors which ought
to permeate mankind.
1t may be said that if few editors were
killed others would take their places; bu,
/ that would necessitate going out among
the laiety for recruits and no Sodom OF
Gomarrah is wicked enough to merit g
visitation of amateur editors. applause.
! 1t is frequently all he has. Qaughter.) When
/ one editor is tempted to shoot
another on account of some trifiing disa-
greement he should remember how much
| better than the average man even COLI
temptible rival in the profession really is,
and his life should be spared. Epithets
| are all right. the public expects them from
| being called ''an esteemed contemporary"
but don't shoot That is going entirely
! too far.
And last, but not least among the things
that try EDITORS souls, desire to say, that
the editor who can sit with unrufiied Sc
renity year after year and listen to that
n ngtil cf Ge lox cry down S5 copy fbe
burden of life and his bones are hung upon
the galley rack" of Immortality, he de-
serves to have his name high up on the
Golden City's roll of honor registered in
flour line plea" And now gentlemen,
levity aside, the history of the Democratic
press of Kansas, is history of the hardest
struggle and the grandest success that has
been achieved by the press of any state in
the Union. (Applause.)
Whenthe first Democratic paper was start
ed in the state of Kansas, it required both
moral and physical courage to publish the
opinions that were expressed therein.
The little band of men who came from
the east and began sowing the seeds of
Democracy, We're made of the same
material of which heroes are constructed,
and they have made the fight, they have
kept the faith and am sorry to say some
have finished the course But they did not
sow upon barren soil, for today their har-
vest is abundant and the bright pages that
fly across these praries filled with words
of truth and good cheer for those who have
faith in our government OF the people, are
''as thick rs the leaves that Strew the
brooks of Valambrosa."
The Democratic press of Kansas does not
defer to the press of any state in devotion
to the interests of our great commonwealth
nor in its patriotic zeal for their further
advancement: [Applausel- 1t has rem
dered incalculable service in making Kan
sas what she is today and is justly proud
of the record. 1t is fast wedding out the
deadly nights-hade of prejudice that has
attempted in vain to check its growth; it
has successfully buffeted the waves of adj
versity,Eit has withstood the bitter de-
nunciation and ridicule of the opposition
until the darkness is disappearing. ),
Nights lamps are almost burnt out and
jocund day stands tiptoe upon the misty
mountain tops
Gentlemen, again l welcome you. PRO
longed applause.
Mr.. Frank I. Lynch. editor of the Leav-
enworth Standard and postmaster of that
city, being called upon for a response to
the address of welcome, said:
Fellow editors and Postmasters:
"'Tis sweet to hear thewatch dogs hon
est bark bay deep mouthed welcome as we
draw near home It's sweet to know there
is an eye that will mark our coming and
look brighter when we come" IT'S also
sweet when far away from home to hear
such kindly words of welcome when we
reach our destination as have been offered
| by the talented gentleman who has spoken
for the city of Wichita. / have, however.
one complaint to make and that is
about the tardy invitation rendered
me to make the reply. Last night we left
Leavenworth on a special car, and the
| party being an interesting one we did not
| get to bed until a late hour. What was
! worse, this morning at o'clock we were
/ all awakened by enthusiastic passengers
who insisted that everybody should arise
and view the beautiful sights on the Kan
sas prairies. Naturally this afternoon |
! took sleep and was aroused only to be in
4 r-,.N - Il, j
| stairs in few seconds and met reporter
/ of the EAGLE who asked me for my manu-
script. | can imagine now how you have
| built up such beautiful city. You first
| plan and instantly execute. The reporter
was surprised that | had not yet pre-
pared my speech. and | can say for
her benefit that the work is still as per
formed. | VIII quote another thing TO
show the wonderful things accomplished
by Wichita. This afternoon / met party
of gentlemen and asked them If the Ieav-
enworth mail was vet in. They asked
what | wanted. / told them | wanted
home news. They replied that they had
just been out to the city limits and had
telephoned TO Leaveuworth ana found
everything as we had left it.
There is nothing more appropriate than
that the Democratic editorial association
should meet in the charmina city of Wich-
ita in 1855. There is no greater monu-
meut to the power of the press than
this same city. Had it not been
for her newspapers Wichita would still be
a congregation of rude huts and whist
| ling station on the Santa Fe. The restless
| throngs in the east are ever hungering for
new conQuestS in the west. The star of
empire continues to move in this direction
and at the very gateway TO the state at the
mouth of the kaw. the cry of the EAGLE
bids the immigrant TO this country and the
light of the Beacon guides him on his
way. l hope that every editor here, no
matter how small a town he NAV
hail from. may return to his
home and emulate the example
shown by their Wichita brethren in the
way of public spirit and work for the gen
eral good We are not here to make a
platform or to formulate a series Of resoiu-
lions for the convention that will meet to-
morrow. That work we have done for two
years and the delegates are here only 10
place in shape the ideas that we have been
advocating. They are but machines and
automatons guided BE- your hands. The
editor does not do his work in a campaign.
He works every day and night during the
whole year. The politician imagines that
because he makes a few speeches dur
ing heated canvass, amid the inspiring
influence of brass bands and torch-hght
parades that the party owes an eternal
dabt of eyratirr,Ia and they forget the uev-