New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-01
WORSE THAN GRASSHOPPERS.
AN OLD KANSAN,S FOREBODINGS OF THE
PEOPLES PARTY CRAZE
SOCIALISM HE TELLS WHAT GRASS
HOPPER VISITATION WAS NKE-TuE
DAMAGE DONE WAS REPAIRED
CASE is DIFFERENT.

IN YEAR-NOW THE
| CASE is DIFFERENT.
AtchIson. Kan Jan. This State is now under
going all the sensations, and to many OF us IN
habitants the vexaons. Of the Peoples party craze
for which 1t will have to suffer In the future In the
opinion OF well-nformcd observers OF public AFFAIRS.
They base this conclusion upon the hnrm
| that Will inevitably ensue to the credit
| Of the State, both financially and In inc
! loss OF the good opinion Of outsiders who 40 not
view with favor the absurd political fallacies OF
Jerry" simpson, PETER and their prOmiscuous
following. This following embraces many wcll-mean-
Ing people, but also hordes Of disappointed Office
seekers who have deserted the old parties, thinking
their chances OF attaining the desire OF their heart 10
| feed ut the public crib will stand n better snow OF
| fulnmcnt II enrolled In the new party when has
| sprung into existence. Then there are the stately
Mugwnmps for whom nothing In the old parties was
good enough, the people who have met with business
rcvcrscs In various those who are always reaoy
TO welcome any political novelty and those who are
easily dcudcd by the gitering promises OF such po
lltlcal heavy weights simpson. Weaver and company
An old resident OF Kansas the other day expressed
himself follows
kansas has undergone many setbacks since
first came here, nearly twenty years ago. but they
were only temporary reverscs compared With this
craze which Is raging among the people. ana cs-
pecially the farmers. who bndly following such
men as simpson and others OF his Tx. They are pratt
ing about the poverty OF the farmers and actnahy
making many Of them believe they are on The roao 10
the poorhousc while in fact they are doing well ns
whole. They paying off their mortgages ana in'
proving their circumstances In every way, slowly Out
surely. or course there some among them VINO.
because OF poor management, IRE not prosperhg "hi
they are ready dupes for any party which VIII prom
se to upset the existing state OF affairs regard the
men who stirring up all this agitation as grehter
curse to the State thon the grasshopper plaques we
used 10 have. We wonld usually recover from those
the next season. but the blight caused by these pro-
fcssonal ngitators WILL fear be more farreachng In
Its effects"
"were You here during the grasshopper invasion"
7 asked al have read stories about them In the
Eastern papers before now. but suppose they were
greatly exaggerated. VIII you tell me something
OF them II Won hav. the time?"
al will begin ut tho beginning" said he; maybe
II will Iibc together better. was persuaded into
coming TO this State BY the glowing stories OF friends
who had settled here few years before 1t is need
legs TO say soon found ont that OF their yarns
proved 10 merely the products OF too vivid lmagna
lions I was assured ] would have no trouble In Sc
curing work at my trade at a good salary. but soon
found that for situation there were score OF
men in waiting. Some OF them had been here for
months and were In desperate need OF something TO
do. I determined TO secure work the first chance
that offered no matter what the occupation This OPP
portunlty proved TO be section hand on railroad
that runs along banks OF the Missouri River Tor
few miles after leaving this city. The pay was ABOUT
one fourth that which had been led to expect
would receive at nv trade. but in my case fourth
OF loaf was better than none until something better
turned up. | rented house with good'szed garden
attached and devoted my spare moments TO its cult
yatIon tah,ng great pleasure IN watching the rapid
growth Of the vegetables. including sweet potatoes
and watermelons and fondly anticipating the time
when they would reach state OF usefulness.
"As / said. the railroad upon which was employed
rnn along the bank OF the Missouri River for short
distance and found that chief duty consisted In
moving the tracks back from the constantly crnmolng
banks The river Just above this point made sharp
bend and the full force Of the current striking the
bank on the Kansas shore undermined 1t rapidly
Foot after foot. and sometimes MANY feet al time.
would toppe over and disappear In the water with
report like cannon. At one point the river HAD
reached the foot Of h!ll, part way UP the side OF
which perched a farmhouse. The farm con
sisted OF eiahty acres Of highly productive land be-
tween the foot OF the hill and the river bank, but all
that was left OF II two or three ncres on the HILL
side The st'had been washed away by the resist
less current of the mighty river. We moved the
tracks near this spot four different times during tho
f.v months remained there each time several rods
20 you see real estate is active in that particular Sec
ton, Meantime We heard rumors about the approach
OF Immense swarms Of grasshoppers, and my Fellow
wormtn would regale me with stories OF the devasta'
ton wrought BY them which seemed so Incredible mat
I merely regarded them as attempts 10 delnde
tenderisot as they called me. As the weeks passed
by and the threatened invasion did not feeling
of security took possession OF all, and we came TO
the conclusion that the impending had passed
In some other direction. My garden was rapidly
nearing that state OF maturity when could have my
own vegetables and melons In abundance one morn
Ins told my wife that in another week we would
have our sweet potatoes and bces and cabbageS,
clo mt be far be-
I'VE were engaged that day In preparing TO move
the tracks further back from the encroaChng river
The heat was Intense. rain having fallen In several
weeks and the parchcd and baked earth reflected the
rays OF the burning sun until the air seemed to come
from an oven About 4 o'clock IN the afternoon
while we were wording IN hafhearied. llstless way,
about ready drop from the enervatng effects OF the
branches of the trees on the bluir near Us.
"'rhnnk God cried one OF the men, dropping Ms
shsys there CONES srs%,e al ca,eh tho first faint
breath OF the welcome stir OF the snperheaed atmos
phere. and lifted our hats TO let IL play upon our
temples. All at once the foreman crien |
out In u tone OF CONSERVATION, choppers, by y
The long threatened visitation had come sure enough:
and what had fancicd to he the gentle rustlng OF
the Ionged.for breeze was the sound Of the onward
rush OF the countless multitude OF cra,soppers hrone
the foliage OF the forest nearly t, Uae onoer
and In Incredibly short time the ground was swarm
Ing with and literally buried from sight by the ever
never seen blizzard that oblIteraed everything as
quickly that grasshopper blizzard did. They
and we had TO keep our mouths closed to keep them
from getting down thIoats. We could not step
Without crushing mass Of them nn6er S our is v 40
appalling. S they continued to come. the or be-
Ing darkcned by the Oncoming hosts. And as soon
~ they touched the ground they went 10 eating.
What appe,ites those varmints bad Soon the weeds
md grass and leaves the trees and bushes began
10 disappear Ms II by mngic Almos, everything was