The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-03-01
A TALK ABOUT KANSAS.

Captain w. II. Grattan, formerly ;
local writer on the EAGLE, but who has
been citizen Of Tacoma for some sil
years, being a member of the city cOun
Gil, in an interview Of the Daily Tacoma
News delivers himself of Kansas a:
follows:
Eyes, poor Kansas is bleeding again,
said Councilman Grattan to a News re-
porter this morning. GAS a bleedel
Kansas is a great success. Her first eff
for;s in the bleeding industry were in
the Free Soil and 'Squatter Sover-
eighty days. In the war that then
ragged between the Pro-slayery and Anti
slavery factions-'Border Ruffians, as
they were called-cannons were drawn
up before the territorial capitol, and
now in the war between the Republicans
and Populists the state house is besieged
and big guns are trained on the capitol
building at Topeka. As the conflicts that
ragged then and now are IN some respects
similar, a short review of the occur
renCes Of the former troubles may be of
interest at this time.
The Kansas trouble came up in the
Thirty fourth congress and occupied the
entire session. The passage of the Kan
sas-Nebraska act in 1854, with the squat
ter sovereignty amendment, threw open
these territories to competitive settle
ment by anti-slavery and pro-slavery
men. The pro-siavery faction had the
dvantage-Missouri, slave state, be-
ing next to Kansas. The Missourians
swarmed over the border, and elected a
congressional delegate, Nov. 80, 1854
who was accepted by congress. They
did the same in 1865, and elected legis-
lature which met at Parvnu and enact
ed a state constitution strongly pro-
slavery in its provisions. The anti
slavery faction met at Topeka Sept. 3,
and enacted free state constitution.
They elected a delegate to congress and
state officers, but their work was 1e-
jected by congress, and in 1856 the presi-
dent ordered Governor Shannon to dis
perse the free state legislature with
United States troops. The excitement
occasioned in both houses of congress
and throughout the country was intense,
and in consequence no army appro-
priation bill could be passed at that ses-
sion.
IAN extra session of congress was
called Aug. 81, 1856. Governor Shan
non was superseded by Governor Geary.
who brought about suspension of local
hostilities without using the United States
troops, and the army appropriation bill
passed. Thus ended the first struggle in
bleeding Kansas She bled freely again
during the war of the rebellion, but we
will let that pass, as many other states
Ia
"Kansas has been the theater of more
county seat wars than any
state on earth. She has had more booms,
panics, whirlwinds, cyclones, grasshop-
per invasions, more prohibitory laws and
less temperance, than any other country
Of which we have any authentic &C
count. During the great grasshOpper
raid that made the whole state a beg9ar
and rendered the term Kansas sufferer
her people experienced great
er privations than ordinarily fail 10 the
lot of man. Almost every green thing
was eaten up, but l saved myself by
flight, There was a hopper perched
upon every fence corner whetting his
teeth, waiting for me, but successfully
ran the gauntlet.
"Kansas is situated about the middle
If the United States, if not in the mid
lie of the universe, and has succeed in
,ording up more history during the
linz she has been at it, than any other
and can boast. Dakota may boast of
Ter cyclones and drouths, Minnesota of
ler ice palaces, Washington of her big
rees and bigger harbors. Utah of her
and Mormon temples, but for
cyclones, drouths, wars, booms, picnicS
md cranks, Kansas has never been sue
scooped. l think l can state
fear of contradiction that Kan
as possesses q larger area and bigger
'rop of cranks than any country Of its
ize. 1t is also very charitable coun
ry. In the palmy days of prohibition it
would astonish and appall the ordinary
nan to discover the wealth of apertures,
n Kansas, through which YOU could
lip dime to assist some worthy object,
md in return receive some liquid re-
reshment. Every lunch room had
ONE ingenious Continuance that would
operate if you fed it with nickle."
l ours very truly, BECK.