Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-08-16
KANSAS LETTER.
WAMEeo, KAN. Aug. 9th, '94.

Commencing with the repeal Of the
Missouri Compromise, and "Squatter
Sovereignty" on through the border
warfare, John Brown, Jim Lane and
others leading, the drought of 1860,
the Ouantrell massacre of Lawrence,
the grass hoppers, the Prohibitory
law, hot winds, destruction Of crops,
the so, 900, 600 bushel wheat crop Of
1892, the Popullst uprising, wiping
out within less than two years the
$4,000 majority for Harrison, the
Legislative war, the Lewelling admin
istratlve force, and dozens Of other
events and vagaries Kansas has man
aged to attract to herself the atten-
tion of the United States, if not the
world. People in general think that
Kansans are lot Of wild eyed, long
haired, and idiotic lunatics, ready to
father any new scheme however alb
surd, and 90 into any new move
ment, however chimercial, that like
the natives of ancient Gaul, "they
are always desirous of new things"
They are thought to be ever on the
90, roaming about the country max
ing incendiary speeches, and punctu-
ating their remarks with bullets.
Mrs. Leese and Mrs. Diggs are
thought to he representative woman,
and the men of the east picture to
themselves, the unhappy men OF Kan
sas sewing on their own buttons, and
cooking their own meals, while their
wives 60 about the country, clad in q
costume resembling the old Bloomers,
and bicycle suit combined.
making speeches. Consequently
when people come to Kansas they
are much surprised at the true state
of affairs and can scarcely be-
lieye their eyes. They find the
women quietly attending to their
social and household duties, intelli-
gent, progressive, but not fanatic, and
the men attending to their business,
whether 1t be farming, merchandise,
or professional; they think, talk and
act like other men. There is nothing
in their appearance to indicate that
they are either fools, lunatics, fanatics,
or anarchists. There is more refiue-
ment, education and native intelli-
gence to the square are in Kansas,
than in the east, wherever you may
go. 1t is the progressive, wide-awake,
intelligent people who have in years
past, come to Kansas, and some OF
the Ill advised schemes, which have
Kansas so talked about, is only the
natural outgrowth of the 60 ahead
quality of the people. The same
qualities which made them scorn the
slow, conservative east, have rushed
them into some things which were
unwise, but which, nevertheless, were
strongly indictlve of the character Of
the men who settled the state, and
have made it, in the short space of 8
third of century, the best loved and
the best cursed state of the union
True they have made many mis-
takes, many more, possibly than eastern
people, but do you know, the nearer
dead people are, "the fewer mistakes
they make, and that those who never
make mistakes are lying in the ceme
.ery?" The people of Kansas are very
much alive, that's all, and in their
energy and enthusiasm, which are
characteristic of them, are bound tc
make blunders, but they make and
correct a dozen blunders and come
out all right, while the people of the
east are considering, whether or moi
to make a start. "Better wear out
than rust out,' is deeply impressed
on the mind of every Kansan, and he
lives up to his principles.
Then as to congressman Davis
Simpson and Senator PETER. They
do not look at all like their newspaper
portraits and the cartoons in the
comic papers. Davis is one of the
gentlest, and most winning old gentle
men I ever met, kind, conslderate.
unaffected, and common sense, except
when you strike him on finance
Even Jerry Simpson, from "medisine
loge," is not the wild COW boy sort
of a person that the papers would
have people believe, while Senator
PETER is very quiet, digni6ed man
a thorough gentleman, and has gen
tie bearing, quite at variance with
some of his anarchistlc utterances.
During the Legislative war;" two
years ago, one reading the eastern
papers would have thought that the
state was on the verge of revolution
And in reading the column headings
of our prpers, one could not help be
ing seriously alarmed, until farther
down he read of the members of The
rival houses sharing lunches with
each other, and the speakers" of eact
rival branch of legislature, dividing
their ham sandwiches and coffee, ane
when night come, lying down on tn,
skeaker's floor Of the stand, under th'
same blanket, and none to molest OF
make afraid, sleeping the sleep of th'
just.
No, Kansans are not fanatics, mol
lunatics, nor nihilists; the days O
border rufanism are past, the wick
edist city in the world is no longer il
Kansas, peace spreads her whit
wings over the state, and people her
live as they do elsewhere, only better
So far the season has been very un
favorable, the spring was cold ane
late, SO that the crops did not get I
good start, and when the dry wealth
er came on, the corn was not fa