The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-15


diligence, therefore, while briefly state
its status on the 29th Of January, 1861,
with the conditions which now sur
round it.
The measure of dignity and strength
in statehood, ATTAINED by q common
wealth, viii ever be found co-equal
with the measure Of love and devotion
borne to it by its citizens. The respect
of mankind for a state can no more
rise above the respect of the state for
itself. than public respect for a man
rise above his own self-respect..
II may well be said that the duty of
q man to defend and protect the good
name Of his family, can only be second
to his duty to defend and protect the
good name Of his state The child can
be no more sensitive and vigilant in re-
Sisting' the assaults Of Islander upon his
father and mother than every citizen
should be in protecting the good name
of the commonwealth of which he is
member
REGARDING THE I'LL BIRD"
It is an unworthy, unmanly, indecent
son that will magnify, expose and par
ada abroad the faults of his father, and
it is equally unpatriotic and disgrace
full for a citizen to go before the world
in like exposure Of the faults of his
righted, nor weakness strengthened, by
such means. l Go not mean by this
that wrongs are to be defended nor
actual shortcomings denied. But I do
mean that the arena for their discus
sion should be limited to the narrowest
possible boundaries Of an honest ef-
fort for their correction.
The life and experience of Kansas
has fairly verified the legend upon it's
great seal, as an inspired prophecy.
1t has, indeed, climbed "up to the
stars through difficulties In it's pro-.
gress is has met and mastered OBJ
stacles that would have crushed and
conquered q, less self-reliant civiliza-
ton 1t was born Of an idea and grew
upon the food of grand purpose
purpose no less than the great idea Of
universal freedom. To this end it
struggled in the path of martyrdom
for weary years, and until the nation
took UP its contention and carried it
through bloody war to victory in the
emancipation of a race.
TOOK PAY IN PROMISES.
Faithful ii it's divine purpose, Kansas
put more volunteer soldiers in the
Union army than it had male citizens
OF military age; and no stronger proof
OF their devotion to the old flag and Of
their bravery in the field of battle
could be given than the simple fact
that the rate Of mortality Of the Kan
sas soldiers was greater than that of
any other state. At the close Of the
great struggle it found its industries
decimated; it had neither agriculture
trade nor commerce. Its chief city, on
Its eastern border, contained more than
NTH OF the capital and productive in
dustries Of the state There existed
neither public nor private credit where
with to enter a new career of prosper
4
placed at less than ruinouS discount
If at all, in any money mar&et of the
country; and municipal credit was a
thing unknown outside Of our own
boundaries. State officers and en-
ployes, like those of cities and coun-
ties were paid in promises to pay
Orders were drawn on an empty treas
ury which, under the provisions Of the
law, could be presented to the treasur-
er, and when by him endorsed "Not
paid for want of funds" bore interest
at the rate Of seven per cent per an
mum nutil paid. This interest-bearing
script was sold upon thes treets at a
discount from its face value Of ten to
twenty per cent, although provided fro
by current levy, and practically sure
of being paid within year.
NO MONEY TO THROW AWAY.
School district bonds were issued for
the obstruction Of school houses, under
authority of the statutes, bearing in
terest at the rate of ten per cent per
annunl, for a period of not more than
I'VE years, and their sale prohibited at
a. price less than eighty cents on the
dollar. And it is a fact weel known
to those who lived in Kansas at that
time that this law was only available
TO districts favorably located as to pop
ulation and cultivated surroundings
Many could not plact their bonds at all
under this twenty per cent limit dis
count Even as late as 1868 the city of
Leavenworth, with its known wealth
and prestige as the metropolis of Kan
sas, found it difficult to sell $4,000 of
Its bonds to erect high school build
Ing at his legal limit OF discount; and
when purchaser was found for them
he was hailed as public benefactor, as
well he might be, for no man outside
Of the state could be found with con-
hdence enough in the unknown future
IF Kansas to risk such a sum.
FAT AND LEAN STREAKs.
Since that date the state has had a
strange, alnlist weird, history and ex-
perience. Prosperity and adversely
have followed each other in quick sue
ceSsiSn. We have had whitening
droughts and devastating insects;
blooms" of prosperity and phenomenal
speculation, followed by 'boomerangs''
of adversely and stagnation.. I'VE
have touched the keynote in the arch
of hope, and sat upon the mud-sil at
the base of despair But from the
worst, or all of these, we have suffered
far less than from the virus of unrest
discomfort, and disloyalty, injected in
TO our blood by the hand of an evil
genius TO poison manly courage and
self-reliant energy at the fountain of
its source. We have been tempted to
despise the methods and look with con-
tempt upon the legitimate fruits of
honest industry and individual enter
prise; to lean upon the government
and demand from it that which can
alone be obtained through personal in
dustry and rigid economy. The lesson
taught in the framing of our non
paternal government, that "a people
governed least is governed best" seems
to have remained unlearned still.
"Yet, with all this, the fact remains.
that Kansas has moved steadily on its