The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-22
THEY SEE AS OF OLD
Continued from Fifth Page)

shall King had fallen in defense of the
homes he had sworn to protect.
1.-The first visit in the interest Of COW
boy rule was from a number OF
toughs of Newton who had came to the
city for the purpose of setting aside
the order of Mayor Allen, that firearms
should not be worn IN the city. They
wer. net at the corner of Main and
Pine streets by a party of men who
had IN their hearts a love for home rule
and each a doubleLbarreled shotgun.
The visitors left the city convinced
shat Wichita might be a windy place,
but haI citizens would stand no inter-
ference from outsiders.
I'm 1873 an organization was formed
of home guards composed Of business
men Who were sworn to answer to the
ringing of the triangle. In each store
was placed a double-barrel shotgun,
which is the most terrible instrument
of death that can be brought against
a cowboy, a Mexican or an indian IL
; is a terror TO them. Word was spread
throughout the city that wichita was
TO be raided. Time passed on ana one
day while a colored man was working
On the building now occupied by Ihom-
as Shaw's music store, cowboy came
riding south on Main street and draw
ing his revolver shot the negro dead as
ha bore a hod of brick. The sidewalks
were lined with cowboys and they
drawing their revolvers, saw that the
murderer made his escape.
"Au at once the triangle was struck
by Dan Parks on North Main street
and from every business house there
came at least one double-barreled
shotgun, cooked and ready for use.
Every cowboy was forced into line IN
the center of the street and marched to
the police station wRre they enriched
the city treasury to the tune OF S3,lo0,
and the fact can be seen today on hle
in the city clerks Office Of this city. II
was a settler, and to Wichita and her
early settlers belongs the reward OF
first conquering the unruly cowboys or
the plains. The watch-word was home
rule, and this principle still stirs the
hearts Of every old settler and has been
adopted by every resident of the city
who has the love of his city at heart.
The spring of 1874 opened with
great promise. The year before nature
had done her best to show what the
soil of the Nile of America could DO
But little ground had been broken out
and every thing was astir this spring
Then for the first time was Kansas
the second verse Of which ran:
" When first ] came to get my start,
The neighbors they were miles apart;
But now's a man on every claim,
And sometimes three all want the
same.
But there came a change. In July
Of that year the hot winds had DRIED
every heritage in this part Of the moral
vineyard. Then came TO Kansas a
blessing in disguise. New corners nave
all heard Of the wonderful grasshopper
They have heard him abused, but I
hope that the Old Settlers association
of Sadgwick county will do the hopper
Justice after itwenty-siX years and ac-
knowledge that he was a Godsend and
not a curse to this country as so long
believed Let US do him justice and at
last acknowledge that when the hopper
visited us in the fall of 1874. the hop
Der found but little, while the pluck
and enterprise of her citizens took up
the hopper and made him a drawing
card, which brought to this portion o.
the state the best class of citizens that
every came TO help develop a land. The
hoprer demands justice at our hands.
when the hopper came those who
were unable to get away from Sedg-
wick county had the sympathy OF all,
but in June Of the next year the sympa-
Thy was transferred to those who had
LEFT. Mann. persons in the east came 10
this country to see how the men looked
working in their old clothes. They
found their clothing worn by men CLEAN
ing the greatest harvest that ever bless
ed country. They could not go home
without buying a Kansas farm, and
thus the little hopper became like the
dove released from the ark, 1t brought
back bright, crisp bank notes.
AS Wichita succeeds so does the in
terest of every farmer in Sedgwick coun
". The interests of the two are iden-
heal, if rates and justice are secured
for the city every farmer in the county
reaps a reward. Wichita has always
succeeded upon any move in which her
people were a unit, and nothing well
bind them closer than the principle
upon which her first battles were won
home rule.
Let her people and those Of the coun-
" unite in a demand for justice, and ac-
cept nothing less and again viii the
sound Of the trowel, saw and hammer
be heard Our motto should be Home
first and the world afterwards
This is the twenty-third annual an
=
filled with gratitude TO the Giver of all
good that so many Of us have been
permitted to assemble again. Let a
kind thought be given to those who
are absent today, and remember those
who have gone to the great beyond,
where we hope TO meet them in land
where sorrow never comes.
Wichita has seen many dark hours,
but her darkest have always come just
before the breaking of the dawn, and
let Us hope that the present depression
IS but the period which proceeds an on
ward and upward movement
''All western Kansas lies tributary to
Wichita, and 1 believe II takes no great
stretch Of Imagination TO behold in the
rear future when that portion of the
state viii bloom as no other part of the
United States. The elements will be
conquered and rain Will be brought It
IS the finest looking country the sun
ever shown upon and there Is no telling
the depth of her soil. I speak knowing
~. l had two years experience in
farming in that country (by proxy. No
country can give such promises, but
the lack of rain shuts out all realiza-
ton. In two years farming in that
county the only thing raised was a
ravenous appatite and these words
she words of the song tells the story
palmer than words of mine. They run;
We were in a land of drouth and heat,
Where nothing grows for man to eat;
The wind that blows with fervent heat,
Ger all this land is hard 10 beat.
CHORUS
on Kansas land. sweet Kansas land!
- on thy burning soil I stand,
1 4o0k away, across the plain.
and wonder II L VIII ever rain.
But Gabriel calls with trumpet sound,
ma says the rain has passed around
The farmer gnes on. IN Ii c,-,