The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-06-17

| an Alliance man tainted by an antag
onist with the declaration that there
was no relief possible for him. because
no matter whom he sent TO congress 10
relieve him money would buy against
/ him replied: Then we viii rise up
and take our rights by force"
So pronounced was this feeling that
| the Republicans were able 10 wage
whole campaigns with little else urged
against the POpulistS than that they
| sought or threatened the overthrow Of
he government We undoubtedly saw
the climax Of this feeling in the cOun-
try in the march of Coxey and in the
| Debs strike.
| But while this feeling prevailed, il
caused no little anxiety in Kansas
Industrial conditions were against the
largest class in the state and this class.
met by and betrayed by corruption in
/ legislative circles, grew more rabid
| This was in 1890. AT that time the
favorite portion Of history was the
French revolution. Jerry Simpson and
Senator PETER both quoted literally
from Carlisle's French Revolution at
| the time.
Kansas may have been as much the
originator OF the Napoleonic revival
which has so recently swept the coun-
| try as the circumstance that il is now
the centenniary of his career.
! 1t never occurred To our revolution
airy folk at the time that the strongest
element in the government is the con-
servative.
While they quoted literally from the
French revolution they did not see be-
hind the scenes or realize the great eff
fort necessary 10 start that revolution.
Felix Gras, a French novelist, has
written ''The Reds of the Midi" a
pretty little narrative which has been
translated into English and published
in neat little volume by D. Appleton
& Co, of New York.
Pascal, the hero of the story, is a
boy who joins the Marseilles battalion
which at the behest OF its deputy in
Paris marched on the capital Of France
and the king.
What was the French peoples griev-
ance? In the language Of the peasant
narrator: why are people always
gruntlng nowadays? They actually
grunt because of oyeIplenty! Nova
days each peasant has his own corner
of earth. He who has earth has bread
and he who has bread has blood l,
who am speaking 10 you was l. years
old before ever had seen a kneading-
trough, bread-hutch, oil-jar or wine
keg; things owned nowadays by the
poorest peasant in the land. In the
one room of my fathers hut-it was
more a hut than a cottage-were two
cradle-like boxes filed with oat straw,
in which We slept, the cooking pot in
the middle OF the room hanging from
roOf-beam and big chopping- block
and that was all, That was just all"
These poor people, the tenants OF a
cruel marquis. had one loaf of bread
year and the boy Pascal was almost a
man before he had tasted anything as
dipped in soup made Of rancid pork"
This was the condition OF the whole
peasantry Through 8 series OF adj
ventures the young boy, Pascal, Joined
the Marseilles regiment and marched
on Paris. There was a tall man in
front carrying a banner inscribed THE
Rights Of Man." which he forced every
frowning man and woman on the way
to kiss The soldiers were ragged and
uncouth. IL was something of a
Coxey'S army. But on all the long
march houses were closed before them
and people fed in their way, some few
remaining to curse them for threaten
ing the government. 1t was their in
tentiOn to march directly on the king
and his palace on reaching Paris.
When they at last reached Paris dis
appointment awaited them. Again
they came jam against the conserva-
tive element in government Every
day it was promised this ragged ele-
ment that they should march against
the kings palace. Everyday the
march was deferred. The regiment
believed itself betrayed and became
FESTIVE and Disguised.
The ParisianS were towards; they
had invited the Marseilles battalion up
to help them. The battalion had come,
hut the Parisians were faint-hearted
and refused to move and were only too
glad to be betrayed by their leaders.
The revolution was on the point Of
lapSing when at last promise was
made that on the discharge OF a can
ION the regiment should march on the
palace, and the National Guard under
Santerpe was 10 reinforce them. They
waited in vain in martial array; the
signal was not fired; the tocsin did not
ring.
Here comes the most dramatic and
powerful passage in Gras' narrative.
One OF the ragged Reds OF the Midi,
surmising that the patriots had been
sold out again disguised himself and
two OF his fellows and passed the arts
tocrats line and came upon the signal
cannon guarded by the kings men.
The patriot pulled paper from his
pocket and called away the attention OF
the guards.
''Peloux and (the PATRIOTS conpsnlons)
did no; lose AT Instant As the Eunners
came forward We slipped into tbeir places:
while Aisrsgn got out his paper. Peloux
made sure % the priming AID struck M
flint ard steel together and the hyluz
sparks Lighted the fuse; and just as
Maragn held Up the paper. as though .