The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-10-16
Kansas Suffers From Too Much
PopuIst influence.
STATE LOSING IN POPULATION.
Personification of Sarcasm from the Pen Of a
Kansas Editor-Progressive Men Not Want
ed-Something of the Men Nominated on
State Ticket for the Public Offices.

The following from the Emporia Ga
zette sizes up in most sarcastic man
ner what populist rule has done for
Kansas. and shows what it will do for
whole combination standing on the
Chicago platform in any manner hap
pened to win:
Today the Kansas department of
| agriculture sent out a statement which
indicates that Kansas has gained less
than 1000 people in the last year.
There are about 125, 900 families in the
state and there were about 10000 babies
| born in Kansas, and yet so many peO-
pie have left the state that natural in
| crease is cut down TO less than 1900
| net. This has been going on for eight
| years.
If there had been high brick wall
around the state eight years ago and
not a soul had been admitted or per-
mitted to leave, Kansas would be half
| million souls better off than she is
| today. And yet the nation has in
| creased in population In ten years
| 100000 people have been added to
the national population-yet, instead
| of gaining a share of this-say 100000,
| Kansas has apparently been plague
spot, and in the very garden of the
world has lost population by the ten
thousands every year.
Not only has she lost population,
but she has lost wealth. Every money
ed man in the state who could get out
without great loss has gone. Every
| month in every community sees some
one who has little money pick up and
| leave the state. This has been going
on for eight years. Money is being
| drained out all the time. In towns
where ten years ago there were three
or four or a half dozen money lending
concerns stimulating industry by fur
nishing capital, there is now none or
one or two that are looking after the
| interest and principal already out
standing.
No one brings money into Kansas
| any more. What community knows
over one or two men who have moved
in with more than $4,000 in the last
three years? And what community
cannot count half a score of men in
that time who have left, taking all the
money they could scrape together?
Yet the nation has grown rich. Other
states have increased in population
and wealth-other neighboring states.
Missouri has gained nearly 100000,
while Kansas has been losing 100000.
| Nebraska has gained in wealth and
population while Kansas has gone down
hill. Colorado has gained in every
way, while Kansas has lost in every
| way since 1888.
| What is the matter with Kansas?
There is no substantial city in the
state Every big town save one has
| lost in population. Yet Kansas City,
Omaha, Lincoln, st. Louis, Denver, Co
| dorado Springs, Sedalia, Des Moines,
the cities of the Dakotas, ST. Paul and
| MinneapoliS-all cities and towns in
the west have steadily grown.
Take up the government blue book
and you will see that Kansas is virtual
| ly off the map. Two or three little
| scabby consular places in yellOw-fever-
stricken communities that do not ag-
gregate $4,000 a year is all the recog-
milton Kansas has. Nebraska draws
about one hundred thousand dollars;
little old North Dakota draws $4,000;
Oklahoma doubles Kansas; Missouri
leaves her a thousand miles behind;
Colorado is almost seven times greater
than Kansas-the whole west is ahead
of Kansas.
Take it by any standard you please,
Kansas is not in it.
Go east, and you hear them laugh at
Kansas; go west, and they sheer at
her; go south, and they ''cuss" her; go
north, and they have forgotten her.
Go into any crowd of intelligent people
gathered anywhere on the globe and
you will find the Kansas man on the
defensive The newspaper columns
and magazine pages, once devoted to
praise of the state, TO bOastful facts
and startling figures concerning her
resources, now are filed with cartoons,
gibes and Pefferian speeches. Kansas
just naturally isn't in the civilized
world. She has traded places, with
Arkansas and Timbuctoo.
What's the matter with Kansas?
We all know; yet here we are at it
again. We have an old mOssback Jack
Sonian, who snortS and bowls because
there is bath tub in the statehouse;
we are running that old jay for COVER
nor We have another shabby, wild
eyed, rattle Drained fanatic who has
said openly in a dozen speeches that
the rights of the user are paramount
TO the rights of the owner" we are
running him for chief justice, so that
capital viii come tumbling over itself
to get into the state. We have raked
the ash heap of human failure in the
state and have found an old hoopskirt
of a man who has failed as a business
man, who has failed as an editor, who
has failed as preacher, and we are go
ing to run him for congressman at
large. He will help the looks of the
Kansas delegation at Washington.
Then we have discovered kid without
law practice, and have decided to vote
for him as attorney general. Then, for
fear some hint that the state had be-
come respectable might percolate
through the civilized portions of the
nations. we have decided to send three
or four harpies out lecturing, telling
the people that Kansas is raising hell
and letting corn go to weeds.
"Oh, this is a state to be proud of!