New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-13

while fCcllnI uecpi! Rlu'Vi"' '"' ~ -
and comIniscration Of Kansas. VIII 10 "ouo'
unite most cordially in Leedy's cohgra'"'"''on'
,o the people of that State upon their enviaDie
condition of happiness and prosperity No'"'n,
gives THE more pretentious sisters of the East
greater qualification than to be Witnesses VI
the contentcd and prosperous CONDITION Oh 'he'r
more modest and utterly unpreten'ious ss'crS
in the West
This being the true state OF the case we ho
tice with some surprise not unmixcd with pain
that Governor Leedy, who has evidently peeh
misinformed in the matter. takes occasion 10
administer what is for Kansas genie anu
dicnificd repro0f of certain newspapers In New
York and Chicago for their 'puny and pre-
sunptuous criticism" Of Kansas. with
cheerful audacity that almost challenges al
"miration" says the Governor GRUB street
"scribblers on venal press. which panders 10
"the most vicious instincts of semi-civiliZed
foreign colonies like New-IOrk City ana Chl-
"cago. with semi-barbaric spcndor at the apex
"and semi-barbaric squalOr mt the base OF 'heir
social life. have puny and presumptuous criti-
"cism of those whose shOestrings they are not
"wOrthy to unloOse." There are few things III
Kansas literature finer than this. And ne
clinches 1t with the remark, not entirely irreie-
want though Kansas is not-as state nj least
anywhere near five thousand years old ana
has no Pyramids TO speak of: 1.-The dogs OF
Egypt have barked at the Pyramids lnan-
"swcrcd for five thousand years" AS mat
ter of fact, we suppose the dogs have not really
expected an answer if they had they would
have parked at the Sphinx instead OF the Pyra-
mids. though the result might have been the
same All the same, the figure Is very strlk-
ing. Few public documents have ever con-
tanned ANYTHING like it. We commend 1t to the
attention Of Professor Vrooman, OF Parsons,
Kan. who Is drilling the "crude talent" of the
State in stump-speaking. as an uncommonly
good piece on which to exercise.
Passing from the sentimental to the practical,
tho Governor discusses the railroad question
mt considerable length. He recommends the
passage of a law fixing maximum freight rates
and that the Railroad Commissioners be ell
powered to adjust fares and freight rates in the
State The railroads being owned by citizens
OF the more pretentOus' States. there would
be no difficulty whatever in adjusting fares
and freight rates TO the satisfaction OF the peO-
pie of Kansas. This would make them. II pos
sible. more contented and prosperous than they
now are But the thing 10 do in order to In
sure absolute justice, he says, is for the States
west of the Mississippi River TO build ROAD
of their own to tidewater by the shortest and
most direct route. If Texas and Nebraska
would join Kansas in building such road to
Galveston he thinks the expense OF building II
would be merely nominal when compared
with the vast sums Of money that would DE
saved to the citizens Of those States by the
Towering of rates" This is practical states
manship-that is practical Kansas statesman
ship 1t is an open question, though, whether,
upon full discussion of the proposition, the peo-
/ pie Of these three States will not decide. In
stead of building railroads themselves, TO con-
! time the time-honored practice of letting other
people build the roads, while they make the
rates. Still the proposition has great merit.
I There might not be much money in it AS
Governor Leedy anticipates, but the builders
would harvest lots OF useful experience
! At a time when Waite, Of Colorado, failing TO
free Cuba has retired TO private life; when
! AltgcId Of Illinois. has been shut or from
speaking several thousand words Of farewell;
when Pennoyer. Of Oregon. makes no demon
stratiOn except when he returns TO the treas
ury half his salary Mayor Of Portland when
Stone, Of Missouri. has subsidized, and Mrs
Lease has left the stump for the more quiet
and subdung atmosphere of the lecture plat
form. the advent of Leedy will he hailed as a
boon to the whole Nation. He comes in with
10000 words and every indication of multi
tudnOus vocables yet in stock. He says Kan
sas Is a pillar Of cloud by day and pillar OF
fire by night She is indeed, especially the pill
| lar of cloud