The Topeka state journal., 1897-12-02
BILLY" EDWARDS TALKS
Ex-Secretary of State ". C. Edwards
Makes a Speech at Kansas City.


Kansas City. Dee. Z.-The Ancient
Order OF Warm Pussons'' held its
first open meeting last evening in this
city.
That organization is composed ofmen
who have been passengers on Edwards
< Monett's Port Arthur excursion par
ties The meeting was attended by
about 100 representative citizens and
number Of invited guests During
the evening there Were q number OF
addresses. some music, and. later, re-
freshmeuts were served.
J. H. HarI1less presided over the
meeting
THE state Of Kansas. filled with ag-
riculture and politicians, sunfi0wel-s
and no whisky" said Chairman Hark-
less. will be responded to by Mr.. W.
c. Edwards of Larned, kan
Responding to the toast, Mr.. Ell
wards said:
Il have always loved the state Of my
nativity the old Keystone state of
Pennsylvania, and am proud OF her re-
sources, and the position that she oc-
CupieS in the union OF states Y 6l, my
friends. / do more greatly love the
state Of my adoption and am delighted
to pay her the homage due Proud am
j of her achievements; the sun na'er
shone upon. a fairer land than Kansas.
Foremost in morals. educational. aEri-
cultural and in political influence. she
Vet strives to attain the unattaina BILE.
and stands as a beacon Hight to guide
the nations of the world She has bu-
greatness, YET 10 the galaxy Of states
Kansas stands supreme I admit that
during the decade past. Kansas may
have lost some Iuster, and our bright
star in the field of blue may have be
come dinmed- This was the natural
result of the boom, that had its iucep-
tion and birth in our city and which
swept from the eastern to the western
boundary of our state with the rapidity
of q western cyclone, making all Kan
sas theater platform, where was play
ed the greatest boom financial drama
of the 18th century Property that, up
TO this time. sold at a price based upon
its biIIty TO pay q reasonable interest.
now found ready buyers at several
times its actual value. the same was
laid out into town lots and Oftentines
the party selling would turn around
and buy a few lots in the proposed
new town at a greater price than he
received for his whole farm.
1t was a little more than ten years
ago, during this exciting period. that
/ tried to arnuse my legislative col
leagues one day in Topeka: I prepared
a joint resolution. prefaci the same
with several whereases; called at
LentiOn to the threa tening outlook for
our farming industries. Of the farms
being plated into tOWnSites by the
townships. and I asked the legislature
TO set aside at least two sections of
land in each congressional township
that they might be reserved perma-
neutIy for agricultural purposes. and
thus preserve the greatest industry Of
our commonwealth But the boom went
on, and the man who did not become
inoCulated with the fever of specula-
tiou. was not considered eligible to
good society
The merchant, the doctor. the law
Yer and all classes Joined in the unnat-
uTal pursuit of wealth
oh. yes; other states had it,, too.
but Kansas never does anything by
halves, and she did not let any other
state eclipse her in the boom business
The night of debaGch ended. and when
we had regaiEed our consciousness suf-
hcIenrlE. we aWOke to ind our boom
climbing the Rocky and Sierra Neva-
da mountains and speeding its way on
to the peaceful valleys of the Pacific
coast states.
labor Of rebuilding for the future
gathering in by nicke1s and dimes.
where We had soWn by the thousands
During this reconstruction period, as
we may call it. we often heard the
question asked. from the Father OF
Waters on the. east, to the Mother Of
Waters on the West. and from the plac-
id lakes Of the north to the warm Gulf
stream Of the south What is the mat
ter with Kansas To any such inouf-
~ tonight. let me answer for my state
and say: She's all right The man
who is the fortunate possessor of 100
acres of uninCumbered Kansas realty
can always smile couplacentIy and
point to the poor house of his county
and say. You can never claim me a
subject