The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-06-06
Stories of an Inland State.


This is the first number Of a fourth
series OF these stories) -----.
A rag Of a cloud tumbged across the dust
| streaked SKY, and in the fury of the WIND
| rotted to shreds, broke and dissipate6. Tie
leafless trees switched IN sudden. strainins
| onslaughts on their roots. relaxed and ben,
again And up from the baked burrows OF
| the fields, ike the smoke of an awakened
volcano. the curling, writhing clouds OF
Gust arose. highest from that bald and
barren knob to the south. The air is
| strangely, ghastly dry, and the fitful by
| breezes that curl and whirl and froiic be-
tween the sudden great gusts fan the cheek
| only with the parching air of death and
kill, not only the wind-whipped. ragged
daisy at his feet, not only the dust-choked
| grass at the roadside. but him and his
| heart and his hopes
Still he struggles on through the dry, shift
ing. granulated soil, following with tragic
| desperation the plow as its scours through
the dry earth Ike a sharp knife through
| quick-sand. He reaches the end OF the
| furrow, sets his plow and faces the awful
| wind again, silently, determinedly and with
| the anger that has no voice, but is deep,
| deep in the soul that has struggled and
| lcst. For tie dust that is shifting in his
| brogans, and the dust that is under his
| armpits and the dust that fills his beard.
| his eyes and his hair grits in his teeth and
hardens and parches MS knuckles, he does
not feel For he has lost hope.
Nature calls TO him, but he does not hear.
Behold the tiny grain of corn. What Won
derful, dazzling fairy-land therein. A heart
shaped mite with yellow she'll white and
nj. u-itb in he ar.1
in the black soil, and it awakens, shoots
and with its tiny energy turns clod and
comes out into the world. with all its green
fellows, grows apace in rivalry to them.
plumes itself proudly with it's fronded tas-
sci. waves its long green arms in the SUM-
light and moonlight and decks itself with
white and pink silk. Then the grain mani
fold. white soft and milky, and then ma
tur:ty
"Beholdr' cries Nature IN his ear. Is
it not indeed wonderful
But he does not hear. How gladly would
his enemies have him listen to Nature.
His enemies, All, his enemiesi How he
could throttle them with his great, strong
hands and smile as they died.
He raised his corn, his wonderful corn.
1t went to market The commission men,
lcafers, idlers, smokers, took part OF il
The railroads carried ii away, the railroads
managed by men in silken underwear and
broadcloth, men whose knuckles were never
as these, whose skin had never felt this
CRIME, whose boards were sleek and clean
and these men took his grain and divided
it. He had listened to the politicians. There
was watered stock which demanded big
earnings. His mind was muddled now.
He did not understand rhe stocks or d.
vdens, but still they were instruments Of
tortue against him. Poor man. Must he
master all of the financies of corporations
to properly analyze mis- own grievances?
But they took mis- grain, earnings or no
earnings. Ard in Chicago the Board of
Trade MANIPULATED the ghostly figures which
took away more of his production. II
He did not know what}the Steppes of Rus
STA were, but the grain reports said that
the Steppes were raising grain and the
pampas of South America, and the low
priced labor of India had, entered the field.
Perhaps this was true. He did not know.
But he knew the men in Chicago exagger-
ated the amount of grainsraised and in the
worlds total visible supply. bore down TIE
price and took away his grain.
All, the government at Washington, Why
didn't it do something? Why didn't 1;
equalize? What could these men, these
representatives of the people be thinking OF,
that they could sit there and see him, trudg
ing IN this loose earth. in the cutting wind,
in the dust, robbed and Quilted by these fine
gentlemen?
Somewhere he had seen a picture of the
government, room with seats raised semi
circularly around desk in front. All.
He knew what he would do! He would take
the train as he was, in his rags and dirt
and grim ferocity and he would go Down
TO Washington and force his way into this
greatAgovernment building, up through The
rows of finely dressed gentlemen. up over
the soft carpet and the rich furniture mir
rory with polish. and standing there in his
dirt and rage and hunger he would cry:
Gentlemen of Congress. Behold your
product. Behold a Kansas farmer, who
has lived God-fearing, an abstemious, a
decent life. Behold his ghost This is
what the commission men, this is what the
railroads, this is what the Board of Trade
option dealers have left Of him. Go on
with your rhetoric. wrap your oily tongues
around your oily phrases, talk, talk, talk on
forever of the poor man and deserving. and
legislate and leglslate forever for the rich,
But if in your heart there is one drop of
blood that has leaped al mothers caress.
or quickened its journey because of a
baby's coo, # in your veins there drips a
single drop of the blood which tells you
that man is born free and equal. let II in
future years haunt your guilty conscience
with my image. the image of man who is
broken by the thieves of your creating and
UNFOLDING. Remedies l do not ask, but
penitence only"
For a moment the picture of the fine gen.
tlemen with heads bent in shame floated in
his mind. And then q storm OF outlaws
dashed agaist his brain and wanton ques- |
lions were hurled upon him. He felt him
self hurried out roughly, and sent whirling |
head-long down the great stone steps and !
dead there upon the ground.
Kansas is the state OF John Brown, who. |
impatient OF delay Of events. reveled in |
pacify.ng his own tumultous convictions by |
the violence OF his single arm.
So as the cutting sand swept into his face. /
and the great bald hill smoked under the /
wind and the trees creaked and switched |
before him as he followed the plow. gladly |
would he have died at the bottom OF the /
steps of the National Capitol. II is sweet /
10 die for ones country. 1t was sweeter 1
10 him 20 die its shame.
Again he turned the piow and came down 4
before the wind. turning UP the black soil 1
Of the fresh furrow which on his immediate
return he knew would whttsa under the !
glare Of the sun and the whip OF the pareA-
ng wind Now he faced the wind and ihs
lust and the sun again trudging with oen,
body and sunken head.
For what? To produce booty for thieves
he thieves OF a zeu;eel society
He alone worked while the world loafed.
Sut what grinning doubt was tbs that
anne upon his mind? Wh;evsr Is. Is right
With what e1rontery the ringing axicErs
Il our race confront US in our desires.
IRIS was socieiy's dennand-thzt he should