People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-02-04
WHAT A CHANGED
An Agricultural Community rs 1t Was
Thirty Years Ago and as 1t Is Now.


An Agricultural Community rs II Was
Thirty Years Ago and as 1t Is Now.
A few days ago the writer made
visit to his boyhood home, and the co.,
Predictions of this political situation
came before him more wildly than at
any other time. At an earlier day he
had been in perfect harmony, practical
", with his old neighbors At one elec-
ton there were but seven Democratic
voters in the township, including two
prosperous villages
In those days we did business with
postage stamps, shinplasters, Lincoln
scabs" and other forms Of more or less
ridiculed money. But the fathers Of
these boys found there today came to
town with beaver gloves reaching to
their elbows that cost &6 pair. They
wore caps that cost IS, chinchilla beaver
overcoats that cost 800 and carried
whalebone carriage whips that cost 50.
In those days they stocked their farms
with Durham cattle, Merino and import.
ed Leistershire sheep and Poland China
hogs. Sugar and coffee were too high
for everyday use, to be sure, but they
got along with sorghum and parched
grain, for they bought the best cuts of
the butcher. 1t was in those days fruit
jars, Undertaking, sewing machines,
ingram carpets, organs, pianos and i'm
proved farm machinery came into fash
ion. A good piano then cost 81, 200, but
some of them could afford the best
They sold corn at 81. 10, wheat at So,
live hogs $14 per hundred, live weight,
and the best cattle s.. A good man in
those days got a bonus. Some of the
best village hands vera given So per
day in the harvest field. John Farrell,
the village mason, got Sc per day. Car
penters had s. a day regularly, and the
best S.. The track hands, laborers and
odd Job men bought lots and built house:
and paid for them. Two Of the ditchers,
! Pat Hart and Hughey Morehead, wen
off and bought farms, and there wert
others.
There were but two millionaires il
the country, Astor and A. 7. Stewart
and they had but a million each, Van
derbilt not having quite reached tina
point. 1t is different today. Wealth haI
greatly increased in certain sections, anC
now there are 1000 millionaires. Som,
of these are worth hundreds Of million
instead Of a million-ten have $3.50,
900, 0OO-and the stock Of some of tn
big banks of New York are wortl
81, 400 for every 800 share, but my oil
neighbors are selling oats at 10 cent
and other farm products accordingly
The proprietors of these fine FARMS ant
they are the finest in the world, wea
mittens made Of sheepskin and old grail
sacks now, and not a piano has beef
bought by either farmer or villager TO
ten years. There has not been a new
section boss for 20 years, and the on
they have will never be promoted til
he dies
These farms produce as we'll as the!
ever did. They are not worn out. TIL
young men are as strong and enterpris
ing as their fathers, but the wealth nov
concentrates in Wall street, not upol
the Illinois farm.
A political orator was present on thi
occasion, telling these old boyhoo,
chums what dollar should be like. b
held up dollars that he said were onl
80 cent dollars and told them it wa
dollars of particular kind and colo
that they wanted. He meant it was tn
kind of q dollar Wall street wanted
Some of these sons Of wartime Repub
licans wore the hated butter colore
hats and cheered the loudest notes Q
the evening for Grover Cleveland. TheS
are strange days.
It is not probable that these farme
boys desire to vote for 10 cent oats or :
vote for q still further reduction, say
5 cents, but they were deceived by tn
action at st. Louis Some think it wa
the old Republican party that went 70
gold, and not the one that staid by ST
yer. If they could be treasured Of tn
true condition, they would stay by th
simon pure party, for that is the on
they want. They are divided as it is
About half the farmers of the township
it is believed, will 90 for silver.
But it is not dollars of certain colo
or metal our farmers or business me
want. What will please them can
please stock gamblers and cutthros
spectators. And that which please
Wall street is never good for the farmer
What the farmer wants is good business
good prices, good times, and these CON
only with plenty of money. Plenty
, money and good times mean the same
q are the same thing, and always hay
i, been. If they understood this matte
correctly, we believe there would not
a man in that township left to vote fl
e Wall street except the county officers. =
Joliet Sentinel.
jefferson and the Banks.
Tho fr;anda ~ fba pr;tich fnonoi