Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-12-21


such as blesses our humber dwellings,;
India under the agonies of a famine
which, though somewhat lifted, has
filled hundreds of thousands of graves
and thrown millions into orphanage;
Austria only waiting for her genial
Francis Joseph to die so as to let Hun
gary rise in rebellion and make the
palace of Vienna quake with insurrec-
ton; Spain in Carlist revolution and
pauperized; Italy under the horrors of
her kings assassination; China shud-
dering with fear of dismemberment,
her capital in possession of foreign ma
tions. After a review of the condition
in other lands can you find a more ap-
propriate utterance in regard to our
country than the exclamation of the
text: "He hath not dealt so with any
nation?"
Compare the autumnal report of har-
vests in America this year and the har-
vests abroad. Last summer I crossed
the continent of Europe twice, and
saw no such harvests as are spoken of
in this statement. Hear it, all you men
and women who want everybody to
have enough to eat and wear. have to
tell you that the corn crop of our coun-
crops on record-2, 105, 900 900 bushels!
The cotton crop, though smaller than
at some times, will on that account
bring bigger prices, and SO cotton plant
ers of the south are prosperous. The
wheatfields have provided bread enough
and to spare. The potato crop, one of
the five largest crops on record-211,-
OO0, 900 bushels! Twenty-Five million
two hundred thousand swine slain,
and yet SO many hogs left!
But now give you the comparative
exports and imports, which tell the
story of national prosperity as moth
ing else can. Excess of exports over
imports, $544,4OO. OC0. Now let all pes
simists hide themselves in the dens
and caves of the earth, while all CRATE
full souls fill the churches with doxol-
ogy. Notice also that while other
countries are at their wits ends as to
their finances this nation has money to
lend. Germany, we are glad to see you
in Wall street. If you must borrow
money, we have it all ready. How
much will you have? Russia, we also
welcome you into our money markets.
Give us good collateral. Meanwhile,
Denmark, will you please accept our
offer of $4,000, 900 for the island of St.
Thomas? My hearers, there is no ma
ton on earth with such healthy condi-
ton of finances. We wickedly waste
an awful amount of money in this coun-
try, but some one has said it is easier
to manage surplus than deficit.
Besides this, we have in our country
plenty of room, while the trans-Atlan-
tic nations are crowded-crowded
| cities, crowded governments, crowded
learned institutions; the popul&aion
crowded, packed in between the Pyre-
| nees and the Alps, packed in between
the English channel and the Adriatic.
Yes, on our continent plenty of room.
Eight million square miles in North
America and all but one-seventh capa-
BILE of rich cultivation, implying what
fertility and commerce.! Four basins
pouring their waters into the Atlantic,
Pacific, Arctic and Gulf of Mexico!
When I hear a man expressing the fear
that this country is going to be crowd
ed, know right away he has not been
in Texas. France has about SO ,00o, 600
of people, but Texas is larger than
| France; Germany about $1,000 600 of
people, but Texas is larger than Ger
many.
Again, there is no land on earth
where the political condition is so sat-
isfactory as in ours. Every two years
in the state and every four years in the
nation we clean house. After a We
.hement expression of the people at the
ballot box in the autumna1 election
they all seem satisfied, and if they are
not satisfied, at any rate they smile.
An Engishman asked me in an English
rail train this question: "How do you
people stand it in America with revo-
luton every four years? Would it not
be better, like us, to have queen for a
lifetime and everything settled ?"
But England changes government just
| as certainly as we do. At some adverse
vote in parliament out goes one party
and in comes another. Administra-
tions change there, but not as advan-
tageously as with us, for there they
may change almost any day, while with
us party in power continues in power
at least four years.
It is said that in our country we
have more dishonesty in the use OF
public funds than in other lands. The
difference is that in our country al
most every officer has chance to
steal, while in other lands a few peo-
pie absorb so much that the others
have no chance at appropriation. The
reason they do not steal is because
they cannot get their hands on it.
The governments Of Europe are 50
expensive that after the salaries OF
the royal families are paid there is
not much left to misappropriate. The
emperor of Russia has q nice little
salary of $s,21o.0o0. The emperor OF
Austria has yearly salary of $4,000.
600. Victoria, the queen, has . sal
airy of s.. zoe. 900. The royal plate OF