The Iola register., 1901-08-16
I'm THE TENrS OF KEpAR.n

for the Saturday Evening Post, of
Philadelphia, las written the follow
ing comments on what he saw to his
paper the Emporia Gazette:
There are eight miles of tent 'front.'
age in Lawton the capital of the new
country. In Hobart and Anadarko.
two other county seat towns, there are
four or five miles each of tent 'front.'
age. In these tents live at the very
least computation - fifty thousand
American citizens. They are living
peaceably and in order as American
citizens do and should live. The first
four days of this week one man was
killed at Lawton-by highwaymen
one man died of heart disease, and
two babies were born. There are
many grafters of all sorts and condi-
tions in the country some ofthe lead
ing grafters in the united States are
there-the star men in the business:
but they are not doing much. They
did big business among Texas peo-
pie for few days, but one night the
worm turned. There was mob
The mob charged down the tent street
crying chang the gamblers" 1t was
a vicious looking sight. The gamblers
hlNN hNNu llitll AfilL NONtI1 anu pun
out their tent lamps. An hour after
wards the eight miles of tent streets
in Lawton were as silent as the tomb.
The next morning the gamblers and
most of the grafters got out of Law
ton; they went out in good natured
caravan-they knew they we're up
against the American love of order.
and they accepted the situation with
out complaining.
-.
Now vas to the fifty thousandpeople i'm
the new country they are having a
butterfly summer. Life in the new
country is great big Emporia street
fair. Everything goes. People are
spending their money iluently. In the
booths two industries prevail: acid
lemonade AMI lawyers. There are not
over twenty meat markets in Lawton,
and not over forty grocery stores.
but there are, by actual count, over
two hundred law and land locating
real estate offices. 1t looks odd to
see law library displayed under a
tent: also, it looks dangerous. For
some one has got to pay well for that
library. The people will pay for
their lawyers all right and we'll too.
But here is the alarming part of it.
The pay must come from past savings
brought into the country.
~
There is nothing but accumulated
savings for the people to live on.
Those who go through the winter in
the new country, must go through on
what they saved last winter. Now,
the great majority of the $4,000 peo.
pie in this new country didn't save
much last year-if they had saved
they wouldn't be in the new country
now looking for II snap. People who
are doing well are not looking for
new location; and the people in the
new country are mostly looking for
snap. They will find IT, it will be
cold snap along about December.
Then look outfor trouble. Next spring
excellent claims may be had in the new
country for very little money. There
are only about 5000 farms-worth !
having in the new country. Divide
$4,000 by 5000 and see how much |
each OF the 10000 farmers will have
to carry through the winter. Old At !
las who carried the world didn't grunt |
nearly as hard as these farmers will |
grunt before they get through with
their first year, and il it should hap
pen lluJ JneTe SuOulu De crop lulluFe
next year-which is entirely possible
as the farmers are not familiar with
the soil and the season, and the way
to produce results-Heaven and the
scrip of the county commissioners
will have to take care of the country.
Then fifty thousand people will rise up
and hurl large, unanimous, brown
damn at the new country, and then
will say in their haste that the soil is
no good, that the people are no good
and that the climate is simply
sheolic.
Which is absurd for the soil is eX-
cellent. A richer soil never lay out of
doors than that Of the new country.
The writer hereof Travelled in buggy
over eighty miles Of the new country,
aud the wheels didn't CRATE on the
gravel once during the journey The
soil is deep and rich. The grass is
thick as the hair on u dogs back.
There are no bald spots. They say
the uplands are worthless. Thirty
years ago they said the same thing of
Kansas uplands. And now the kaiiir
and the sorghum and the alfalfa and
the small fruits and the by products
of the farm prove that the prejudice
against upland in Kansas twenty
years ago had little basis in fact. 1t
will be thus with the new country.
When men learn how to farm the new
land5-they will blossom. But men
must learn, The conquest Of a land
costs as much blood in peace as in
war Thousands and thousands of
American citizens will die-wear out
and fall fighting in this new country,
trying to conquer it. How many
thousands fell in Western Kansas be.
fore it became "a fit place for human
habitation. If men do not actually
fertilize new land with their blood
they have to fertilize it with their
brains, and the fight is just as cruel
just as bitter, just as relentless. Wo-
men and children perish in this
slaughter. The decree that the wilder
ness must be appeased with blood
atonement, that man must pay with his
life for everything he gets from nature
the decree that man goes ad astra
only per aspera is ineXorable. And
yet in the face of this inexorable de-
gree fifty thousand people in the new