The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-05-22
9aiTu~ EagIe
AN ANCIENT FAKE Gagged.
M. M. MURDOCH, Editor.

It is time to clear one Kansas legend r. r
Elder or no other KANSAS said to Duke Alexis: Then
words is Latin" referring the motto Of Kansas The
truth which is nfexbe is rubber in the hands of
men, to be stretched every which way to accommodate
popular memory This little splinter Of fiction has out
lived thousand facts infinitely Of Importance and
Of better humor The joke" was ancient Of an
ancient turn and application, sQuib written in
forty FIVE seconds and slid column Of brevites The
crowd" put the "joke" Elder. and. crowds" will
kept it up That broke up and scattered. death
and change fortune misfortune doing their parts The
memory Of Duke Alexis faded his visit became sum
mer dawn mist and
But occasionally some mildeyed idiot win refer to the
Joke" and cause general ripple and stir Governor Elder
out OF ali patience He is tired He has got enough He
has given the joke thirty years rope He yans in
But Governor Elder is too wise believe that he
the Joke" He merely put it in cage in the
Kansas menagerie and label lie which the public
insists on believing; commonly atains the great age Of
1000 years Sometimes domestcated by humorists but
has been known to Kill serious-minded people Give it
something to eat and keep it alive. Everybody does
Governor Elder IN letter to the editor Of the Eagle
says:
The Topeka Mail and Breeze recently said: In the
language Ct Governor Elder Them is Latin For
yearly thirty years that ungrammatical phrase been
imputed to have been used by high Official the
sion Of the reception OF banquet Of Duke Alexis
and party Of Russian nobemen by Kansas legislature
in 1872 This party Of Russian dignitaries accom-
panied by Major General Sheridan and Colonel Forsythe
representing military department They had been
on buffalo hunt on invitation Of the commander at
Chicago. This distinguished party their return via
the Union Pacific railroad the capital the
current invitation both houses Of the legislature then in
session The committee Of reception the part Of the
senate was Lieutenant Governor P. P Elder Senators
N NJ Murdoch NJ Price; the part Of the house
was Speaker s A Cobb T. P Fenlon Ex-Governor Charles
Robinson and Colonel @ K Holiday. Only two Of the
committee are now living This distinguished party was
the depot and formally introduced by Tom J. An
derson Cwho charged the reception committee
The Lieutenant governor. acting chairman Of the
mittee brief address Of welcome the dukes car
Then they formally conducted in carriages to the
Fifth Avenue Hotel where dinner was prepared for
them Duke Alexis was seated at the the table
Governor Harvey the right Lieutenant Governor P
Elder the left and the other members the party
GLIDING Major Sheridan Colonel Forsythe
were formally mixed joint committee on either
side of the table There were few othr members of the
senate and house at the table No other persons were
the dining hall except walters
"On the menu was the seal and motto of Kansas The
words. "Ad astra per aspera" were commented on by
the Russian admiral and General Sheridan its beauty and
design IN representing Kansas etc Dinner over the dis
nguished guests in charge the Joint committee were
driven to the house of representatives Speaker Cobb
made brief and appropriate reception speech and was
replied TO by Duke Alexis in appropriate and terse Eng
ish. After general Introduction and handshaking this
distinguished party Of nobemen were driven to the depot
and hidden farewell The whole proceedings from the
meeting at the the entertainment at the hotel and
at the Capitol very formal dgnfed throughout
"The next morning the Daily Commonwealth was
brought into the senate while in session by little squnt
eyed local editor to Senator Sol Miller and
pointed to the local: high at the table in con
versaton with the old admiral about the motto
of Kansas the saia: Then words is Latin
Senator Miller passed the local around while Noble Prem
It's, the local editor with graces and conortions
on his face how the clever local took in the senate
which created much merriment The senate adjourned
at - m. The question was Who is he? Who is he? was
the inquiry with much concern While this pleasantly was
going Mr. Crouher the secretary of the senate had
gone to the house with senate message He came back
into the senate and said Some have laid it to Governor
Harvey but now. Elder they say it was YOU At this
unexpected sally Elder few into frenzied passion and
to know who the party was that imputed that
ridiculous phrase to him conversation with so high and
learned dgnitary the Russian admiral and said he
would kick the lying sooundr down the steps Of the Cap
itol This created great laughter Now for thirty years
this phrase has the rounds Of the press and imputed
to P P Elder at his and the states. disgrace Them
words is Latin original with Noble L Prentis. and
never was used heard until his local appeared in the
Commonwealth"