Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1901-12-19
A SEVERE ROAST.
Secretary ceburn Makes a Reply
to G. N. Walden's Address.
PAST YEAR IN KANSAS AGRICULTURE
The Secretary Says That 1901 Was, Agri-
culturxlly, the Greatest In All the
History Of tho Sun
flower State.

Topeka, Kan, Dec. 13.-Secretary
Coburn, Of the state board of agri-
culture, has sent communication to
the editor of the Kansas City Drovers'
Telegram in which he says:
note In your issue Of December .
what purports to be an address made the
day previous 1t the National Live Stock
convention, in Chicago. by one g. M.
Walden, president Of the Kansas City
Live Stock exchange" upon the subject
of 1.-THE Late Drought" As Is customary
with cheap. would-bs wits. and men OF
small minds, congssted with misinforma-
ton, who wish to paint calamity picture
which by Its vivid ooloring shall rivet
attention upon the supposed corruscating
brilliancy Of the artist, he, OF course.
uses Kansas a. the background upon
which to depict his ideas Of the CHASTITY
horrible. In Mr. Walden's picture he
deity puts In his drought" touches like
this: 1.-THE balmy Kansas zephyr no
longer greets us perfume-laden, but 10
now a hot, whitening wind. Mark the
sickly white yellow of the corn, the
stunted dwarfed wheat and oats; grass
sers and withered, white with dust; gaunt
and starving cattle walking the trail
along the fence. Only scum Of green
ish yellow over the bosom Of muddy wa
ter in ponds, tanks and creeks, lately so
proud In their strength, but would not
now float Johnny's tiny play boat. Look
at the abject, despairlng farmer, perched
dejectedly on the barnyard fence, smok-
Ing an old clay pipe. Look at the house,
wife moving listlessly about the house,
with unkempt children playing about her.
Even Nature seems to wear look OF de-
spair and woe"
Now, my guess is that this Mr.. Walden
lives in Missouri; that II he is in the live
stock trade about three-fourths Of the
business he does and Of the living he gets
are furnished by the state Of Kansas-hii
caricature which he so lovingly drew
and neglecting his business, journeyed tc
Chicago to put on exhibition, with him
self as its easel. But why should he
have gone out Of his way to label his
picture Kansas" Why not Missouri
or Texas, or Oklahoma? Would he have
the world suppose they were immune
while Kansas was enduring such grlevoui
Affections?
On the other hand, IL Mr.. Valdez
wished to put agricultural Kansas on ex
hibltion Alright he could, speaking by thu
card, have shown that the year 1901 was
agriculturally, the greatest In all he
history. That she was never before 81
productive In agricultural values as Thu
year; that the 'stunted, dwarfed wheat,
he thought his jaundiced eyes saw, pro
duced the largest and at the same tim
the most valuable crop ever grown II
any state In the worlds history; that n
other state ever had such an acreage o
wheat sown, or of such great promise
as Kansas did at the hour when he wa
exploiting his picture Of ''abject, despair
Ing" that the state had more horses
more mules, more milch cows and NOR
other cattle, and worth more money tina
ever before; and that her hay, sorghum
wool, dairy, poultry, garden and hort
cultural products never before brought S
much, and that her people never befor
, 30 generally wore silk underwear, no
had so much money in banks-an amour
per capita such as has seldom If evel
| been eQualed by the people of an agricu
tural community anywhere.
OF course, he couldn't have said tn
J pleasant things about his own state, bt
. cause there wasn't much In that line
say there doesn't seem to be much {
, record showing that she produced any
thing unless 1t was his "abject, despair
L.. oLnI ID ID y
3 barnyard fence smoking an old ella
pipe" where even Nature seems
wear look Of despair and woe"