The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-03-06
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M. M. MuRDocK, Editor.
suovELlNc SMOKE.

sHovELiNe SMOKE.
to be true and it probably true yet that look
, ont Of the car window at any goodszed Kansas town
the traveller would individual with snan inous
If natent gate; patent churn patent endgate; pat
ent whatnot,
In each case the man had made wonderful discovery
worn his community out exploiting and had grown habit
of wandering to the depot times, hoping the vapory
hone that passing millionaire would see the MODEL DC
struck with the worth the community overlooked, and
finance the manufacture Of it.
Nothing Of the kind ever happened It was not posi-
bit for anything Of the kind happen The local inventor
could not be convinced Of this Starvation and rags in
their crushing dual argument threw graphing hooks
into him at last and dragged him but he still re
members as the happest days of his life those when he
was "shovelng smoke"
The sincere Kansan, with no hypocrisy IN him. viii
confess it-he has the weakness At time in every
Kansans life he has found great Joy in shoveng smoke in
standing needeep in rosecoored vapors, and soshing
around up to the fanest sort Of visions the
fainter the better the more elusive the more beatfc
1t is solemn fact which ninety per cent Of Kansans
will deny and ten per cent evade that only
withstand the gbtnngod agent in his various forms, by
violent artificial and uncomfortable arectation Of
book solicitor milestone pedder and greasespot remover
and so forth knows it. The who has had
lghtnngrod on his house meets the agent in fear and
trembling Underneath the obdurate front there fingers
glowing anxiety lest the agent talk him into it, and back
anxiety suppressed desire that the agent will
And the rods once up the Kansan is almost willing run
the risk OF having the lightning strike to see the thing
VIII work
In Kansas the book agent is more like gadfy than
IN any other Union He stays longer is more
devshly persistent and maciousy persuasive than any
where else There is something about that encourages
him; he knows we shovel smoke" and there have been
instances when the book agent attacking Kansan with
such passion that he lost his head gave the book to the
resisting one Just to score victory.
For years in Kansas the street takers have been able
to get larger circles about them any other part Of
the country They attract oafers they catch indus
rous citizens who in the whrI of strenuous breadwn-
ming pause as they hurry along to shovel smoke for
moment and as like as not be completely convinced in
three seconds that their last nights cold is caarrh that
incipent and deadly consumption, which the hawkers
nostrum viii knock ganey-west in seven doses.
We have shoveed lot Of smoke in politics. too.
We sboveed smoke when set out to pry over set ce
ented governmental policies hundred years old with
lever, like the subtreasury warehouse;
when we tried to tip up the commercial order twenty
centuries by eliminating the middleman with Alliance Elk
change stores
We are shoveling smoke when we take qualification in
the circumstance that Kansas is attracting the nations
fail discriminate the kind of atten-
ton which produces either rdicule disgust BOTH is
Improbable.
And Kansas should quit There is one best way with
the book agent Meet him at the with mo" There
is one best with the aker Met him at the door with
NO" There is one best way with the schemer and
dreamer and crank Meet him at the door with a NO
No one can exaggerate the superiortes of Kansas in
mineral and agricultural production; in the patriotism
enlightenment of her citizens; but these not reach
their fullest development be properly set before the
world whose capital and want until quit shov-
cling smoke give the big broad glad hand to Actually
learn to love Reality and meet the political
cal the reform faker at the door with mo"