The Wichita daily eagle., 1901-05-08
9aifu~ s Ea0le
M. M. MURDOCH, Editor.
rHE Moons OF - PEoPLE.


When It comes to being emotional the people Of the
United States within fifty years viii make the people OF
France in that respect look Ike rag doll through a
cotton gin The chances are that wiz refrain from
troonng around in the streets at night with ptchfoTks
spfng out fiery songs on the bosom Of the night and
calling for large soggy gobs Of coaguaed blood but
are headed for the condition where nights sleep viii so
change the nation that one viii be defeated for
president and another elected on the Of hair
where We viii declare war between and one o'clock
and be fighting the first battle that day a week.
Take our war with Spain. It purely emotional
Msrtiallv we we're gaunt We hungered for at the
time Nobody in America wants war today. If congress
we're in session and should declare against another
nation howl would go up would shver the dirt of
printing Office window pane the broke out with
Spain It had been over hryhree years since the fight
ing spirit" Of America had outlet The conviction
that we could lick anything walked two legs and
chewed tobacco demanded demonstration England picked
up little old crooked line down in Venezuela and we let
out jagged war whoop that made her drop the line like
hot potato and the whoop IS ringing in Engand's
yet Then along came little wobbly opsded soretoad
Spain She got to mussing up things in her back yard
across the street from US whaled in fooling
selves into the fancy that the ancient chvay Of the
Dons would hold out anyhow round. They dug her
out Of the sawdust before the referee had time to
inc the gloves That satisfied US, and have quieted
down In about fifteen years more something Ike this win
break cut and we viii cut loose
Now along comes a speculative excitement About ten
years ago the country felt the need Of excitement IN
gambling way The old precept Of economy being the
only paved street connected with wealth hung
hook in the attic and everybody jumped in to get rich be
fore fall and light European trip The country
went up against boom had breatnessly delightful time
Of it. and came out with both eyes set in ebony coatas
gone and shoesrngs busted But had I'll Of boom
and fell to making hard times as hard as possible. Every
time citizen saw confidence sticking its head up out of
hole he hlt with club. The general gnawing desire
was to make everything out as miserable possible and
unhappy and tough as possible People stood around
rolled their eyes sorrowfuy incubated hints against
credit TAXED to death and osacsed anybody who
felt way cheerful Whenever dollar appeared was
speedily scared back into old sock by three
million people getting into one anothers hair over whether
IT intrinsic artificial value Along about five years
ago the people thought they mad been unhappy long
enough switched around and began the dollars
out and stroke and pet en- and tell they didn't
give a picayune whether they were good not how
many grains they carried whether their redeemer
existed or not So good times were coaxed out again
Now the speculative racket has whisted Of house
and the country is flirting with it.
The speculative racket VIII last Just long the
people feel like it Popular sentiment, popular mood is
the biggest thing this country Pierpont Morgan and
his kind ayspecks planet compared to it They
don't originate anything, stop anything They go with
the tide In America leadership resides in the followers
This government more representative than George
Washington ever dreamed it would be; is more repre-
sentative any leading politician thinks it its
representative attribute great times is greatest in
the workings of its moods.