Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-03-21

their affairs and their shrfnes. Some
camped upon the Arkansas. that junior
Nile in whose waters harvests flow In.
soluble. but sure: some seized upon the
Neosho. having the borders of fertile
fields and pastures; while others flocked
to the Solomon and the Republican-two
names which mean wisdom and patriot
ism-and soon their valleys blossomed
as the rose. AS for me, / settled upon
the Verdigris, that beautiful stream,
worthy a better name. When I saw it
first it was liquid emerald, under the
brilliant skies and hardly less brilliant
clouds of southern Kansas. Years have
sped away since I visited that spot,
which was my first Kansas home, but
| it is still and wiki ever be to me. hal
lowed place. From 1t the light of other
days comes laden with memories, and
| with thoughts that cannot all be spoken.
Almost every day when I lived in indie
pendence I used to see Asa Hairgrove,
bearing his many scars, the relics and
reminders of that fatal day the Marias
du Cygnes. when there were
Great drops on the bunch-grass
But not of dew
At Coffeyvil1e, in the same county, lived
Thomas B. EIdridge. known to all as
Tom" the bright, genial, courtly gen.
tleman, who used to relate with infinite
zest his adventures while serving the
staff of the general commanding in the
Wakarusa war. Time had already soft
ened the asperities of the territorial
enemies had come to look at each other
through eyes of friendship and affection.
In my boyhood I had supposed that Will
son Shannon was the incarnation of the
slave-driving oiigarchy. but when I came
to know him / found him to be, not
figuratively but actually, grand old
man, the finest type I have ever known
of the antique Roman.
Among others whom knew was Sam
uel D. Lecompte. who had the honor Of
having had an incipient capital named
after him, and who in territorial times
was popularity supposed to be very Saul
of Tarsus, breathing out threatenings
and slaughter, but who was. in fact,
gentle, kindly soul who would not have
harmed a fly.
When the Kansas struggle broadened
out and gathered into it's compass the
entire nation. I do not doubt that Gen.
Price, of Missouri, and Gen. Blunt. of
Kansas, were equally sincere in their
convictions, and equally brave in main
tanning them. Thank heaven! all the ha-
tired is gone, and these two noble states
gazing into each others eyes wonder
how they could have waited so long to
fall in love with each other.
/ have said much about Kansas, but
you will forgive me since it was my home
so long, and since it is your neighbor.
1 cannot claim to be a patriarch of the
Kansas bar, but when followed those
sweet western wooings and cast my lot
with Kansas. the patriarchs were still
there. I hold them in profound respect
and keep them in loving memory, for
they were the guides and the lights
followed in those happy days. Wilson
Shannon was the Nestor. and the recog-
nized leader. Everything that should &C.
company old age he had, las honor,
love, obedience, troops of friends. And
there were others. The banner of Rug
giles and Plumb fioated proudly through
out the valley of the Neosho, the Cot
tonwood and the Walnut, and was rapidly
advancing along the Santa Fe trail into
the valley of the Arkansas. Mcclure and
Humphrey had taken unto themselves the
upper waters of the Kaw, and the broad
sweep of the Solomon and Republican.
w. w. Guthrie and Nathan Price from
their strongholds in Atchison and Donf-
phan counties, kept watch and word over
the northern tier, while B. T. Simp-
son and James D. Snoddy looked after
the interests of the eastern border. Clough
and Wheat exercised a general super
vision over the entire bar, with their
great library and hoSpitable office always
open to lawyers who needed help for to-
morrow and absolution for to-day. I
cannot think of those June terms of the
United States circuit court at Leaven-
worth, when Judge Dillon presided-the
model of all who would have justice ad-
ministered in the manner becoming
great judge-without recalling how we
used to drop in of an evening at Clough
& Wheat's office, generally catching our
adversaries also sharpening their weap-
ons.
faithful public servants. and ought to
have been incorporated as an annex OF
the state library and made exhibit a.
in the jurisprudence of the state.
Speaking now to the older members OF
the bar, 1 can safely admit to you-and
confess to the younger ones-that when
we entered the profession, lawyers knew
much more about some things than they
do now. But they knew little of organi-
zation, reorganizations and re-reOrgani-
cations. The word syndicate" was I'M
known, and its capabilities as little I'M
derstood as are the present possibilities OF
the Marconi wireless telegraph. But we
knew a great deal of the good old law Of
real property, much of devises to chari-
table uses, of the doctrine that trusts
will not be permitted to fail for want OF
a trustee, and the like.
We are entering a new era, a hard and
difficult one. too. in which lawyers facing
new problems will, perhaps, find their
learning hardly adequate. But. gentle
men, the heavens will not fall, and in the
long run truth will prevail Able and
honest judges will grope somewhat as
they listen to counsel whose arguments
are more or less confusing. but some
day governing principles will be evolved
and justice will be done. I bid you take
heart for the future. We shall have
crosses to bear, many troubles to meet,
and, Haunted in our faces, there will be
unanswerable questfonings such as have
perturbed all the children of men. Shall
I give you a solace? You will find it In
1.-The Light of Other Days.