The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-04
THE KANSAS INVADERS.
Queer Army from the East, and What
1t Did There.

r. W. Child, In the Independent.
This year every one has heard of the
high rate Of wages offered and of the
humorous and sometimes pathetic expert
ences of dapper brokers' clerks and adven-
turous college men who came out of the
East rejoicing and returned with lame
backs and blistered hands. Reports of the
harvest have been romantic, startling and
imaginative: in Kansas there is great long
ing to have the truth told.
The crop was not the largest ever raised
in Kansas. So far back two years be-
fore the fiood-the Missouri food of last
June-they harvested more wheat than this
year. But this spring the waterways in
Kansas expanded, the house that was not
founded upon a rock went journeying
toward New Orleans. the man in the tree
was screaming for a rowboat and the iron
and stone bridges went out with rhythmic
crashes. When the water had gone upon
its natural way, leaving few feet of cak-
ing mud over the face of the land a large
part of the population were helping them
selves or some one else to Danish the wilder
ness of bed springs, pianos. barn floors and
all things which feat, and to restore runa-
way houses to their proper owners. This
summer employment in the wheat fields
and created lively demand for willing
workers among the farmers of middle
Kansas. To make matters worse the d.
rector of the Free Employment Bureau
found that the visitation of the flood hav-
ing benefited the wheat crop Unexpectedly
would make IL necessary TO import from
other States at least 5000 laborers. This
is a large army; probably even more
came.
alities, leaving behind them all kinds of
vocations, eager for the largest pay and
reluctant to take the hardest kind of work.
Some came for vacation, some for their
health, some for their pocketbooks and
some for the sake of adventure; many
took advantage of the colonial rate Of
fered by the railroads at the request of the
State, and many were arrested for steal
ing rides on the trains: few went here
and a few went there, some went back the
next day, and some who have fall len under
the spell OF Kansas are never going back.
From first to last they suffered from ignor-
ance OF the country and its conditions, from
inexperience In harvesting and thrashing,
and from lack of stamina TO stand the
physical rigor of the Western fields. The
Kansas farmer is well stocked with tales
of the incompetency of this type of hired
man..
One wheat raiser in Barton county en-
ployed ten men. no one OF whom could put
collar on horse; another in Ellis coun-
ty had a man from New York who insisted
upon calling a reaper the lawn mower"
Many men who left clerkships in the At
antic States, being suspicious OF the wild
West and determined not TO be included in
the tenderfoot class, came into the homes
or peaceful folk armed TO the teeth. n few
towns were almost terroriZed by this Of
fensive display. but some of the farmers,
not lacking in humOr, soon made these
bloodthfrsty gentlemen from the East sub
| jects of ridicule
What's that you've got there, my boy?''
asked a lanky old Kansan, pointing at
six-incf dirk knife in the youths belt.
You ought TO have fork 10 go with ii"
These green immigrants were, In general,
a sorry looking lot. Among them were col
| lege men, with Drawn and grit, and hardy
ANNALS from everywhere, who were
brought up on manual labor; but In the
white hands. One old veteran of the fight
| ing Kansas days stood on the platform at
| Topeka when a party of fifty arrived TO
see the State Employment Bureau about
| the locality OF work. Pretty bright look
ing. commented the old statesman: my
| boy Is having hard time TO stand the
harvest pace. and reckon he could lick
this whole crowd,
So came this untried host; Needless they
went into the fields. Wages ranged from
go TO 81 day. and, the Kansans say.
hired mans keep" or found is free.
Communications were received every day
| by agents of the State Employment Bureau
| pleading with the director Il send no more
fragile loafers." These reports made
Kansas laugh; ridicule was poured upon
the 'efrete East" Yet among TIE men who
came We're college pitchers and half backs,
Atlantic longshoremen and city express
men that learned 10 turn "A pitchfork with
the best men that ever sweated on a KAN