The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-20

the real British lisp that it might have
come derict from the Thames.
Didn't. Mr.. Bealin tell you there in
New York that we have enough menu"
said Mr.. Gerow. with trace of i'm
patience in his voice. for this was not
the first young man who had called on
him this morning. Didn't he show you
my telegram stating that we have
enough men out here?"
Yes he said you wired him you had
about enough men. but said he didn't
doubt that we could get work if we
should come out"
You don't look as though you could
stand the work." said MIR. Gerow, look
ing at the beautiful smooth hand, which
the man was using to propel a dainty
linen handkerchief over his perspiring
face.
well, 1 don't know" said the young
fellow, with an air which said that he
considered the reflection on his ability
as a harvest hand as almost cause for
an insult. i Suppose there have been
fellows come out here who didn't know
howy to work, but 1 don't imagine this
work is much harder than any other, is
it? It's just work. and that's what we
want
The we" referred to four other young
men, who were anchored out in the hall
of the state house while the red neck
tied youth acted as spokesman.
You'll find you are up against hard
proposition" said Mr.. Gerow. Harvest
/ ing is hard work. / wish you hadn't
come. You will perhaps be unable to get
work, and then you may feel that the
state has done you an injury. You see
we don't need more men. But Will
send you out to Ness county, if you
want to go. They say there is still a
demand TOR laborers there"
''All right, We'll CO." said the boy.
I'VE don't intend to give it up without a
trial now, after coming clear out here y
This vista ton is only a sample of
what is constantly in progress now at
Secretary Gerow's office. Men are COM
| ing in daily from New York. Fifty let
ters are received every day from points
in the east asking if men are still need
ed. 1t seems as though tn rush for
Kansas. which has started so late. can
not be stopped now that it has started.
A letter received today from Superin-
tendent J. j. Bealin, of the New York
city bureau of labor says: I will
send you a thousand more men at once
if you can use them. They have the
money to pay their fare to Kansas
Mr. Bealin denies the report brought
| by some of the men who came here that
he had told them they would be in the
midst of the harvest fields when they
reached Topeka.
Mr.. Gerow is almost in despair over
the continued onrush of men. L can't
| stop them he said this morning. They
are coming faster now than they were
when we needed them. And there ism
anything for them to do. The harvest is
over. The one cent mile rate is to be
taken off today, and these young men
are likely to be left here in Topeka with
no resources
Mr.. Gerow is still sending few men to
Ness county They have asked for 200
more men out there. few days ago a
| telegram was received from c. F. Brass
| field. of Ness City, saying: Send no more
| harvest hands here and shortly after
came another telegram from a firm of
merchants asking for 225 more men, As
| Brassfield had been acting as agent for the
employment bureau, his word was accept
| ed, and it was assumed that certain par
ties were trying to fill up the county with
more men than needed for the purpose of
depressing the wages. Such a statement
in one of the Kansas City papers aroused
| Ness countys ire. and Supt. Gerow has
| been busy explaining how it happened
| ever since. He is now sending men to
Ness as fast possible. but the harvest
will be over there within three days. 1t
seems that Brassfield intended his tele-
| gram to apply only to the city of Ness,
| and not the county at large.
Supt Bealin, of New York is also doing
an explaining stunt. He hands out the
| following saccharine dose in his last let
ter:
1.-The New York Herald says today IN a
| dispatch from Topeka that some of our
| bows went west for the purpose of teach
| ing the people of Kansas little something
| of higher civilization than your people
possessed. l enter my solemn protest
against the publication of this Islander. No
| man in that outfit whether college stu
to the people of Kansas For my part,