The Wichita daily eagle., 1904-04-10

AD ASTRA Per ASPERA
J. OId6eId in Philadelphia Press
Praises Kansas.
is HISTORY OF THE PLAINS
When the Pigs Were Truly
Kept in the Parlor.

That ours is a wonderful country is
known; that wealth is produced here with
a rapidity that is dazzling the whole
world knows; but the most remarkable
social change that ever has been known
to social history is that which is taking
place in the condition of the Western
| farmer.
! In all other countries farming conditions
| are stable. In France, Germany and Eng
| land they have changel little il at all
| in century. The life of today and the
| buildings of today are much as they were
| a hundred years ago. except that the
worn soil needs more expensive refreshing
and toll. hardship, privation and economy
are as much the rule today as they were
| then.
| But with Amercians the position of the
| dwellers on that vast plain, which street
| ches from the Rockies to the Mississippi
| and from Canada to Mexico, has altered
| in way difficult to believe.
| Twenty years ago the plains OF Kansas
| were dotted with sod huts; dwellings
| worthy of the poorest European peasan-
| try. built of as little wood as possible
| by way Of framework. walled with square
| blocks or cakes of sod thatched with sod
and grass; homes which gave meager shell
| ter from the winters cold and We're as
| bare in their furniture as they were in
their building Here dwelt the farmer
| and his family engaged in that hand
| to-hand cofiict with nature, which is the
| most burdensome and heart-breaking life
enterprise known to ME. He rose a
to do 1.-The chores" and he and all his
/ family worked from long before break
| fast until long after supper. Every cent
had to be considered: every Shovel pitch
| fork and hammer cost money which was
felt. He piowed his land with a walking
| plow, drawn by such horses as he could
get; he and his boys. the latter denied
schooling in many instances by the hard
necessity of labor, spent all their energies
| throughout tho year in sowing narrowing
| and hauling the crop, which often failed
through natural conditions that they could
not foresee or market conditions of which
they had 10 warning.
Money was priceless. but frequently
it was vital necessity; otherwise there
could be no seed. no planting, and no
crop. For it the poor farmer, condemned
| labor for life, willingly paid per cent
per month on a mortgage of his home,
machinery and horses and next crop of
grain. Seven per cent annually of this
was taken by the eastern men who loaned
the money-all the money was in the
east-all the rest by the sharks who,
middlemen, preyed upon the farmers
necessity. The tax collector also appeared
promptly. The added tax for the bonds of
new railroads assumed that after a fairly
good year with the land and terribly
hard year of incessant toll the farmer
found that the riddleman. the tax col
lectcr and the storekeeper had taken all
the profit. and the mortgage was eating
its way into his home and in a few years
would absorb IL.
Some died, some abandoned the strug
gle and went back east; but many stayed.
And these, with sturdy newcomers who
had been through like experiences else
where toushened by the battle. are to-
day the Strong Men of the West They
are a great aristocracy, an aristocracy
little understood, but henceforth to be
reckoned with as one Of the most power
full and most substantial elements of a
great nation.
Where once were those beggarly sod
houses homes worthy of tramps. are now
fine dwellings. The rough shelter sheds
are now great barns. The two skinny
ploy horses or oxen have given place to
thoroughbred horses and cattle. Where
the walking plough tugged slowly through
the earth great sulky gang plows glide
over il. turning up a quarter section TO
rAfr q ~ n a
formerly experienced upon one-fourth the
area Every comfort fills the home The
piano is as universal as praying mats in
Persia. A telephone to the nearest town
keeps the farmer apprised of weather
reports and market changes. His sons
60 to college The peasant OF the sod !
house has become rich man, man of
leisure. of weight. and of power.
one family Of today lived in a sod house |
and had a straw stable Their one hope
for dresses and luxuries In the fail lay /
i'm a fine litter of pigs. 1t became very 1
cold the signs threatening blizzard The /
farmer. lacking any other remedy. pro-
posed that Mrs. Bacon and the pigs De |
moved into the house. The good wife |
burnbiy acquiesced, and the four children /
had nothing to say. There were only two |
rooms and the pigs took one. They throve |
amazingly through the hard weather. and 1
the little tails which would otherwise /
have been frozen stiff. curled themselves
into cheerful dollar signs. To-day this /
farmer is a rich man and his daughters /
are elegantly dressed and accomplished |
young ladies. Where the pigs were there /
are in the present mansion. a parior with /
brocaded furniture, a piano. and works of i
arts. But the pigs have never been for !
gotten and are frequently mentioned 1
They are an example as good as any Of /
what has been done by the magic Of the (
west.
To understand this magic. TO form some /
idea Of the vast inexnaus.ihIe richness /
which is coming from the soiol. let the .
figures OF 1903 be procured In that year
American farms yielded sao.ea1.eeo bushels 4
Of wheat and so osn 90 bushels of corn. +
American farms furnished bread for the 4
entire world II the last two years aione 1
seven western states have produced more /
than aeE o0a 90 bushels of corn. worth 4
nearly 6 cents per bushel- Think Of .
80 millions Of dollars distributed IN tEo /
year. anorz the farmers OF ssver states. 1
and the Aiaddin's lamp magic of the /
change Will be understood In the lzst SIX 1
years the packers have slaughtered lS.-
SOC 90 hogs. for which they have PAIN 4
slightly over i.5sa eo ulsIiions more 20 the /
western farmers. The figures seem IL /
credible. DC; they are true But thsi- /
most impressive lesson Is as 20 the Tich 1
and powerful class which Is building up 1
IN III. west ard which must inevitably /
Be the dominating class OF she American |