The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-30

y
thirds of the tillers of the soil owned
the land they titled, now. not more
than one-third own the land they till.
Forty years ago, not to exceed one
States lived in towns and cities, while
three-fourthS lived in the country /;
now fully one-half of our people live
in towns and cities, and of the half
are tenants, but not owners of the soil.
Forty years age the influences which
ruled the nation proceeded from the
country, now they proceed from the
cities. Then the impulse which moved
the government was rural, now it is
urban. Then. the ideas of public men
were sentimental, now they are COM
mercial and are called practical
Then, the question was, rs it right"
Now, the question is, "Will it pay ?''
Then. labor and capital were morgan
lied and friendly. Now, they are or
ganized and hostile.
Then monopolies were practically
unknown by our people; now mon
opolies rue not only the markets, fix
ing arbitrarily the price which the
primary producer shall receive and the
price which the consumer shall pay,
but monopoly rules the country; nor
can its rule be soon or easily broken.
The rage for wealth has become uni
versal. The desire to get rich quick
has become consuming passion. All
classes and conditions have caught the
err have obtained while Ceres ruled
the land. 1t was not till agriculture
was dethroned and urban motives
moved the public that this condition
arose.
To speak of the Importance of agri-
culture is to speak in another way of
the importance of the human race; for
if agriculture should cease. for but
short time, the earth would be de-
populated. 1t must, therefore, be the
policy of every wise commonwealth to
foster and encourage agriculture
since it is not only indispensable to
human life, but is also the great pro-
moter of righteousness among men,
OF all measures thus far devised to
protect agriculture and preserve the
preponderance of rural power in the
state, none surpass the Kansas const-
tutional exemption of farms occupied
by their owners as homeSteads. In
establishing this great domestic and
civic institute, Kansas doubtless,
"builded wiser than she knew; but
the impulse which moved her then
moves her still; in the future, as in the
past, she will keep abreast of the age.
No people understand better than the
people of Kansas that a we'll fed ma
ton will be powerful, prosperous, pro-
gressive and patriotic; and that all
ideas and theories for human better
ment must rest upon economic bases;
that you cannot reform hungry men,
or improve the character of Starvlings.
ism, which is now in preparation; IN
that great American uprising against
the American plutocrat and parvenue,
which will surely come, the genius of
Kansas will inspire, and her inStitu-
lions will instruct. The spirit of Kan
sas is the spirit of liberty.
Here, today, Kansas salutes her ter
ritorial deliverer. her institutional an
cestor, her great political protagonist,
Thomas Jefferson. He, it was, who
purchased Louisiana. He drew the
Declaration of Independence, whose
very language was copied into the
Kansas constitution. He was the
chief author of the ordinance for the
government of the North west territory,
the reflected image of Magma Charta.
He was the originator of the decimal
currency. He was the author of the
Virginia statute of religious freedom,
now the accepted doctrine of all the
states and of the nation. He pressed
He was twice president and headed the
course of the young republic in the
direction of liberty, justice, peace ana
happiness. He was the patron of the
fields and forests. He was the herald
of freedom, the advocate of rational
liberty the champion of human rights,
the friend of mankind He needs no
eulogy nor monument, nor epitaph.
His works abide
'HThis man hath reared a monument
More grand than sculptured bronze,
And loftier far than height
of regal pyramid in Memphian sand,
Which, not the raging tempest.
Nor the might of the loud northw1nd,
Shall assailing, blight"