The Red Cloud chief., 1904-10-14
STATE OF KANSAS.
Kansas Day at St. Louis Was a
Great Affair
DAVID SPEAKS
ue Pays Tribute to JON y. ingalls, and
Thomas Je6erson-Other lmpor-
tant News Notes

the 81. Louis EXPOSITION BTOunuS Was
that of David Overmyer. His subject
was THE Spirit Of Kansas" The fol-
lowing synopsis is given:
Who shall truly tell the story Of
Kansas Four hundred miles long, 200
miles wide; lying between the thirty
seventh and fortieth parallels OF north
latitude, in the climate of the print
tive Aryan race; extending from the
western border OF Missouri to the foot
hills Of the Rocky Mountains; rising
from 900 feet on the east to 1000 feet
on the west above the level OF the sea
drained by great rivers; fertile sunlit,
salubrious, teeming with every prod
uct OF the temperate zone: rich in coal
and stone and other minerals, natural
gas and oil: her green and purple
plains, her smiling valleys, her walls
of corn" her endless whest fields, her
countless herds and happy homes, pre-
sent q picture Of abundance, exhuber-
ance and %exultation.
All Kansans, like "All Gaul," is d.
vided into three parts; not designated
like Caesars conquered provinces, by
the tribal names Of their Inhabitants,
but by altitude. atmosphere, soil and
production. The eastern third may be
called the corn belt. and produces in
great abundance substantially all the
products known to this country. The
central third, gradually rising higher
and higher. embraces perhaps, the
greatest wheat region OF the North
American continent. While the west
ern third, towering aloft into the
mountain atmosphere, arid, rugged,
silent and sublime, is covered with
short. greenish grey grass, exceedingly
nutritious, called buffalo grass. This
region has been named the short grass
country" The land Is fertile, and
needs only moisture to make IL valu-
able for cultivation. At present this
highland heath grass s~ustains count
less cattle, sheep and horses, and
many of the Inhabitants OF the short
grass country" are among the wealth
lest Of the state.
So much for physical Kansas, her
length, her breadth, her h~arvests. her
fruits. her vines, her fields, her sub
stance and her material might; but
what OF her spirit? I ask again, who
shall tell her story? What pen can
ftly, truly write her history? What
tongue can tell Of her tribulation?
What thinner can portray the marvellous
lights and shadows cast upon the can
vas OF time by this young common
wealth. The one Master, whose strong,
deft hand. could WELD the brush. and
touch the profound chords, sleeps his
last deep sleep in her friendly soil,
ingalls,! The incompatible ingalls,!
His Intellectual strength and integ-
rity forbade deception. He dared TO
speak the truth as he saw 1t, respect
Ing everything and everybody; to tear
the mask from the face OF history, an
cient or modern, and expose falsehood,
superstition and imposture wherever
found, Erratic. eccentric, cynical, but
sincere. his genius. his learning. his
wisdom. his candor and courage chal-
ienged the admiration alike Of friends
n foe. In the maturity and prime
or his great powers he was suddenly
gathered to his fathers. Would that
he were here to speak, as only he
could speak, for Kansas on this great
day.
Here, today. Kansas salutes her ter
ritorial deliverer, her institutional an
cestor, her great political %protagonist,
Thomas Jefferson. He it was who pur-
chased Louisiana. He drew the Dec
laration OF Independence, whose very
language was copied into the Kansas
constitution. He was the chief author
OF the ordinance for the government Of
the Northwest territory. the reflected
image OF Magma Charta. He was the
originator Of the decimal currency. He
was the the author OF the Virginia
statute OF religious freedom, now the
accepted doctrine OF all the states and
or the nation. He pressed into the
constitution the Bill of Rights. He
was twice president and headed the
course or the young republic in the
direction or liberty, justice. peace and
happiness. He was the patron OF the
helds and forests. He was the herald
OF freedom, the advocate of rational lib
erty and champion OF human rights,
the friend OF mankind. He needs nc
enlogy. nor monument. nor epitaph.
His works abide.