The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-27
Was WOmen's Day and They
Made 1t a Success.
ADDRESS BY MRS. HOCH
Historical Day Follows With a
Splendid Programme
George W. Martins Speech on
Early Kansas Proves a Feature.

/ early IN the morning. anu Dy NUN S3N00
people were on the grounds. A little
after noon the Second Twenty-second
and Thirty-hfth batteries of the artil-
lery under command Of Captain Mott
went into camp on the bluff near the
Pixies monument. They win remain
during the week and give exhibition
drills. IN the afternoon the baseball
/ game between Republic ana WeppeI
/ attracted a large portion OF the crown
1 to the south part Of the park
This was Women's day and many OF
! the prominent women of the state were
present The programme opened with
an address by Mrs. E. W. Aoch- 5ne
was followed by Mrs. Noble Prentls'
and Mrs. c. E. Adams, of Nebraska
The programme for the forenoon
closed with an address by Mrs. Albert
/ H. Horton, representing the Daughters
of the American Revolution. During
the noon hour an informal reception
was rendered Mrs. Hoch, when large
number of both ladies and gentlemen
| improved the opportunity OF shaking
| hands In the afternoon Mrs. Lee Mon
roe, representing the Kansas Eoual
Suffrage association, led in the speech
making and was followed by MRS Eva
NJ Murphy in behalf OF the women
| Christian Temperance union. Mrs. Cora
G. Lewis closed the speaking for the
day in a response in behalf Of the W0-
mems Kansas Day club. Mrs. J. =.
| Mcfarland, of Topeka, acted as presi-
dent of the day. Mrs. Elizabeth john
son is largely responsible for the erect
ing of the monument and donated the
site to the state for a park.
Today is the big day at the celebra-
ton It is down on the programme as
Historical day, and the list OF speeches.
is as follows:
THE Whites Mans Foot in Kan
sas.'' John B. Dunbar Bloomfield
The Pawnees as knew Them"
James R. Mead. Wichita.
Characters and Incidents of the
Plains" Vim. E. Connelley, Topeka.
THE First Two Years Of Kansas
/ Geo. W. Martin, secretary State Hos
toricaI society.
George Martins paper on THE First
Two Years of Kansas" covered COM
prehensively the history of the stormy
times in 1854 and 1855.
Mr.. Martin said in opening his adj
1 dress:
"A recent dispatch from Washington
concerning the bill that created the
state of Oklahoma says it closed con-
| test for statehood not equalled since the
| days of the Missouri compromise. There
can be no comparison between the
| peaceful, reasonable clever contest for
Oklahoma and the wild and vicious fight
/ gro wing out of the Missouri compromise,
/ covering years of passionate talk and
murderous action, eliminating in the
birth of Kansas and tie awful civil war.
How many people have any conception
| of the terror and outrage which welcom-
/ ed the pioneers of fifty years ago to the
happy and peaceful prairies of this most
/ delightful commonwealth -
Mr.. Martin then told of the early his
tory of congressional legislation relating
4 to Kansas. and the adoption in 1854 Of
the bill creating the territories of Ne
braska and Kansas and leaving the
/ slavery question to be settled by squat
| ter sovereignty" that is, that the set
| tiers had the right to pass upon the
subject. and to have slavery If they
wanted it.
Mr. Martin spoke briefly of the history
/ Of David r. Atchison and Benjamin
! Stringfellow, two of the leaders in the
border ruffian fight to make Kansas a
1 slave state. He says that after the war
Atchison lived in retirement. public
| spirited and patriotic citizen" Speaking
| of Stringfellow, he says:
"Stringfellow afterwards became a
/ citizen of Kansas, and when the end
came. squarely and honorably acknowl-
edged defeat. I met him frequently as
/ late as the seventies. He was an earn
est and efficient man in all things look
ing to the development of the state, an
| interested participant in the first rail-
road convention held in 1860, and an au-
thor of an appeal to congress for rail-
road aid When slavery lost out. on
other issues, he became a Republican.
THE talk and actions of these men
are today incredible, and can only be
accounted for by the general charge ali
free sellers made-the barbarism of
slavery
Mr.. Martin then followed with large
number of extracts from newspapers, IL
show the real character of Atchison.
Stringfellow and other pro-slavery lead
ers of the day. He says:
Il give the language in quotation
marks. because it is history, and for
which I humbly apologize. The Ian
| guage was used in public addresses and
public prints, and so Is matter of rec
ord, and to attempt to dilute it would
interfere with the main purpose of this
paper. which is to show the spirit Of
the times. This generation is entitled to
know what the founders OF Kansas were
up against
Mr.. Martin then gives the Stringfel-
-Atchison idea of squatter sovereign
ty. He says:
IF this is not sufficiently clear as TO
| the meaning Of squatter sovereignty,
! perhaps the following speech by Ben
jamin f Stringfellow at St. Joseph on
| March rs, 1856, may aid in clearing any
obtuseness:
I tell you to mark every scoundrel
/ among you that is in the least tainted
| with free soilism or absolutism and ex-
| terminate him. Neither give nor take
/ Quarter from the damned rascals. It is
enough that the slave holding interests
will It, from which there is no appeal.
What right has Governor Reeder to rug
disseurians in Kansas?
David R. Atchison. United States
senate and acting vice president. said
at Platte city: If we can not get Kan
sas by peaceable means. we must take t
at the point Of the bayonet .
Mr.. Martin then quotes from news
papers publish ed at the time. from the
speeches of the leaders. and from
books and pamphlets. to show the ma
ture of the horrible atrocities which
resulted from the fncendiary speeches
of such men as Stringfellow and Atch-
| ison-
After relating in detail all these
atrocities. on the part of the border
/ Martin says:
up to this time, the spring OF. 1856,
all of the outrages committed by the
free state men were purely p0liticals