The Goodland republic., 1907-03-22


The Washington Post thinks the
kansas legislature made grave
mistake in not providing for a statue
OF John Brown for Statuary hall In
Washington The Post considers John
Brown as Kansas Incarnate-" The
view OF the Post IS correct in one
sense John Brown does represent the
Kansas OF a half century ago. He rep
resents her struggle for the liberty OF
the black race and all that struggle
involved with its heroism, its grim de-
termination, its heroic sacrifice, its
turmoil and its bloOdshed- As a rep
resentative OF those heroic and stormy
days no better character could be
found than that OF John Brown. But
the Kansas OF today, with her peace
and prosperity, he does not represent.
He is bleeding Kansas incarnate,
but Kansas, the great and beautiful,
viii find expression in another though
no less admirable type Of men. Fol-
lowing is the opinion Of the Post:
The legislature OF Kansas has re-
fused TO appropriate $1,000 with
which to provide a statue OF John
Brown to be placed in Statuary hall.
in the National capital edifice at
Washington. Kansas is now repre-
sented in that Valhalla by a statue Of
John J. Ingalls,. and, under the law,
IS entitled to an additional seat in that
iIuStriOus company.
Zach state has a right to place in
that hall statues Of any two Of its citi-
zeEs who are dead. It is an idea con-
lived by the late Justin S. Merrill,
lose state is represented by Ethan
-,IIen and Jacob COllamar. There is
more OF sentiment than Of wisdom in
the notion. The whole thing is invid-
iOus- Fame is a matter Of opinion,
and thus there are statues in the na-
iOnal VaIIhaIa that should not be
there, and statues Of other nIustrj- !
Gus men absent that should be pres
enL
Mrs. Henry Cabot Lodge is disgust
ed with some OF them as works Of art, /
and some years ago made a speech
in which lUrked the suggestion that /
many Of the statues ought to be bro
ken up and sold as raw material To
the lime-kiln man. A glance at the
counterfeit figures OF Ethan Allen,
Lewis Cass, James A Garfield, and
William Allen will serve to establish
Ar Lodges capacity as an art critic
while the contributions Of New Hamp-
SHIRE and Texas are little better, |
The e are some others that would
serve a better purpose as good lime
than they do as wretched art.
The statue Of ingalls, is one Of the
best Of the lot. It is the truest like
ness in the hall, a fine specimeo Of |
'tatuary, and a capital work Of art |
NJ ingalls, has been characterized as
Kansas incarnate." There is more
'hetOric than history in the definition /
IOhn Brown was Kansas incarnate,'
We must drop into hyperbOIe over
Kansas, a not very difficult thing to c
10, Jim Lane fncarnated Kansas in | I
much greater degree than ingalls,; but {
Brown was the real stuff; Brown was
leeding Kansas persOnifed. He was b
he higher law IN action. He was I
triumphant. He was some
ther things; yet whatever he was, 5
Ohm Brown was Kansas, bleeding
lansas, the Kansas Of fire and sword, / F
trife and murder. =
Brown was hanged for treason, but g
majority Of the American people
)Ok on him as a martyr. The minority h
BE. in him only the cutthroat and the V
obber. He was a product Of the age, n
lade a tremendous force by his fate / d
History will fix his place but mean-y
lille Kansas should send him in mar
e to StatuaFy hall If Kansas has
rgotten when she was bleeding Z OF
3. - an