The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-12

for thought. The colonel, who always
hits the nail on the head in his
speeches from Egypt to Paris. and
from Newfoundland to the Pacific
slope, may meet his Waterloo at Osa-
watomie. Imagine his sonorous ac-
cents rising in the classic halls of the
Sarbonne, while he tells of the neces-
sity for conservation of resources and
the advantage of irrigation.
What will the farmers in his audi
ence say when they think of the
events of a few short months ago
when their fat corn fields were covered
by the turgid flood of the Marais des
Cygnes, which had Joined hands with
the overflow from the Usage and the
Pottawatomie rivers and flowed re-
and the spoil they lost and the work
of their horses and hands. They will
say that the colonel does not under
stand and they will know that he
never could understand when they
hear him talk of dams and reservoirs
and little bitches to be dug across
waterless plains and arid fields.
Some one ought to warn the colonel
C the danger that threatens his west
ern trip in the beginning. he should
talk of John Brown and John only
while at Osawatomie. The colonel is
q great historian and has won fame
also as an orator and an author He
could conjure up from the past all the
events of the battle of Osawatomle
until his audience could fairly see the
stern faced abolitionist and his latter
donations while they won immortal
fame that day with their old flintlocks
and their dauntless courage. But no,
he is sitting up with Pinchot and post
ing himself in regard to conservation
and irrigation. He is coming to a
county of farms and orchards to tell
the people about their natural re-
II IN II
floods to tell the people how to irrigate
their farms.
II the colonel will look from his car
window as the train enters Miami
county he will still be able to see the
traces of the floods. The Marais des
Cygnes left its mark on the fences on
the high ground and drew flood line
half way up the side of the biggest
barns. The Usage flowed miles wide
to the gulf and its waters Tapped the
feet of the hills and carried away the
farmers corn and wheat and pigs and
COWS and chickens. The Pottawatomle
left its channel and spent a week In
the rich fields of the bottoms where
the corn was estimated at IS bushels
to the acre.
And a few months later along comes
T. r. and speaks like an oracle about
the needs of irrigation This VIII be
a delightful bit of irony to every one
for the spring floods. Who will save
the day by telling the colonel about
the overflow of the Nile in Miami
county? Who will tell him about the
absence of minerals and forests in this
Kansas corn country?
The thousands who will assemble at
Osawatomie want to hear about the
death of the first lion, the sensations
at Napoleon's tomb, the story of John
Brown over again, the status of the
administration, the truth about the
Payne tariff bill, the return from
Elba. the attitude of the distinguished
guest on the faction within his party.
If T. r. digs an irrigation ditch he
will fall in his own trap. If he saves
the forests he will get lost in their
leafy shades. Whe will tell the colo
mel that they build Noah's arkS in the
valley of the Cygnes, using all the
cottonwood trees in sight for material,
and that therefore conservation OF trees
is not practical, and irrigation bitches
have already been dug across the land
by the raging waters of three rivers?
Some brave person is in line for a
Carnegie medal. Who will it be?
The first thing that Justice Silas Por-
ter lid when the election returns indi-
Gated beyond a doubt that he had been
beaten for a place on the ticket for re-
nomination was to go to ]. N. Dolley.
chairman Of the state committee. and
offer his services as a speaker in the
fall campaign. As judge. a Repub-
lican aud citizen the judge ranks very
high.
With the returns e---- 100 out of the
los counties of the state totaled it is
r1ain that West and Graves will be
the nominees of the party for the SUI
creme cot.rt and that Austin will be
the candidate for state printer. The
lead of over 500 votes that Graves and
Austin have over their nearest COMPETE