The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1914-01-15
What's The Matter With Kansas?

A few days ago, when the whole
country was worring about the unpre-
cedented heat and drought in the west,
the governor of Kansas issued a public
statement saying he hoped no one would
waste pity on the people of his state.
He told the world they were taking
the medicine nature at some time or
other deals out in some way or other to
every community and that no people
ever were so well prepared to meet q
situation.
with more than $780, 600, 600 on de-
post in our state and national banks,
we could weather worse storm than
this without hardship" he said.
And when you stop to think that this
money, divided equally among the men,
women, children and babies of Kansas,
would give each of them $1lS in cash,
not to mention the tidy sum of $l6S4
each Is credited with as his or her snare
of the states assessed wealth, you can
see the force of the argument.
As matter of fact, Kansas, which
last year produced 1925, 0OO 600 worth
of farm products, can better afford
such roasting and drying up than any
other state in the Union, for her per
capita wealth is larger than that of any
other state
She can better afford this or any
brand of calamity. for her people are
not constantly paying out huge sums
for the care and keep of criminals,
paupers, insane and feeble minded
In eighty-seven of her los counties
there are no insane. In ffty-four of
this number are no feeble minded.
Ninety-six counties have no inebriates,
and in the other nine they're as scarce
as hens teeth. Thirty eight county
poor houses are as empty as a last year,
locust shell, and most of these have
been so for the best part of a decade
The pauper population of the state
falls little short of 600. That is one
pauper for each 5000 of the kind making
living, and good one-the kind that
now own $255, 900, 900 worth of livestock
and in the last twelve months have adj
ded more than S45, 900, 900 to their tax
able personal property.
At one time not long ago the jails in
hfty-three counties were empty and
siXty-fve counties were on the roll as
having no prisoners serving sentence
in the penitentiary. Some counties
have not called jury to try a case in
ten years, and the attorney general
says ga grand jury is so uncommon
that half our people woulden't know
what it is and how to use it.
For still other reasons Kansas can
afford to lose two thirds of one corn
crop without having to renew the calam-
ity bowls which once went rasping
through the nation from that GRASSY
quadrangle whose dream is the realiza-
ton OF the impossible" and which for
twenty-five years has been making tina
dream come true.
Instead of being plastered from end
to end with mortgages held by east
erners, as was the case two decades
ago, her own people this year hold
more than $67 200, 600 in this form of
wealth. an increase of over 500 per
cent in five years.
Instead of being hampered by large
mass of illiterate-t thirty years ago 4G
per cent of her population came under
this head-her present ratio of 2 per
cent is next to the lowest in the land
and two-thirds lower than Massachu-
sets, including Boston.
Where "Sockless" Jerry Simpson
once preached populism now William
Allen White delights a world with his
wit and wisdom. In place OF Carrie
Nations screeds, punctuated with
Ratchet thwacks, we have Ed Howe's
incompatible books of travel Blu the
pride of Kansas is not penned up in a
few names that shine out against a
dull background of mediocrity. Her
boast is an average of physical and
mental ability not equaled by any
other state.
In this uncommon prevalence of sound
minds in sound.bodies that has reduced
her death rate from II to 7 per 1000 in
thirty years, through the former per