The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-01-30
THOUGHT away
Sons of SunflOWer State Cele.
brate Kansas Day in Chicago.
Senator Troutman Is Principal
Speaker of the Occasion.

Chicago Jan. z9.-KanSaS DAY was
observed by former Kansans here by
greater attendance and more enthust-
asm than ever before. Former Kan
sans now in Chicago have celebrated
the birth of the Sunfiower state an
nually for a number Of years.
The principal speaker was James A.
Troutman of Topeka, Kan. who said,
in part:
Hell a City Like London.
IA city. like a state. Is something
more than people and houses, and
money and markets. Shelley said:
What a proud contamination 1t would
be II the annaHst of the future. truth
fully could Offset ShelDey's iaconic in
dictment Of London, by writing: Par
adise is a city, much like Chicago.
"Chapin said: The city Is an epit-
ONE Of the social world: all the belts
Of civilization intersect its avenues. 1t
zone, and is cosmopolitan. not only In
a national but in a moral and spiritual
sense
Kinds of People in Kansas.
After all there isn't much differ
ence between the people in the cOun-
try and the city. In rural Kansas, our
religion is varied. and our politics
CnGCk0IcO. we SOMGtlIHCS pray WIN
the pious and then drink with the dry
We have prohibitionists enough to
close the breweries. and ants enough
to drink their beer. We have suf-
fragettes enough to carry elections.
and men enough, who need 'petticoat
government to keep them busy. We
have Republicans enough to vindicate
protection, Democrats enough to watch
and wait, and Bull Moosers enough to
blaze the trail to the mythical plains
of Armageddon. We have schools
enough to Danish ignorance. churches
enough to extirpate vice. saints
enough for the blessings of the AL
mighty. and sinners enough for the
smiles of the devil. We have married
men enough to prevent a large accu-
mutation of monied men, and grass
widows enough to make the state look
like an alfalfa field. We have people
enough to found an empire, and pa
triots enough to sustain the Goddess
of Liberty in her majestic pilgrimage
around the world.
Kansas Creates New Dollars.
Chicago has more people, more
wealth and more business than Kan
| sas, but there is q fundamental dis
tinction in favor Of Kansas. Kansas
is, primarily, wealth. producing
state. Chicago is, primarily. a market
for exchanging wealth. In 1914, the
scheduled value of the farm products
OF Kansas. including live stock, wal
six hundred and thirty-eight million
dollars. The margin. over and above
the cost of producing this crop, il q
net addition to the wealth of the
world. When Chicago buys and sells
six hundred and thirty-eight million
dollars worth of products and COM
modities, the personal fortunes Of your
| people have been increased. Money II
made in Chicago by handling Kansas
crops, but Kansas farmers create
wealth in producing them. The
broker, the banker, the doctor, the
editor, the merchant, may make q
hundred dollars, but the aggregate
aessets OF the human race are not in
creased. Other vacations accumulate
fortunes in transferring things ofvalue
from one to another. Swapping com
modities builds up fortunes. large OF
small, but adds nothing to the wealth
OF the world. But for agriculture, and
its affiliated resources, the volume OF
wealth would remain stationary. Agri.
culture Is the one wealth-creatinn
power. When a farmer sells a horse
a COW, hog. a hen. a ton OF hay. 8
bushel Of grain, q crate Of vegetables
a basket of fruit, or a dozen eggs, fol
more than the cost OF production he
not only increases his own accumula.
lions, but adds the profit to the sum
total of the wealth of mankind Marx
the distinction! Others make money
Farmers create value"