New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-19
Kansas Goes to Wa
How an Old Free State Tow, T
to Recruiting and Fish.in,
By HERBERT FLINT

"""ses NY mas l'd the Middle W.,
recruiting the last week or 50 av
we call IL. is really a Kansa, g." a
know, and Lawrence is the bedroe, !, ~
blood town Of early Kansas, the ,,ro,.. .'s |
the old Free State men. the plse. NJ.
New England spirit and conseisn..
hold. Lawrence was destroyed By "a
from across the Missouri border SO
times before it was old enough 70 va
recall. Now IL has a state un,v.N
streetcar line, some fifteen thou..ps 80
tants who arc not yet ashamed "a
riding in a Ford. and boasts A Cease.
who voted against the war resolu.,..
we're kind O fo-giying with him. .a,
first term and his first vote and h. n,,s.s
won't do anything like that again. now
he has got little telegram we sen,M.
other day.
live in the 1900 block on ohio Ca
Ohio isn't exactly what you'd call n, a..
cratic street Of Lawrence. Louislan, a.
nessee is nearer TO being our RversiSs n.
Ohio is just ordinary. running into N. M.
old Nav River on the north, ard into =,
border-ruffian-d days for, crowning n. IN /
the south. Excuse me If get TOO la.-.
but we folks on Ohio have 20 stand uu "a,
street, now that the others are getting :,
paving, and by trick at that
On Pacifsts' Street
suppose you fellows in the East wous =,
Ohio "pacihsts street" You can wall
entire length, through an archway Of In.
ems. Just groenlng with buds, and only A.
sionsIly see an American Gag. The r:s..
man on the street. a block down, has IA. 4,
eest one, | might tell you in advance: l.
then. the rich are always for war. YOU q,
ard. anyway, This fellow is an English,
too. In fact. If you wanted 10 prove ,hh
on US. you might go back into Kansas his,
and show that Ohio Street has always \,
a sort of pacihsts' boulevard. In the "a,
days. Quantrell and before, Ohio was 4
western limit of the town, and beyond
about where our back alley now is, were car
fields Into these our pacifst anee,,,-
caught unprepared by the big-booted Misc,
bushwhackers. "retrcated for strategic y
sons before superior numbers By plan h,
prearranged" good deal like the Gsrnsl
from ;he Somme and Ancre, to bring TIN,
down to date.
Now see you begin 70 understand 0hn
something Of a pacifsts' street from tni
ton, and might be said to typify the "sls-
! boring, unpatriotic West" That's ircsy d
my grandson. Bob. would say) It's true &
right. that we folks here in Kansas arr !ai
set against militarism. despotism, Kassrr
and all that silly army-and-navy riznIn
that makes you salute to some dude Of G.
fcer who got his place by pull, and wasi O.
his spittoons before breakfast. But wen u
pacifsts by a dern sight, and you'd bss
look on; for the Kansas that last fall pv,.
herself a boob state" second only to one E
on the coast.
Conscripting Everything
Our chief biennial diversion is going W
the Legislature. and. having starved oul Q
state university. spending our time making
a misdemeanor to own a COW that ehsvs b
cud in other than the accepted direction, Ar
so on Before this war is very old we're ls
~ to rise up and insist on conscription
wealth. universal service. national prctii
ton. government ownership Of railroads, 70
ernment control Of food, a small and SEE
war council with all but unlimited powers 2
the duration OF thc war, a radical reform
Congress. starting with the abolition Of
Senate. and a reduction in the number oih'
makers and few other things which a.
think of just now. | guess everybody si''
we believe in doing things thoroughly e
here.
/ We have no illusions how long this var
going to last, or how easily the KslW
going to be tipped down out OF his little ~
chair. We had a little war OF our oEu ..
here in the carly days. and struck the sf'
that set off the Civil War. We don't "a
to boast, but we remember, if you don't %
Kansas sent more men into the Union q
for her population than any other state y y
Union-or lost more. which was ~ M'
also had little experience fighting finp''
and Spanards. not TO mention droun =
grasshoppers and chinch bugs. So loof y
But wish you weren't so far Oh w,
twelve hundred miles away, Mr. Trouhs
think could talk better 10 you II you 'l
right here. You see, I've kind o got W.
place in my heart for you When hrsI a,
out here in '56 we all swore by Horace 1's'1
and his "letter writer's" that made LaFH.'
their headquarters. Greeley spoke 81 We = :,
publican Convention at Ossawatomle y
YOU know, when we started the u. u r. J.
here peace to it's ashes So I'm just g.
to imagine you're here in my front ysfo' =
| can talk to you face to face and SNOW y
how we feel about this here war business
4 University of Fighters
First, just step back Of the house ans !
my new garden. Yes. it does seem ~
to spoil such a fine bluegrass SOD, oDs :
is war. you know, and the Governor nn :,
us all TO making garden, SOS to help We, !
Germans. We might have planted is,
hills of potatoes. but when the ehsnee"s
the university as said minute oei0'r
state university is here, where fun"'i ~ !,
Metcalf and Bill White, all fighters ~ y.
own particular ways. you know sO'
start when the chancellor said they !.
plant the campus 70 potatoes we de0'D ~.
boys might spend part Of their time ~ -.
What's that ougle call? Oh that I,
of the boys up at the university. lou ~.
boys got up sort of peace eluo ~ ~,
years ago-a Polity Club, ! think 'he! -
ito discuss reduction Of armanens' hi
marines, Monroe Doctrines, and 81 ms !,
my oldest grandson, belongs. Inc pSw ~,