Kansas agitator. [volume], September 25, 1903, Image 1

About Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905

Image provided by: Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, KS

                
ATOR
VOLUMK 14.
GARNBTT, KANSAS, SEPTEMBER 35, 1903.
NUMBER 17.
KANSAS
AGIT
IX'
X.)
X
KANSAS
AGITATOR!
Devoted to the interests of
THI HAINKK,
A. Fearless, Aggressive, Progressive Advocate of
All Reforms.
F1BMNIIED WEEKLY.
W o (Ml A U I'm hd ANNA CIIAMPK Ed i torn.
J. M. AI.KXANDEK. Associate Editor.
SUIISCKll'TION: 8-Pagb Edition, $1; 4-Paob En., 60c.
date red itHiimiiiid-clHxmmll untlor HttheGuruHtt, Kus., postofllce
hluy 35. lSftk.
CO-OPERATION.
IRRIGATION CONGRESS FOR COLNIZATION.
Land Statutes Attacked.
We gather the following from the Chicago
Record-Herald's farm department:
The Na'ional Irrigation Congress which was
in session at Ogden, Utah, last week, brought
out several things that Mvill prove beneficial to
the country."
Senator Gibson, of Montana, read a paper
on "The Repeal of Some of Our Land Laws."
Senator Gibson's address was an arraignment
ot those who had taken advantage of the pro
visions ot the commutation clause of the home
stead law, of the timber aud stone act and the
deert act to rob the people of their heritage
that vast landed estates might be created by
and for the beneficiaries. He demanded reme
dial legislation bv congress.
The Senator quoted authorities from Lincoln
down to Roosevelt, and from Henry M. Teller,
aa secretary cf the Interior a score' of years
ago, down to Secretary Wilson, of the depart
ment of agriculture, to show how the laws in
tended for the people had been perverted and
made the agents of plunderets of the public
domain. Lincoln, sorely pressed far funds to
carry forward the civil war, still hesitated to
use the publiic lands as a source of revenue for
the depleted coffers of the nation.
President Grant, in his fourth annual mes
sage, said: "I renew my recommendation that
the public lands be regarded as the heritage of
our children, to be disposed of only as required
for actual settlement."
In his latest message to congress, President
Roosevelt declared: "In their actual use, the
desert land law, the, timber and stone law and
the commutation clause of the homestead law
have been so perverted from the intention with
which they were enacted as to permit the acqui
sition of large areas ot the public domain for
other than the actual settlers and the conse
quent prevention of settlement."
"The desert land law and the commutation
clause of the homestead law were never asked
for by the settlers," said Senator Gibson, "but
they were enacted at the behest of speculators,
individual and companies desiring to control
large bodies of land Ly men having seldom
use for the plow." He declared that, at the
rate the public domain in now being absorbed
into private ownership, there will be no more
government land, and he urged the repeal of
the laws named.
The morning session on the 15th was devoUd
to the special subject of colonization. C. E.
Wantlaml, of the Union Pacific railway, urged
the co-operation of states, municipalities aud
laud owners in the development of colonies in
the several states.
John Henry Smith, a nephew of Joseph
Smith, the prophet of Mormonism, followed
with a speech, which was an eloquent recital of
the work of his church and people in trans
forming the desert into a garden of fruits and
flowers, and a high tribute to Brigham Young,
to whose foresight and extraordinary powers of
organization aud execution were due the results
now visible on every hand iu the valleys of
Uiah.
Tnere were' several other speakers, but it was
Commander Booth-Tucker, of the Salvation
Arinv, who electrified and stirred the congress
as no one else had done. He received three
chetrs from the gieat convention when his
address was endtd. It indicated that, after all,
mmmmimmmMmmM
ALL, I ASK
Give me a name, not great, not bad;
Give me a smile sincere and glad,
A manner frank and free from care,
A large amount of savoir-faire,
And all the beauty in the town
I'll envy not!
Give me a heart that's always true;
Give me the will to see and do,
A spirit that can cause no pain,
A helpful word, a thoughtful brain.
And all the riches in the world
I'd covet not!
Give me the strength to say, "I will!'
Give me a love my life to fill.
Some little chiid to smile upon
Who'll do what good I'v left undone,
And with the proudest of the land
I'd not exchange!
Give me the soul to feel ashamed
If for my fault another's blamed;
Let me for justice take a stand,
In friendship clasp my neighbor's hand;
Then at the closing of life's dream,.
I'd gladly die!
Give me a thought when I am dead.
And sometimes say the words I've said;
A flower place upon my breast;
Forgive my faults, and all the rest,
And speak of me with charity!
Tis all I ask.
the humanities are more powerful as a force in
the hearts of th-.? people than consideration of
gain. He said:
"Senator Bur;on yesterday spoke concerning
the floods of water. I wish to speak of the
floods of humanity. I am not a pessimist, but
an optimist, but I am not of that order of op
timist which says there are no floods of human
woe that need looking after, and which are
sources, of dan'gi r. I am reminded ot the man
who fell from the roof of a New York sky
scraper. He was heard to remark as he passed
each floor: 'All right so far.' What he re
marked when he struck the cobblestone pave
ment is not reported. We as a nation may
still say, Ve are all right so far,' but I do not
care to tryconclusions with the inevitable cob
blestones if we tail to check our fall by such
means as are wit hiu our power.
"Let us give to the landless man the man
less land.
"Domicide is worse than, homicide, for the
destruction ot the home is the destruction of
the nation.
"The American poor ask not for charity,
but for opportunity."
Keen epigram and wise aphorism filled the
address, and the audience responded with cheers
to his demand that the man without money be
given a chance.
The irrigation congress directs attention to
the remarkable system of irrigation and com
munity building found to-day in Utah.
The Mor.nons owe their success, their con
stant growth and enduring hold upon their
people in a single word, their power to the
fact that they are deeply rooted in the soil.
From the momint that the first small party of
pioneers lighted the first camp-fire by the banks
ot City Creek, July 27, 1849, their policy has
been to get possession of the laud and to make
that land yield up to them, individually and
collectively, a living and a competence.
Brigham Young and his successors down to
the present hour have been guided by the true
instinct of empire builders. They grasped at
the beginning, and have held, throughout their
history, the great tiuth that the earth is the
source of all wealth, and that neither man nor
communities can be poor or helpless so long as
they have a firm foothold on the soil.
But this was only a part of their wisdom.
The other part was the fact that they divided
the land among a multitude of small proprie
tors. According to the census returns, the
average farm in Utah is twenty-seven acres.
As many large ranches were included in the
average, it is obvious that there must have
been many which were of even smaller dimen
sions and this is the fact. It is not uncom
mon to find people living comfortably on two
or tli ice acres, while some of the most famous
families, like the Woodruffs, have lived for
nearly two generations ou a tweuty-acre place.
9
The Mormon church has been, from the first,
a great scheme of co-ope.ative colonization. It
has taken poor meu and made them prosper
ous converted tenants into propiietors, tramps
into tax-pavers, hired men into employers, and
made the outcast a partner in store, factory and
bank. . . . r '
And how has it done all this? First, by
knowing the value of our great public domain
and proceeding to help itself to the wealth
thereof, in strict accordance with the letter and
spirit of the law.
Then, by dividing the land among those who
use it, and seeing that the land owner is also
the owner of the water and of all the facilities
of its distribution.
Fortunately for them, the pioneers and those
who followed them were poor. No man was
rich enough to exploit the mass. The work to
be done was beyond the reach of individuals,
and the only capital available .was the brains
and muscle of leaders and followers. This
capital was orgauised and employed in co-operation.
It was the only way. And it wou.
"
National irrigation, growth of co-operation,
repeal of the land laws, by means ot which
the public domain is being absorbed by specu
lators this is the solution of many social and
economic problems, including ' the Mormon
question.
The question before the country is this:
Will the American people wake up before it is
too late, or will they procrastinate until the en
terprising speculator holds all the strategic
points along the pathway of the home-maker?
TO RETIRE THE GREENBACKS
Labor organizations continue to endorse
Mr. Hearst for the presidency. This action is
complimentary, to the young journalist, but
will prove of little real value in the contest for
the nomination. Candidates for the presidency
are not named to please labor unions for two
reasons. One is that the members have no
mosey to contribnte to the campaign fund, and
another is the well-known fact that a tiades
unionist doesn't permit his interests to interfere
with his politics on election day. This class
of citizens can hardly hope to wield any great
influence in nominating conventions until they
win a reputation for voting with some approach
to unanimity of purpose. Topeka State Join-nal(Rep.)
Governor Bailey and his helpers are saying
that nobody is paying any attention to the
question of the padded appropriations by the
last legislature. Governor Bailey, if he keeps
on at this, will, some of these days, look like
the deaf man on the railroad track who insist
ed that there was 10 train coming behind him,
and refused to look around. Lawreu.v Jeffer
sonian Gazette.
Is to be Main Feature of New Currency Bill.
Chicago, Sept. 10. Congressman Chas. N.
Fowler, chairman of the house committee on
banking and currency, is in Chicago to confer
with bankers on the details of the financial
bill he is to introduce at the expected extra
session of congress.
Mr. Fowler has outlined the plan of his bill.
It will include three leading features, each of
which would represent aa importaut change in
the currency system.
The first feature provides for a retirement of
the greenbacks, or for their "impounding"
through a stipulation that the banks be com
pelled to hold 40 pet cent of their cash reserves
in the United States. As the national banks
to-day are voluntarily holding $163,000,000 of
the greenbacks, Congressman Fowler thinks
that this requirement would involve no bard-
ships. It would, according to his idea, be an ,
effectual way of divesting the greenbacks of
their power tor harm.
The second feature is for the depositing of
all public money in the banks, the government
to get 2 per cent interest, and be secured by a
first lien on bank assets, the relationship be
tween the government and the banks thus re
sembling the present relationship of states and
municipalities to the banks where they keep
their money on deposit. Deposits are not to be
larger than 50 per cent of the paid-up capital
of the banks receiving them.
The third feature of the bill will be a provis
ion for "asset" or "credit" cunency. Na
tional banks will be permitted to put out such
currency by depositing in the United States
treasury gold coin or government bonds equal
to 5 per cent of the amount so put out. This
5 per cent, together with the 2 percent interest
on government deposits and 1 per cent tax on
notes thus issued, would constitute a"guaranee
fund." When this "guarantee fund" amount
ed to $10,000,000, the excess over this amount
would be utilized in purchasing gold bullion
for converting the greenbacks into gold certificates.
THIS, THAT AND T'OTHER.
Linn county captured the prize for the best
agricultutal display.
Russia has a m-w scheme to delay the evacu
ation of Hanchiuia a year.
The American people pay over $100,000,000
annually for sugar. Surely, the American has
a sweet tooth.
Young women as messengers will take the
places of boys in all the branch offices of the
Western Union Telegraph Company at Kansas
City. The superintendent says the boys are
not attentive enough to business.
Senator Long is taking a rest at Gueda
Springs. There are two things that members
of congress do wi.h great regularity and con
siderable enthusiasm. One is to take a rest,
and the other is to draw their salaries. Char
ley Finch.
And yet, it is liaraly possible that congress
will strike and gi home if they fail to get an
incaease of salary. There are a great many of
them who couldn't make $500 a year if they
should, by any chance, lose their congressional
jobs. Lawreuce Jeffersonian Gazette.
A terrific earthquake occurred at Santiago de
Cuba last Saturday. The earth shook for fif
teen seconds, but there were no undulations.
People rushed into the streets and cried and
prayed. Bricks and plastering dropped in all
directions and some walls fell, but, strange to
say, nobody was injured.
EAT AT THE RED LIGHT .
the best place in town.
IE3. JLi. -iL-D-SJuCS.,
NDERTAKINU
Calls answered day or night. Hearse fur
nished free. Located at Vaughn's Furnitur
Store, Residence telephone, 29,