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INTRODUCTION.
INTRODUCTION.
Those most familiar with the Governor’s office during recent years know what a busy place it is. During the session of the Legislature it is not often that the Governor has a rest of ten minutes, by day, and at night he is followed to his hotel and the solicitations often continue until midnight. Governor Martin usually reaches the office at eight in the morning and remains until five or six, never going out for a lunch. During these hours he sits and listens to the crowds of callers, dictates l
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PENNSYLVANIA AND KANSAS.
PENNSYLVANIA AND KANSAS.
Address at a Reunion of the Pennsylvania Society of Atchison County, held at Atchison, March 1st, 1878. Mr. President : The reunion of Pennsylvanians held in our city to-day is a meeting to be commended, not alone because it affords opportunity for acquaintanceship among citizens native of the same State, and promotes social friendships among them, but because it is favorable to the development of that individual and National sentiment which, while reverencing birthplace and old home, has a stil
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THE FIRST KANSAS.
THE FIRST KANSAS.
Speech delivered at the Reunion of the Society of the First Regiment, Kansas Volunteers, at Atchison, August 10th, 1881. Fellow-Soldiers : It is reported that an old Roman once said: “If I were not a Roman citizen, I would be a Greek.” This is an anniversary of the First Kansas, and upon such an occasion, and in a similar spirit, I declare that if I was not an Eighth Kansas man, I would like to be a First Kansas man. This is especially a reunion of the First Kansas, but to their festival, with t
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KANSAS CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS.
KANSAS CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS.
Four Conventions framed Constitutions for this State. The first assembled at Topeka, on the 23d of October, 1855, and adjourned on the 11th of November, after a session of twenty days. It was composed of forty-seven members, of whom thirty-one signed the Constitution. On the 15th of December this instrument was submitted to the people for ratification or rejection. Only 1,777 ballots were cast, all but 46 being favorable. One of its sections, a provision excluding negroes and mulattoes from the
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THE WYANDOTTE CONVENTION.
THE WYANDOTTE CONVENTION.
Early in February, 1859, the Territorial Legislature passed an act submitting to the people the question of calling a Constitutional Convention. This vote was taken March 28th, and resulted: For, 5,306; against, 1,425. On the 10th of May, 1859, the Republican party of Kansas was organized, at Osawatomie, and at the election held on the 7th of June, for delegates to the Wyandotte Convention, the Republican and Democratic parties confronted each other in Kansas for the first time. The Democrats ca
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THE MEMBERSHIP.
THE MEMBERSHIP.
In the Wyandotte Convention all the noted Free-State leaders were conspicuously absent. Its roll-call was made up of names generally new in Kansas affairs, and largely unknown in either the Free-State or Pro-Slavery councils. Its President, James M. Winchell, his colleague, Wm. McCullough, and John Ritchie, of Shawnee, had been members of the Leavenworth Convention; Col. Caleb May, of Atchison, and William R. Griffith, of Bourbon, had been members of both the Topeka and the Leavenworth Conventio
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A WORKING BODY.
A WORKING BODY.
It was a working body, from the first hour of its session until the last. There is a tradition that the Continental Congress which promulgated the Declaration of Independence was materially hastened in its deliberations over that immortal document by swarms of flies that invaded the hall where it sat, and made the life of its members a burden. Perhaps the intense heat of the rough-plastered room where the Convention met, or the knowledge that Territorial scrip would be received by importunate la
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THE COMMITTEES.
THE COMMITTEES.
The Chairmanships of the different Committees were assigned as follows: Preamble and Bill of Rights—Wm. Hutchinson, of Lawrence; Executive Department—John P. Greer, of Shawnee; Legislative Department—Solon O. Thacher, of Lawrence; Judicial Department—Samuel A. Kingman, of Brown county; Military—James G. Blunt, of Anderson county; Electors and Elections—P. H. Townsend, of Douglas; Schedule—John T. Burris, of Johnson; Apportionment—H. D. Preston, of Shawnee; Corporations and Banking—Robert Graham,
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PROGRESS OF WORK.
PROGRESS OF WORK.
On the sixth day a resolution favoring biennial sessions of the Legislature—adopted sixteen years afterward—was submitted and referred. The first of a long series of resolutions or proposed sections of the Constitution, prohibiting the settlement of negroes or mulattoes within the limits of the State, was also introduced. This question, with others of a kindred nature, such as propositions to prohibit colored children attending the schools, or to exclude them from the University, or to forbid th
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THE BOUNDARIES OF THE STATE.
THE BOUNDARIES OF THE STATE.
On the seventh day the annexation of that portion of Nebraska lying south of the Platte river, was formally considered. The then organized Nebraska counties included in that section of our sister State had elected delegates to the Convention, who were present earnestly advocating annexation. This proposition was discussed during several days, and the debate took a wide range. The Nebraska delegates were admitted to seats as honorary members, with the privilege of speaking on this subject. The fi
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FEATURES OF THE CONSTITUTION.
FEATURES OF THE CONSTITUTION.
On the seventh day the Legislative and Judicial Committees reported. The Legislative article was considered next day. The Committee proposed that bills might originate in either House, but Mr. Winchell submitted a novel amendment, which required all laws to originate in the House of Representatives. This was adopted, notwithstanding the vigorous opposition of Mr. Thacher, the Chairman of the Committee, by a vote of 37 to 13. It survived the admission of the State only three years, being amended
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THE FIRST “PROHIBITION AMENDMENT.”
THE FIRST “PROHIBITION AMENDMENT.”
On the same day a proposition was made by Mr. Preston, of Shawnee county, to amend the Miscellaneous article by adding the following section: “ Sec. ——. The Legislature shall have power to regulate or prohibit the sale of alcoholic liquors, except for mechanical and medicinal purposes.” A motion made to lay this amendment on the table, was defeated by a vote of 18 ayes to 31 nays. But the anxiety of the members to exclude from the Constitution any provision that might render its adoption doubtfu
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THE LAST OF SLAVERY IN KANSAS.
THE LAST OF SLAVERY IN KANSAS.
On the nineteenth day occurred the last struggle over the Slavery question in Kansas. Sec. 6 of the Bill of Rights, prohibiting Slavery or involuntary servitude, came up for adoption, and it was moved to add a proviso suspending the operation of this section for the period of twelve months after the admission of the State. This proviso received eleven votes, and twenty-eight were recorded against it. A most exciting discussion occurred, on the same day, over the apportionment article, which the
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THE LAST DAYS.
THE LAST DAYS.
The work of the Convention was practically completed on the twenty-first day. The various articles had each been considered and adopted, first in Committee of the whole, then in Convention, then referred to the Committee on Phraseology and Arrangement, and, after report of that Committee, again considered by sections and adopted. But so anxious were the members that every word used should be the right word, expressing the idea intended most clearly and directly, that when the reading of the comp
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A SPIRITED DEBATE.
A SPIRITED DEBATE.
At once Mr. Slough addressed the Chair, and after warmly eulogizing the general features of the Constitution, pronouncing it “a model instrument,” he formally announced that political objections impelled himself and his Democratic associates to decline attaching their signatures to it. These objections he stated at length. They were, briefly: The curtailment of the boundaries of the State; the large Legislative body provided for; the exclusion of Indians made citizens of the United States, from
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SIGNING THE CONSTITUTION.
SIGNING THE CONSTITUTION.
The twilight shadows were gathering about Wyandotte when this debate closed, and the Convention proceeded to vote on Mr. Hutchinson’s resolution, which was adopted by 34 ayes to 13 nays—one Republican and four Democrats being absent. The roll was then called, and the Constitution was signed by all the Republican members except one, Mr. Wright, of Nemaha, who was absent, sick. The work of the Convention was completed, and after voting thanks to its officers, it adjourned without date....
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TWO MISTAKES.
TWO MISTAKES.
Each party, I think, was guilty of one blunder it afterwards seriously regretted—the Republicans in refusing to include the South Platte country within the boundaries of Kansas; the Democrats in refusing to sign the Constitution they had labored diligently to perfect. I speak of what I consider the great mistake of the Republicans with all the more frankness, because I was at the time in hearty sympathy with their action; but I feel confident that no Republican member is living to-day who does n
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“ADDED TO THE STARS.”
“ADDED TO THE STARS.”
On the 4th of October, 1859, the Constitution was submitted to the people for ratification or rejection, and, for the first time in the history of Kansas, all parties cast a full, free and unintimidated vote. The Republicans favored, and the Democrats generally opposed its adoption. Nearly 16,000 ballots were polled, of which 10,421 were for, and 5,530 against the Constitution. The Homestead clause, submitted as an independent proposition, was ratified by a vote of 8,788 for, to 4,772 against it
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AN ENDURING CONSTITUTION.
AN ENDURING CONSTITUTION.
During nearly twenty-two of the most eventful and exciting years of American history, the Constitution thus framed and ratified has defined the powers and regulated the duties of the government of Kansas. Three Legislatures have voted down propositions to call a new Constitutional Convention. Twelve or fifteen amendments have been submitted, but only eight have been approved by the people. Finally, in 1880, the Legislature voted to submit a proposal for a new Convention, and at the regular elect
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PARTING AT WYANDOTTE.
PARTING AT WYANDOTTE.
It would violate the proprieties of such an occasion to comment on the personal feuds or partisan broils which once or twice marred the general harmony and orderly progress of the proceedings. These were very few, indeed, and none of them, I think, outlasted the Convention. The members parted, when the final adjournment came, with mutual respect and good-will, and the friendships formed during the session have been unusually warm and enduring....
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SUBSEQUENT HISTORY.
SUBSEQUENT HISTORY.
It seems fitting that, in concluding this sketch of the Convention and its labors, I should briefly narrate the subsequent history of its members. It was a small company, that which parted here twenty-three years ago to-day, and it was made up, as I have said, largely of young and vigorous men. But when this reunion was first suggested, and I came to look over the familiar names I had so often called during the long, hot days of that far-away July, it was painful to note the havoc death had made
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SURVIVING MEMBERS.
SURVIVING MEMBERS.
Of the surviving members, many have attained the highest distinction of the State, and all, I believe, are useful and honored citizens. At the first election under the Constitution, Samuel A. Kingman was chosen as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court; in 1866 he was elected Chief Justice, and reëlected in 1872. Benj. F. Simpson was elected the first Attorney-General of the State, but resigned the position to enter the army, in which he served throughout the war. He has since been Speaker of th
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“LOST TO SIGHT.”
“LOST TO SIGHT.”
Stalwart, quiet Wm. McCullough I have not heard of for many years. John A. Middleton, of Marshall county, was a soldier in the Seventh Kansas, removed to Montana in 1864, and I have learned nothing of him since. R. L. Williams, of Douglas; A. D. McCune, of Leavenworth; J. H. Signor, of Allen, and J. T. Barton, of Johnson, have all disappeared and left no sign. I know not whether they are living or dead....
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THE OFFICERS.
THE OFFICERS.
Of the officers of the Convention, queer old George Warren, Sergeant-at-Arms of nearly all the early Kansas Legislatures and Conventions, died many years ago. Ed. S. Nash, the Journal Clerk, was Adjutant of the first Kansas, and died some years since in Chicago. Robt. St. Clair Graham, one of the Enrolling Clerks, was elected Judge of the Second Judicial District in 1866, and died in 1880. Richard J. Hinton, also an Enrolling Clerk, is the editor of the Washington (D. C.) Gazette , and a widely
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CONCLUSION.
CONCLUSION.
I wish I could sketch more in detail the work and history of the members of the Convention. But this paper is, I know, already too long. I have tried to tell how our Constitution was made. I could not narrate, within reasonable limits, It is enough to say that the work has proved strong and enduring. Through the groping inexperience of our State’s childhood and the still more perilous ambitions of its youth, through the storm of civil war and the calm of prosperous peace, the Wyandotte Constitut
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EIGHTH KANSAS VETERAN VOLUNTEERS.
EIGHTH KANSAS VETERAN VOLUNTEERS.
Address, delivered at the reunion of the Eighth Kansas Veteran Volunteer Infantry, held at Fort Leavenworth, October 10th, 11th and 12th, 1883. Surviving members of the Eighth Kansas Veteran Volunteer Infantry, to the number of about one hundred, assembled at Camp Pope, on the Fort Leavenworth reservation, on the 10th, 11th and 12th of October, 1883. The headquarters of the “Society of the Eighth Kansas” were established in a tent opposite the general headquarters for the soldiers’ reunion, desi
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SPEECH
SPEECH
Accepting the Republican Nomination for Governor, before the Republican State Convention, July 17th, 1884. Gentlemen of the Convention : I am profoundly sensible of the distinguished honor you have conferred upon me. To be selected for the Chief Magistracy of such a State as this, by even a bare majority of such a Convention as this, would be a distinction of which any citizen might justly be proud. To be nominated for that position, as I have been, with such unprecedented unanimity, and to know
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SPEECH
SPEECH
Made before the Republican Convention of Atchison County, October 8, 1884. Gentlemen of the Convention : Twenty-five years ago, on the 7th of the month of May, I called to order the first Republican convention ever held in this county. It was a mass convention, yet those in attendance hardly exceeded in number the delegates assembled here to-day, representing the Republican voters of Atchison county. It was called to organize the Republican party of the county, and to elect delegates to the firs
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THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
Speech delivered at Washington, Kansas, October 24, 1884. Ladies and Gentlemen : I must beg the charity alike of your silence and of your patient forbearance. I am not an orator. I make no pretensions as a public speaker. For while I have been talking to my fellow-citizens of Kansas for more than a quarter of a century, it has been through the medium of printed words, and not from the platform or on the stump. Only because I have been nominated by the Republican party of the State for an officia
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THE CAMPAIGN OF 1884.
THE CAMPAIGN OF 1884.
Speech delivered at Manhattan, Kansas, November 21st, 1884. My Friends and Fellow-Citizens of Manhattan : I came to your jubilee, as some of you know, with grave reluctance. This was not because I failed to appreciate your generous kindness in desiring to celebrate my election. It was not because I was not sincerely thankful to you for your earnest support in the canvass just closed. It was not because I was not deeply and profoundly sensible of the great honor done me by the people of this inte
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FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS.
Inaugural Address, delivered in the Hall of the House of Representatives, January 12, 1885. Mr. President, and Ladies and Gentlemen : Many thousands of years ago it was said, “Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself, as he that putteth it off.” And upon an occasion of this character, such an admonition is peculiarly pertinent. My predecessors can tell of duties performed, of purposes accomplished, of deeds and words that are now a part of the history of Kansas. I stand on the thres
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THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC.
THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC.
Speech at the opening of the “Soldiers’ Fair and Festival,” Topeka, January 28, 1885. “ Now abideth Faith, Hope and Charity, these three; but the greatest of these is Charity. ” In no age, and among no other people, have these virtues been so signally illustrated as they have been in our own age and by the people of the United States. Faith in the Republic, in the grandeur of its power, in the beneficence of its institutions, and in the freedom, humanity and justice of its rule—this sentiment an
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A WAR-TIME PICTURE.
A WAR-TIME PICTURE.
Speech, at a Grand Army Camp-Fire, held in Topeka, February 13, 1885. Comrades of the Grand Army : The Chairman of your committee called on me, on Wednesday evening last, and asked me to occupy five or six minutes, this evening, in a talk to you. I could not well refuse, though it seemed to me I had nothing of interest to say. But after he had gone, and the task I had assumed began to press itself upon my attention, my mind drifted back to the war period, with its fierce strifes and passionate e
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RESPONSE.
RESPONSE.
At a banquet to the Press and Modoc Clubs, Topeka, February 28, 1885, in response to the toast, “Behold how Judicious Advertising has created a great and prosperous Commonwealth.” Mr. Chairman : I do not know that the sentiment I am called upon to respond to, does full justice to Kansas. Judicious advertising is a wise thing, as the most sagacious and successful business men know. It draws public attention, and thus multiplies customers. It may even attract patronage to a humbug, for a brief whi
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BIRTHDAY OF GENERAL GRANT.
BIRTHDAY OF GENERAL GRANT.
Address, at Topeka, April 27, 1885, at a celebration held in honor of the birthday of General Grant. Mr. Chairman, and Fellow-Citizens : The felicitous concurrence of the birthday of a great American soldier and a great American civic society at the same date, has, perhaps for the first time, been generally noted within the past week or so. But hereafter, and especially in the distant future, it will afford a happy opportunity for a blending of military and civil celebrations. The very general a
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THE STATE UNIVERSITY.
THE STATE UNIVERSITY.
Response to the sentiment, “The University—The Child of the State;” delivered at the banquet of the Alumni of the State University, Lawrence, June 9th, 1885. Ladies and Gentlemen : It probably did not occur to your Committee, when it selected the sentiment just announced, that the “Child” has just come of age. But this is the fact. On the 20th of February, 1863, the Legislature passed an act to establish a State University, to be located at Lawrence, provided the city gave a site of forty acres
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THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL.
THE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL.
Address to the graduating class of the State Normal School, delivered at Emporia, June 11, 1885. Mr. President, and Ladies and Gentlemen : In one sense, at least, the State Normal School is the most important of our higher educational institutions. The others educate, each year, a number of individuals, and necessarily a limited number, who are, individually, to fill various positions on life’s battle-field. The State Normal educates the educators, and thus by its influence, its system, its meth
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GENERAL GRANT—MEMORIAL ADDRESS.
GENERAL GRANT—MEMORIAL ADDRESS.
[At Atchison, Kansas, on Saturday, August 8, 1885, the memorial exercises in honor of General Grant were participated in by all the civic societies, including the Grand Army of the Republic, Knights of Pythias, Ancient Order of United Workmen, Catholic Knights of America, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Labor, Irish Benevolent Society, and others. After the funeral parade, fully five thousand people gathered at Turner Hall Garden. Mayor Samuel H. Kelsey presided, and addresses were
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KANSAS FARMS AND FARM INTERESTS.
KANSAS FARMS AND FARM INTERESTS.
Address delivered at the Smith County Fair, Smith Centre, September 24, 1885. It has always seemed to me singular, not to say inappropriate, that lawyers, journalists, ministers, physicians and other men having no practical knowledge of farming, should be invited to deliver addresses at agricultural fairs. About plowing, planting, or harvesting; about soils and their treatment; or about any of the every-day work of farmers, such men have little or no practical knowledge. Yet it seems to be the r
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AMERICAN SOLDIERS.
AMERICAN SOLDIERS.
Address of welcome, delivered at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Reunion, Topeka, Kansas, September 29, 1885. Commander Stewart, Comrades of the Grand Army, and Soldiers of the Union : To me has been assigned the delightful duty of welcoming to the Capital this great multitude of patriot heroes. Yet it seems to me that words of welcome are unnecessary. There is no town or city within the boundaries of Kansas where the soldiers of the Union would not be greeted as friends or comrades, and honored as g
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THE KANSAS NATIONAL GUARD.
THE KANSAS NATIONAL GUARD.
Address of welcome, delivered to the Kansas National Guard, at Topeka, September 29, 1885. Soldiers of the Kansas National Guard : In a recent story by a well-known American author, the characters engage in an after-dinner discussion concerning the war of the Rebellion, and one of them remarks that the astonishing fact connected with it was the superabundance of heroism it revealed. Then he asks his son: “How many young men do you know who would think it sweet to die for their country?” Very mod
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WELCOMING ADDRESS.
WELCOMING ADDRESS.
Address of welcome, to the Select Knights, A. O. U. W., at Topeka, October 13, 1885. Gentlemen : When requested by the local committee, some weeks ago, to welcome to Kansas the Select Knights of the A. O. U. W., I very willingly assented. For, although not a member of your organization, I knew enough of its purposes, and of the principles on which it is founded, to assure me not only that it was worthy of the respect of all good citizens, but that it worthily represented, in its membership, the
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THE IRISH NATIONAL LEAGUE.
THE IRISH NATIONAL LEAGUE.
Address, on taking the Chair, at a meeting of the Irish National League, held at Topeka, November 5, 1885. Ladies and Gentlemen : I accepted the invitation given me by your Committee, to preside at this meeting, not because I have any fitness for or experience in the discharge of such duties, but because I wished to testify, by my presence here, my hearty sympathy with the cause of good government for Ireland. I wish to say, however, frankly and with emphasis, that I do not agree with all those
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THE SCHOOL TEACHER.
THE SCHOOL TEACHER.
Address before the State Teachers’ Association, held at Topeka, December 28th, 1885. Mr. Chairman, and Ladies and Gentlemen : During my school days I frequently heard, and occasionally took part in, animated debates as to the relative influence and usefulness of the pen or the sword, the lawyer, the doctor, or the minister. I do not remember that the labor of the teacher was ever discussed in these eager, if somewhat callow, controversies. Yet, if any thoughtful, intelligent man were asked to pa
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ADDRESS.
ADDRESS.
Delivered in the Grand Opera House, Topeka, Jan. 6, 1886, at installation of officers of Lincoln Post, G. A. R., and other organizations. Comrades of the Grand Army, Ladies of the Relief Corps, and Members of the Sons of Veterans : I was somewhat surprised, while reading the papers this morning, to see in the program of this evening’s ceremonies, that I was announced for an address. I entered a mental protest against this detail for extra duty. I do not know what I have done to deserve it. I was
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THE ATHENA OF AMERICAN STATES.
THE ATHENA OF AMERICAN STATES.
Kansas is the Athena of American States. Thirty-six years ago the Slave Oligarchy ruled this country. Fearing that the birth of new States in the West would rob it of supremacy, the Slave Power swallowed the Missouri Compromise, which had dedicated the Northwest to Freedom. The industrious North, aroused and indignant, struck quick and hard, and Kansas, full-armed, shouting the war-cry of Liberty, and nerved with invincible courage, sprang into the Union. She at once assumed a high place among t
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THE CHILD OF A GREAT ERA.
THE CHILD OF A GREAT ERA.
It is not a long lapse of time since the 29th of January, 1861. A boy born during that eventful year cast his first Presidential vote at the last election. But no other period of the world’s history has been so fertile in invention, so potential in thought, so restless and aggressive in energy, or so crowded with sublime achievements, as the quarter-century succeeding the admission of Kansas as a State. During that period occurred the greatest war the world has ever known. An industrious, self-g
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NOT THE HISTORIAN.
NOT THE HISTORIAN.
I am not, however, the historian of this occasion. Very properly the committee assigned to my honored predecessor, the first Governor of the State—who has been with and of it during all the lights and shadows of thirty-one revolving years—the duty of presenting an historical sketch of the difficulties and dangers through which Kansas was “added to the stars,” and became one of the brightest in the constellation of the Union. To me was allotted another task—that of presenting, as briefly and as c
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THREE PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT.
THREE PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT.
The development of Kansas, it seems to me, has had three periods, which may properly be called the decades of War, of Uncertainty, and of Triumph. From 1855 to 1865, Kansas was an armed camp. The border troubles, outbreaking late in 1854, continued until the Rebellion was inaugurated. Kansas, in fact, began the war six years before the Nation had fired a shot, and the call to arms in 1861 found here a singularly martial people, who responded with unparalleled enthusiasm to the President’s demand
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THE PERIOD OF UNCERTAINTY.
THE PERIOD OF UNCERTAINTY.
The period from 1865 to 1875 was, however, a period of uncertainty. Kansas remained an experiment. The drouth and grasshopper invasion of 1860, a menacing memory for many years, had just begun to grow dim when the drouth of 1873 and the still more disastrous drouth and locust invasion of 1874 revived its recollection, and intensified the uncertainty it had inspired. The intervening years were not, it is true, without their exaltation and triumphs. Luxuriant harvests followed the disaster of 1860
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THE PERIOD OF TRIUMPH.
THE PERIOD OF TRIUMPH.
The period of triumph began in 1875. While the world was still talking of our State as a drouth-powdered and insect-eaten country, Kansas was preparing for the Centennial, and getting ready for a great future. And in 1876, she sprang into the arena of Nations with a display of her products and resources which eclipsed them all, and excited the wonder and admiration of the whole civilized earth. From that time to this the development of Kansas has never known a halt, nor have the hopes of our cit
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THE FACTS OF THE CENSUS.
THE FACTS OF THE CENSUS.
I am not, in thus exalting the growth and prosperity of Kansas, speaking recklessly, as I shall show by statistics compiled from the census and agricultural reports of the United States and our own State. Figures are always dry, I know. But when they tell the pleasant story of the march of civilization into and over a new land, surely they cannot fail to interest men and women who have themselves marched with this conquering army of industry and peace....
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THE GROWTH OF KANSAS WITHOUT PARALLEL.
THE GROWTH OF KANSAS WITHOUT PARALLEL.
The growth of Kansas has had no parallel. The great States of New York and Pennsylvania were nearly a hundred and fifty years in attaining a population Kansas has reached in thirty years. Kentucky was eighty years, Tennessee seventy-five, Alabama ninety, Ohio forty-five, and Massachusetts, New Jersey, Georgia, and North and South Carolina each over a hundred years, in reaching the present population of Kansas. Even the marvelous growth of the great States of the West has been surpassed by that o
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TOWNS AND CITIES.
TOWNS AND CITIES.
In 1860 there were only ten towns and cities in Kansas having a population in excess of 500 each; only three having over 1,000 each; and only one having over 5,000 inhabitants. In 1880, ninety-nine towns each had a population in excess of 500; fifty-five towns and cities had each over 1,000 inhabitants; six had each over 5,000; and three had over 15,000 each. In 1885, each of one hundred and fifty-four towns had over 500 population; ninety-one towns and cities had each over 1,000; twelve had eac
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ORIGIN AND CHARACTER OF THE POPULATION.
ORIGIN AND CHARACTER OF THE POPULATION.
The origin and character of the population in Kansas is, in this connection, worthy of special note. Every State in the Union and every Territory except Alaska, contributed to the population of this State. The United States census of 1880 shows that 233,066 persons born in Kansas were then living in the State. The singular fact that native-born Kansans were then living in every State and Territory, is shown by the same authority. Illinois contributed 106,992 to our population; Ohio, 93,396; Indi
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THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF KANSAS.
THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF KANSAS.
The growth of our State in population has not, however, equalled the development of its material resources. The United States census of 1880 shows that while Kansas, at that date, ranked as the twentieth State in population, it was the eighth State in the number and value of its live stock, the seventeenth in farm products, the fourteenth in value of farm products per capita , the twentieth in wealth, the thirteenth in education, the seventeenth in the amount of its indebtedness, State and munic
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AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.
In the following table the aggregate of the corn, wheat, oats, potato, and hay products of Kansas, for the years 1860 and 1865, and for each year thereafter, is given. The figures, prior to 1875, are compiled from the reports of the United States Department of Agriculture; those following, from the reports of the Secretary of our own State Board of Agriculture: In presenting these figures it is worthy of note that while, as already stated, the U. S. census reports for 1880 show that Kansas ranke
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THE AREA OF KANSAS.
THE AREA OF KANSAS.
The total area of Kansas is 52,288,000 acres. In 1865 only 243,712 acres of this vast territory was under cultivation; in 1870 the area aggregated 1,360,000 acres; in 1875, 4,749,900 acres; in 1880, 8,868,884 acres; and in 1885, 14,252,815 acres. In the following table I have compiled figures showing the area under cultivation, and the value of the crops produced in Kansas each year, from 1865 to 1885, inclusive:...
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VALUE OF FARM CROPS.
VALUE OF FARM CROPS.
The value of the farm crops of Kansas, for the five years ending with 1870, aggregated $59,298,414; for the next succeeding five years their value was $135,958,214; for the next five years, $264,334,824; and for the five years ending with 1885, the farm crops of Kansas aggregated in value $503,485,316. Thus during the past twenty years the farmers of Kansas have produced crops whose aggregate value reached the enormous sum of $963,076,768....
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FARMS AND FARM PRODUCTS.
FARMS AND FARM PRODUCTS.
The increase in the value of farms, of farm implements, and of farm products, (including farm crops, products of live stock, and market garden, apiarian and horticultural products,) is shown in the following table. It will be seen that these values have generally doubled every five years: The value of the farm products of Kansas, from 1876 to 1880, inclusive, aggregated $356,557,802, while their value from 1881 to 1885, inclusive, aggregated the enormous sum of $738,676,912....
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TAXABLE ACRES.
TAXABLE ACRES.
The steady development of the State is further illustrated by the figures showing the increase of taxable acres. In 1860 only 1,778,400 acres were subject to taxation; in 1865 this area had been enlarged to 3,500,000 acres; in 1870 to 8,480,839 acres; in 1875 to 17,672,187 acres; in 1880 to 22,386,435 acres; and in 1885 to 27,710,981 acres....
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LIVE STOCK.
LIVE STOCK.
In the number and value of its live stock, Kansas ranked, in 1880, as the eighth State of the Union. In 1860 the live stock of Kansas aggregated in value only a little over three million dollars; in 1865 it aggregated over seven millions; in 1870, over twenty-three millions; in 1875, nearly twenty-nine millions; in 1880, over sixty-one millions; and in 1885, nearly one hundred and eighteen million dollars. The following table gives the number of horses, mules, cows, cattle, sheep, and swine, and
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THE WEALTH OF AN AGRICULTURAL STATE.
THE WEALTH OF AN AGRICULTURAL STATE.
Kansas is an agricultural State. It has no gold or silver, no iron, and just coal enough to furnish fuel. It is the farmers’ and stockmen’s State. Its development simply shows what good old Mother Earth, when in her happiest vein, can do. “Agriculture,” says Colton, “is the most certain source of strength, wealth, and independence; commerce, in all emergencies, looks to agriculture both for defense and for supply.” The growth and prosperity of Kansas afford a striking illustration of what intell
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COMPARATIVE VALUES.
COMPARATIVE VALUES.
In speaking of the value of the farm crops and farm products of Kansas, I can present a clearer idea of the wealth our farmers have digged out of the earth by some comparisons. In 1881 the products of all the gold and silver mines of the United States aggregated only $77,700,000; for 1882 they aggregated $79,300,000; for 1883, $76,200,000; and for 1884, $79,600,000—making a total, for those four years, of $312,800,000. The value of the field crops of Kansas, for the same years, aggregated $411,0
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PROPERTY VALUATIONS.
PROPERTY VALUATIONS.
The property valuations of Kansas have increased in steady proportion with the growth of the State in population and productions. In 1860 the true valuation of all the property of the State was estimated at $31,327,891; in 1865 it was estimated at $72,252,180; in 1870 it had increased to $188,892,014; in 1875 to $242,555,862; in 1880 to $321,783,387; and for 1885 the true valuation, at a very moderate estimate, was $550,000,000. The following table presents the assessed valuation of all the prop
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KANSAS MANUFACTURES.
KANSAS MANUFACTURES.
Kansas is not a manufacturing State. Its prosperity is based upon the plow. It has, however, coal deposits equal to the needs of its population, valuable lead mines in the southeast, and salt and gypsum in abundance. But the manufacturing establishments of the State are steadily increasing in importance as well as in number. In its flouring and grist mills Kansas ranked, in 1880, as the thirteenth State of the Union; in meat packing, as the twelfth; and in cheese products, as the fourteenth. In
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TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES.
TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES.
The transportation facilities of Kansas are unsurpassed. Only seven States of the Union, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri, have within their borders more miles of completed railway than has Kansas. For fully two hundred miles west of our eastern border, every county except one is traversed by from one to six lines of railway. There are eighty-six organized and eleven unorganized counties in the State, and of these all except fourteen organized and seven unorgani
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THE SCHOOLS OF KANSAS.
THE SCHOOLS OF KANSAS.
Education has gone hand in hand with the material growth of Kansas. It has been the boast of our people for twenty years past, that the best building in every city, town or hamlet in the State, was the school house. The census of 1880 revealed the fact that only 25,503 inhabitants of Kansas, over ten years of age, were unable to read. The growth of our school system is shown by the following figures: In 1861 the amount expended for the support of common schools was only $1,700, while the expendi
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CHURCHES AND NEWSPAPERS.
CHURCHES AND NEWSPAPERS.
Churches have multiplied and newspapers increased as have the schools. In 1860 there were only 97 church buildings in Kansas, and they had cost only $143,950. In 1870 the number of churches had increased to 301, valued at $1,722,700; and in 1880 they numbered 2,514, costing an aggregate of $2,491,560. There were only 27 newspapers published in Kansas in 1860, and of these only three were dailies. In 1870 the number had increased to 97, of which 12 were dailies. In 1880 there were 347 newspapers,
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WHAT OF THE FUTURE?
WHAT OF THE FUTURE?
And now, having sketched the growth of Kansas during the past quarter of a century, it is proper to ask, what of the future? I answer with confidence, that Kansas is yet in the dawn of her development, and that the growth, prosperity and triumphs of the next decade will surpass any we have yet known. Less than one-fifth of the area of the State has been broken by the plow—ten million of fifty-two million acres. Multiply the present development by five, and you can perhaps form some idea of the K
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A PROPHECY FULFILLED.
A PROPHECY FULFILLED.
On the 7th of May, 1856, a great American, learned, sagacious, and confident in his faith that right and justice would at last prevail, said, in a speech delivered in the City of New York: “In the year of our Lord 1900, there will be two million people in Kansas, with cities like Providence and Worcester—perhaps like Chicago and Cincinnati. She will have more miles of railroad than Maryland, Virginia and both the Carolinas can now boast. Her land will be worth twenty dollars an acre, and her tot
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OUR DUTY TO THE UNION SOLDIER.
OUR DUTY TO THE UNION SOLDIER.
Address at the opening of “Blue Post” Fair, North Topeka, February 15th, 1886. Comrades of the Grand Army : In coming before you this evening, I do not come with any expectation that I can say anything to interest or instruct you. But when Comrade Arnold called on me, last Friday, he supplemented his invitation with a statement that my acceptance would promote the object for which this fair is held, and thus aid Blue Post of the Grand Army of the Republic in securing a fund for the relief of des
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IN MEMORIAM.
IN MEMORIAM.
An address, delivered at Wichita, Kansas, on Memorial Day, 1886. Comrades of the Grand Army, and Ladies and Gentlemen : The growing popularity of Memorial Day, and the increasing interest in the beautiful ceremonies of its observance, are among the most happy and hopeful indications of American sentiment. All the good or evil of to-day is but the result of yesterday’s teaching. Our greatest historian, speaking of the men who mustered on the village green at Lexington, “and fired the shot heard r
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BROTHERHOOD OF LOCOMOTIVE FIREMEN.
BROTHERHOOD OF LOCOMOTIVE FIREMEN.
Address of welcome, delivered at Atchison, Kansas, July 1st, 1886, at a meeting of the “Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen.” Mr. Chairman : Within the past half-century, the employments of men have multiplied enormously. Thousands of people are now eagerly toiling, with hand and brain, at occupations that, within the life-time of many living men, were not dreamed of. The telegraph and the telephone, now furnishing a vast multitude of men and women with employment, are among the most recent contri
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THE SWEDES IN KANSAS.
THE SWEDES IN KANSAS.
Address delivered, July 5, 1886, at the celebration of Independence Day, by the Swedes of Lindsborg, Kansas. Mr. Chairman : When I received the invitation to attend this meeting I did not not think of “the day we celebrate,” nor of what might occur here, nor of what I could say to you if I came. The invitation to address an assemblage of Scandinavian people broke down the barriers of time and place, and awakened recollections of a body of men, born on the Scandinavian Peninsula, who, nearly a qu
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ADDRESS.
ADDRESS.
Accepting the Republican nomination for Governor, at the State Convention, July 8, 1886. Mr. Chairman, and Gentlemen of the Convention : Two years ago the Republican State Convention conferred upon me the unprecedented honor of a nomination by acclamation for the office of Governor. To-day, by the generous confidence of the people you represent, and your own kindness and partiality, I have been accorded the equally unprecedented honor of a unanimous renomination. How proud I am of this confidenc
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DEMOCRACY IN KANSAS.
DEMOCRACY IN KANSAS.
I appear before you as the candidate of a great party, honored by its confidence and proud to bear its standard, to ask you in its name for your support. I have been a citizen of this State for nearly thirty years. I came here, a boy of 18, when Kansas was a poor, weak, distracted Territory, rent and torn by civil war, invaded by hordes of ruffians and marauders, and suffering under all the evils of the worst government that ever harassed and oppressed a free people. For more than two years this
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REPUBLICAN CONTROL IN KANSAS.
REPUBLICAN CONTROL IN KANSAS.
For twenty-four years the Republican party controlled the government of the Republic, and from that day to this the Republican party has moulded, directed, and controlled the affairs and destiny of Kansas. Has the trust reposed in the Republican party by the people of this State been misplaced or betrayed? Has it administered the government wisely and humanely? Has it justified, by its conduct, the reasonable expectations of an intelligent people? Has it enacted wise laws? Has it honestly collec
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THE GROWTH OF KANSAS UNDER REPUBLICAN RULE.
THE GROWTH OF KANSAS UNDER REPUBLICAN RULE.
What, then, has been the history of Kansas under Republican rule? Its growth is without parallel in the history of American States. In 1860 Kansas had a population of only 107,206, and ranked as the thirty-third State of the Union. To-day our population is fully 1,500,000, and Kansas ranks as the fourteenth State. During the past quarter of a century Kansas has passed ahead of all the Northern States except eight, and all of the Southern States except five. All of the other great States of the U
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KANSAS, THE CHILD OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
KANSAS, THE CHILD OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
In citing these facts and figures showing the marvelous growth of Kansas, I am not asserting or intimating that our fellow-citizens of other political organizations have not contributed their full share of the revenues necessary to build and maintain the institutions enumerated. Nor do I claim that to Republicans alone is due all credit for the marvelous growth of Kansas. That would be a folly of which I hope I am not capable. But it is true that this wonderful development could not and would no
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THE TWO PLATFORMS.
THE TWO PLATFORMS.
Our Democratic opponents, however, challenge the right of the Republican party to a renewal of public confidence. And on what grounds? Read their platform, and you will see that the first and principal plank is a general and very bitter denunciation of “all sumptuary laws, State or National,” and an emphatic demand for a return to the license system. They are opposed, the platform declares, “to the principle of constitutional prohibition.” They regard it as an invasion of “the individual liberty
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HISTORIC PARALLELS.
HISTORIC PARALLELS.
But in another sense, the Republican party is responsible for prohibition. It was always and is everywhere the party of law and good government. It stood for the constitution and laws during the dark and desolate days of 1861–5, and grew to manhood amid the perils and trials of a monstrous rebellion against a people’s government, and the people’s verdict that the aggressions of human slavery must cease. When the people of Kansas adopted the constitutional amendment of 1880, and decreed that the
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THE GROWTH OF KANSAS SINCE THE PROHIBITION LAW TOOK EFFECT.
THE GROWTH OF KANSAS SINCE THE PROHIBITION LAW TOOK EFFECT.
Our opponents assert, however, that prohibition has damaged the material prosperity of the State. Where are the evidences to establish this fact? What is the truth? The prohibition amendment was adopted in 1880, and the first law to enforce it went into effect in May, 1881. We have had, therefore, more than five years of actual experience, and I appeal to the facts of the census to answer the assertion that prohibition has done injury to the material interests of Kansas. In 1880 the population o
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DOES PROHIBITION PROHIBIT?
DOES PROHIBITION PROHIBIT?
Our opponents allege, again, that “prohibition does not prohibit;” that the saloons are simply transformed into drug stores, and keep on selling liquor as before; and that drinking and drunkenness have really increased since the prohibition law went into effect. If these assertions are true, what have they to complain of? If prohibition does not prohibit, why do the men who want to open saloons, and make a living by making their fellow-men drunk, oppose prohibition? If a saloon can be so easily
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SALES OF LIQUOR BY DRUGGISTS.
SALES OF LIQUOR BY DRUGGISTS.
It is unfortunate that the law does not require probate judges to make returns, to some State officer, of the sales of intoxicating liquor reported to them by the druggists of the State. In the absence of such returns accurate figures cannot of course be furnished. But it is possible to make up, from such official reports as are attainable, a reasonably accurate estimate of the liquor traffic in Kansas, and this I shall endeavor to do. In one of the oldest and most populous counties of this Stat
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THE SALOON TRAFFIC IN LIQUORS.
THE SALOON TRAFFIC IN LIQUORS.
Now, compare these figures with the saloon traffic in liquors. In this city, the capital of the State, there were, in January, 1885, seventy saloons. It has been ascertained, by the most careful and accurate investigation, that the expenses of saloons for rent, fuel, lights, city license, taxes, lawyers’ fees, help, liquors, etc., cannot average less than $20 per day. The expenses of some, of course, do not exceed $5 or $10 per day, but those of others reach $30 to $50 per day; so that $20 is a
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DEMOCRATIC SLANDERS OF HONORABLE MEN.
DEMOCRATIC SLANDERS OF HONORABLE MEN.
I want to add, too, that in my judgment, the assertions sometimes made, that the drug stores of Kansas have all been transformed into saloons, are absolutely false. I am acquainted with many of the druggists of this State, and know them to be honorable, law-respecting, conscientious citizens, who would not only scorn to do an illegal act for pecuniary profit, but who are far above and beyond the meanness of selling liquors as a beverage. There is no class of business men in the State who stand h
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THE SOBER, LAW-RESPECTING STATE.
THE SOBER, LAW-RESPECTING STATE.
My fellow-citizens, those who assert that the drug stores have been transformed into saloons, or that drinking and drunkenness have increased in Kansas, ought to know that they are not telling the truth. There is not an intelligent, observing man in Kansas who does not know that drinking and drunkenness have been enormously diminished in this State during the past five years. It is no doubt true that liquor is sold in many places, in violation of law. But no intelligent, truthful man, who knows
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FATHERS, MOTHERS, WIVES, AND CHILDREN REJOICE.
FATHERS, MOTHERS, WIVES, AND CHILDREN REJOICE.
And where is the father who does not rejoice over this prospect? The man does not live who is so degraded, so brutal, that he would wish his boy, or the husband of his daughter, to acquire the drinking habit. Where, then, is the man who is not willing to give his voice and his vote to sustain the party which, respecting and obeying the formally expressed will of the people, proposes to abolish the saloon, and the frightful crime, poverty, wretchedness and vice of which it is the fruitful source?
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THE SALOON, THE SCHOOL HOUSE AND RECRUITING STATION OF THE ANARCHISTS.
THE SALOON, THE SCHOOL HOUSE AND RECRUITING STATION OF THE ANARCHISTS.
Another, and if possible, more urgent reason why the saloon must go, has recently been brought home to the people of this country with convincing force. Americans have believed that this was the freest, happiest land under the sun, and it is. Its government is the perfection of human wisdom. It is, as the greatest of our Presidents has said, “a government of the people, for the people, by the people.” No limitations or restrictions are placed on the rights or liberty of any citizen, except such
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THE CONFESSION OF AN ANARCHIST.
THE CONFESSION OF AN ANARCHIST.
One of the most prominent men in this State told me, some months ago, of a conversation he had with a well-known New York socialist. The Kansas man said to the New Yorker: “You claim you desire to elevate humanity. You know, as every intelligent man does, that for a very large proportion of all the poverty, crime and woe of this world the liquor traffic is responsible. Why, then, don’t you endeavor to close the saloons of this city?” The reply was prompt and conclusive. Said the New Yorker: “Clo
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THE LABOR QUESTION.
THE LABOR QUESTION.
Another prominent question upon which the two platforms express opinions, is that of labor and capital. And in discussing this question, as all others, the Republican party deals not in vague promises or glittering generalities, but in definite statements. It points to what it has done; it presents accomplished facts to sustain its assertion that it will honestly favor “all legislation tending to secure to the laborers their just proportion of the proceeds of their work, to protect them against
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THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY THE ENEMY OF HONEST LABOR.
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY THE ENEMY OF HONEST LABOR.
No, it did not. On the contrary, during that period every measure of the Democratic party was directly against the interests of laboring men. The homestead law was repeatedly defeated by Democratic Congressmen, and was never enacted until the Republicans came into power. Every attempt of the Democratic party to legislate on the subject of the tariff was made in the interest of foreign capital and low-priced labor, and against home enterprise and American workingmen. The Democratic party formed a
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THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ALWAYS THE HELPFUL FRIEND OF THE WORKINGMEN.
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ALWAYS THE HELPFUL FRIEND OF THE WORKINGMEN.
On the other hand, the Republican party has always been the real, practical and helpful friend of the poor man. Before it had been in power a year it had opened the public domain to the people, by the passage of the homestead law, giving land to the landless and free homes to the homeless. It has changed 4,000,000 of slaves into freemen and paid laborers, thus relieving every workingman and woman, North and South, from the ruinous competition of slave labor. It has steadily insisted on protectin
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THE LAWS OF KANSAS TOUCHING THE LABOR QUESTION.
THE LAWS OF KANSAS TOUCHING THE LABOR QUESTION.
In this State, one of the first acts of the Republican party was of vast importance and general benefit to workingmen. The Wyandotte Constitutional Convention, which assembled early in 1859, was the first distinctively Republican official body ever assembled in Kansas; and one of its most notable actions—and as novel and beneficent as it was notable—was to adopt a constitutional provision exempting from forced sale, under any process of law, the homestead of every citizen. Years ago, too—long be
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REVIEW OF THE ISSUES.
REVIEW OF THE ISSUES.
And now, my fellow-citizens, I have presented for your consideration, fairly and correctly, I think, the principal issues and interests involved in the approaching election. I have established the wisdom and beneficence of Republican administration in Kansas, by presenting facts and figures from the census, and letting them tell the story of the marvelous growth and development of the State under the fostering influences and wise direction of the Republican party. I have demonstrated that the Re
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PERSONAL.
PERSONAL.
As for myself, I am the candidate of this great party for reelection to the office of Governor. Two years ago, after a campaign of remarkable interest and excitement, I was elected by a majority of nearly 40,000 votes. I have been unspeakably proud of the confidence thus reposed in me by the patriotic and intelligent people of Kansas, and profoundly grateful to them as well. I have endeavored to deserve their confidence and regard by a faithful, impartial, honest discharge of my official duties.
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OPINIONS CONCERNING QUESTIONS OF STATE POLICY.
OPINIONS CONCERNING QUESTIONS OF STATE POLICY.
As to my opinions concerning questions of State policy, no intelligent citizen can be deceived or misled, for they are fully and fairly set forth in the two messages I have had the honor to transmit to the Legislature. The questions of prohibition and labor I have already discussed at some length. Other questions discussed in my messages may be briefly summarized. In my first message to the Legislature I called the attention of that body to the enormous aggregate of our municipal indebtedness, t
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LAWS ENACTED IN 1885 AND 1886.
LAWS ENACTED IN 1885 AND 1886.
It has also given me sincere satisfaction, since assuming the duties of the Executive office, to approve a number of measures which mark a decided reform in the conduct of State affairs and the administration of justice. Some of these I deem it proper to briefly mention. First —A Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics has been established, charged with the duty of collecting information relating to the commercial, industrial, social, educational and sanitary condition of the laboring classes,
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THE AUTHORITY OF A GOVERNOR.
THE AUTHORITY OF A GOVERNOR.
In considering all these things, my fellow-citizens—and I have tried to present my views and action touching them with entire frankness, and as fully as is possible in a speech of this character—it should not be forgotten that the Governor of an American State possesses no authority that is not expressly vested in him by the laws. His duties and powers are clearly defined and limited by law, and he has no more right to do any act or exercise any authority not explicitly within the scope of the l
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REPUBLICAN ACHIEVEMENTS.
REPUBLICAN ACHIEVEMENTS.
I have not, my fellow-citizens, attempted to discuss those questions which divide the people in the larger domain of national politics. It has seemed to me that, on an occasion of this character, I should confine my remarks to a discussion of State affairs. But I am not indifferent, I could not be indifferent, to those issues of principle or of policies on which the Republican party bases its action and its faith. I am before you as a candidate of the Republican party. I have been a Republican f
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THE “RASCALS” WHO WERE TURNED OUT.
THE “RASCALS” WHO WERE TURNED OUT.
But they “turned the rascals out.” Oh, yes—that business has been attended to with promptness and regularity. An unending procession of “rascals” has been moving out for a year and a half. “Rascals” who had invaded the sacred soil of Virginia and Kentucky; who had stolen negroes and made them free; who had been with Grant at Vicksburg and in the Wilderness, and with Thomas at Mission Ridge, and with Sherman on the march to Atlanta and the sea, and with Meade at Gettysburg. Some of these “rascals
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DEMOCRATIC PATRIOTS AND MARTYRS WHO CAME IN.
DEMOCRATIC PATRIOTS AND MARTYRS WHO CAME IN.
In their stead, a long line of Democratic martyrs and patriots marched in—men who had “fought four years for their Democracy” under Lee, or Bragg, or Joe Johnston; men who had expatriated themselves to the wilds of Canada to avoid Lincoln’s “bastiles;” men who had wandered through the timbers of the Wabash or the Miami bottoms hunting their lodge of “Knights of the Golden Circle” or “Sons of Liberty;” men who had rejoiced over every disaster to the Union arms, and mourned over every Union victor
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CONCLUSION.
CONCLUSION.
My fellow-citizens, the issues of this campaign are of vital importance to the prosperity and happiness of this State and this Nation. Republicans of Kansas, remember that in less than two years from this time we will be in the midst of a Presidential campaign. Do your duty now, and the result then will be assured. Support with voice and pen and vote, the candidates of your party—the men who represent convictions, principles, and policies approved by your judgment, and dear to your hearts. There
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SPEECH.
SPEECH.
Before the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church of North America, Topeka, May 28th, 1885. Mr. Moderator, and Gentlemen of the Assembly : When the Rev. Mr. McKirahan kindly invited me to meet the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church, I accepted his invitation with mingled reluctance and pleasure. On the one hand, I shrank from appearing before so august an assemblage; on the other, I was glad to greet and to welcome to the capital city a congregation of men representin
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ADDRESS.
ADDRESS.
Delivered at Clay Center, at a meeting to celebrate the completion of the water works, June 6th, 1885. Mr. Mayor, and Ladies and Gentlemen : I have no doubt that the founders of Clay Center confidently predicted a rapid and substantial growth for the town they had established. The Kansas men who located towns were, as a rule, sanguine and cheerful persons, and no matter how bleak and desolate were their surroundings, nor how unpromising the future really was, the ground in which they planted the
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SPEECH.
SPEECH.
At a banquet given the Mexican Editorial Excursion, Topeka, June 24th, 1885. Gentlemen : Until within the past five or six years, Mexico was, even to a well-educated citizen of this country, an unknown and mysterious land. Its government, its people, its cities, its resources and products, were regarded very much as are those of India—as matters of historical or critical interest, perhaps, but of no direct or material concern to the people of the United States. American journalists are generally
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AN ANNIVERSARY.
AN ANNIVERSARY.
Rev. Linus Blakesley — My Dear Sir : When you so kindly invited me to be present at the anniversary exercises of the Congregational Church, I did not remember that Monday evening was the eve of annual election. I must, therefore, either forego a pleasure I had promised myself, or fail in discharging that highest duty of American citizenship, attendance at the polls on election day. I think you will agree that I ought to do what I have decided to do—remain at home until after election. “The Thirt
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THE KANSAS PIONEER.
THE KANSAS PIONEER.
Address delivered at Garden City, at the opening of the Southwestern Exposition, October 12th, 1886. Fellow-Citizens : It affords me peculiar pleasure to be with you to-day, and to discharge the duty assigned me of formally opening this great fair and festival. Under any circumstances it would be a pleasure to fulfill such an appointment, but, upon this occasion, it is doubly delightful. I wanted to come here, first, because I wished to see the material evidences of the marvelous growth and deve
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ADDRESS.
ADDRESS.
Delivered at the opening of the Floral Festival, Library Hall, Topeka, November 9th, 1886. Ladies and Gentlemen : In responding to the request of the Misses Bristol, to formally open this beautiful festival, I am fully aware of the fact that I have assumed a difficult role . My botanical education was sadly neglected, and I had better confess, at once, that I know very little about flowers. I delight in their beauty. I have always believed that, where plants are blooming in gardens or windows, i
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DEDICATION OF SNOW HALL.
DEDICATION OF SNOW HALL.
Address at the dedication of “Snow Hall,” State University, Lawrence, November 16th, 1886. Mr. Chairman : In the stirring poem read by our Kansas poet, Eugene F. Ware, at the Quarter-Centennial, it is said: The wonderful growth and marvelous prosperity of Kansas, unprecedented in the history of American States, is not alone due to soil, climate, resources, and topography. Other States have soils as productive, climates as healthful, resources more varied, and landscapes as lovely, as ours. The u
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ADDRESS.
ADDRESS.
Address of welcome to the State Teachers’ Association, delivered in Representative Hall, Topeka, December 28th, 1886. Mr. Chairman : Readers of Kansas newspapers and students of Kansas affairs cannot have failed to notice the fact that, during the hot and dusty months of July and August, many vocations in this State are practically abandoned. Courts adjourn, and judges and lawyers flit away to the mountains, the woods, or the lakes; churches are closed, and ministers seek the peace and quiet of
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THE GOVERNORS OF KANSAS.
THE GOVERNORS OF KANSAS.
Second Inaugural Address, delivered in Representative Hall, Jan. 9th, 1887. Ladies and Gentlemen : I heard a gentleman say recently: “I have known all the Governors of Kansas.” I asked: “How many Governors has Kansas had?” He thought a moment, and replied: “Nine.” I presume a very large majority, even of those best informed in the political history of the State, would make the same wrong reply. For Kansas has had sixteen real and four acting Governors, and since its admission into the Union the
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MEMORIES OF THE MARCH.
MEMORIES OF THE MARCH.
Response, made February 3d, 1887, at the meeting of the “Military Order of the Loyal Legion,” in Topeka, to the toast, “Reminiscences:” I do not expect, Mr. Chairman, that any words of mine can “bring back the feelings of our youth.” Time takes something from us, as the years come and go, that it never gives back, and the lights and shadows of twenty-five eventful years have fallen upon us since we first “walked in war’s red ways.” But I may, perhaps, interest you for a brief time by a descripti
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KANSAS DURING THE WAR.
KANSAS DURING THE WAR.
Address, read at the annual meeting of the “Military Order of the Loyal Legion,” held at Fort Leavenworth, June 24th, 1887. Commander and Companions : It is impossible, within the brief limits of an after-dinner talk, to fairly respond to the toast assigned me. “Kansas, in peace and in war,” is a vast theme. It is the meridian of American progress and American heroism. “ Ad astra per aspera ”—to the stars through difficulties and dangers, but always to the stars; upward, onward, higher, highest,
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ODD-FELLOWSHIP IN ATCHISON.
ODD-FELLOWSHIP IN ATCHISON.
Address delivered October 18th, 1887, at the celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of Friendship Lodge, I. O. O. F., Atchison. Mr. Chairman : Thirty years ago, yesterday, Friendship Lodge, No. 5, I. O. O. F., was organized, under a charter granted by the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the United States. Its charter members were Cornelius A. Logan, Edward K. Blair, A. J. Petefish, Alex. McKewn, and James Dillon. Nearly two years later, in 1859, the first official report of the Grand Lodge of the Sta
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MODEST KANSAS.
MODEST KANSAS.
Address delivered at the Kansas City Exposition, October 31st, 1887. Mr. President : When the managers of this Exposition invited me to visit it on “Kansas Day,” I said that I would be very glad to do so if I could be permitted to come to see, and not to talk. Less than two days after this covenant was made, I read, in the veracious and enterprising journals of this city, the announcement that I was to make “an address.” Perhaps that may be the Kansas City way of doing things. I hope, however, i
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THE FARMERS’ PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION.
THE FARMERS’ PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION.
Address delivered at the annual meeting of the Farmers’ Protective Association, held at Atchison, February 7th, 1888. Mr. Chairman : When I was visited, a few days ago, by a committee of Atchison county farmers, and requested to welcome the members of this Association to my home, I very cheerfully assented. I was glad to gratify my old neighbors and friends, and, in their name, bid their fellow-members of the Protective Associative a cordial welcome to Atchison. I knew that their greeting, their
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ADDRESS.
ADDRESS.
Delivered in Representative Hall, May 25th, 1888, welcoming the “Northwestern Editorial Association.” Ladies and Gentlemen : In arranging your excursion, did any of you remember that this year is, or ought to be, an anniversary of notable interest to newspaper men? It is true that there is now some question about it, but it was for many years accepted as a fact, and is still asserted by many authorities, that the first English newspaper ever printed made its appearance in 1588, just three hundre
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ADDRESS.
ADDRESS.
At the Annual Meeting of the State Temperance Union, held at Topeka, June 12th, 1888. I do not intend to make a speech. I so informed your Secretary when, a few days ago, he invited me to be present. But it has seemed to me that, on an occasion of this character—the annual meeting of the organization which conducted the canvass for the prohibition amendment, and to whose zeal, energy and influence the success of the temperance legislation in Kansas is so largely due—it has seemed to me that, at
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RESPONSE.
RESPONSE.
To a toast, at a banquet in honor of the 36th session of the “International Typographical Union,” given at the Hotel Victoria, Kansas City, Mo., June 14th, 1888. Mr. Chairman, and Gentlemen : The advertisement of Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary asserts that the book contains 180,000 words. I have read, somewhere, a statement that even Shakespeare’s wonderful vocabulary embraced only 10,000 words. And yet, on an occasion of this character, while it seems to me that I could make use of at least a
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A PRESENT TO THE SOLDIERS’ HOME.
A PRESENT TO THE SOLDIERS’ HOME.
[On the 4th of July, 1888, Col. Sam. Scott, of Kansas City, Mo., presented to the Soldiers’ Home, at Leavenworth, a large wagon, fitted with reclining chairs for the sick and maimed members of that institution, and four horses. Governor Martin was selected to acknowledge this generous gift, and did so in the following speech:] Those who have seen Joseph Jefferson in his great character of Rip Van Winkle, will recall the tender, touching pathos of his simple words: “Alas, how soon we are forgot!”
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