Compiled by Betty Jane Wilson, society president
A sundry of items from the Kansas New Era 140 years ago, Sept. 25, 1873, S. Weaver, Editor:
"The bank failures in the Eastern cities is causing sad work in financial circles. One bank after another is compelled to close being not able to stand the pressure. Wall Street in New York is constantly crowded. Policemen are kept busy keeping free the entrance and exit to the stock exchange, in consequence of so many heavy failures and defalcations it is impossible to form anything like a correct conclusion in regard to how it will effect the currency of the country. Generally, Chicago and St. Louis are already feeling the effect and should it continue much longer, it must, to a very great extent, affect the currency of the whole country.
"Meet whom you will and almost the first thing after the salutation is a reference to the 'Hard Times.' To say that there are not hard times would be considered by the people at large as the saying of an insane man. We admit that money matters are close and that all classes of men feel cramped. The question, however, arises, what has brought about this pressure? Many of us are ready to answer, 'high taxes, high tariff on railroads and the oppression of monopolists in general,' but the question is, can we justly attribute the hard time to those sources? We admit our taxes are exorbitant, that the railroad charges are too high, and that monied corporations oppress us whenever they have the opportunity. After all, part of the fault is in ourselves.
"In the first place, too many people are ready to spend more money than save it. In the second place, many of us do not live within our means, hence we become involved. This in itself will make hard times.
"In the third place, we buy a great many things we could do without and go in debt for them. In the fourth place, we don't take care of what we have.
"Last year we raised a remarkable crop of corn in Kansas, which overstocked the country so that from 12 to 15 cents was the average price. We then said we will roast our shins around the stoves this winter and burn corn. We are not going to haul wood when corn is so cheap. Others hauled in their corn and put in pens and piles without any covering and let it rot, while others turned their stock in upon it to tramp it down into mud.
"Now if this vast amount of corn that was wasted had been properly cared for until the present fall, it would of itself have brought money enough in to the state to make times measurably good.
"Next we are too superficial and impatient and don't bring ourselves down to solid earnestness in our undertakings. To prosper, there must be persistent application, patience, and a determination to succeed!
"To secure good times, we must practice economy at home as well as to correct other evils. To spend our strength and what little means we have to correct other evils and neglect home industry and economy, we will have a failure. Let us encourage home industry and be united in our efforts and we will succeed. This will strike a heavier blow against monopolies than any and all other things put together. If we fight monopolies and lose strength by disunion, we will find by sad experience that our last state is worse that the first."
The Valley Falls Historical Society museum will be open at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12.
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