Commentary

By "The Cowboy" Jim Gray

1884 was a tough year for the end of trail Kansas cattle towns. At the “Border Queen” of Caldwell, cattlemen were under pressure to abandon grazing lands leased from the Cherokee Nation.

The Boomer movement, led by David Payne, sought to open the leased lands for private ownership through homestead law. Lobbying efforts in Washington D.C. were slowly swaying political leaders against the Cherokee-Cowboy relationship. In response, the embattled Cowboys and Indians formed a unique bond, which in the words of the Cherokee Advocate combined to stand “squarely” together to defend one another’s rights against “the lawless class”.

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By Rep. Steven Johnson

The Kansas Legislature finally reached adjournment in the past week. The final votes were accompanied by some drama and speculation on what was behind the issues.

Smaller issues continued to move through the chambers all week. Monday was an intense day, starting at 8 a.m. in the House. Tax remained the key topic.

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By "The Cowboy" Jim Gray

Emporia, Kan. was all abuzz Friday morning June 2, 1871. At 9 p.m. the previous evening Dr. Morris, Lyon County coroner, was summoned to the banks of the Cottonwood River southeast of town to hold an inquest over the body of a murdered man. Dr. Morris traveled to a popular campground about three quarters of a mile below Soden’s Mill.

W. T. Soden established the Emporia Water Mills, more familiarly known as Soden’s Mill, on the Cottonwood River immediately south of Emporia in 1860. The mill could produce 200 bushels of flour a day. The old main building was hand-built with timbers showing the scars of the craftsman’s axe, hewed from trees that had once graced the banks of the Cottonwood River.

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By Rep. Steven Johnson

The legislative session continues, and while there is good engagement on the major issues, the focus needs to continue to shift from “my” solution to “our” solution.

The House Appropriations committee resumed meeting and working on the mega budget bill. This will provide the framework for the state over the next two years. We are working out the remaining details of funding needs now that other issues (such as whether we would have to provide funding for additional security at mental hospitals) have been determined.

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By Jerry Marsh

“It’s impossible to listen to him and not recognize his appreciation for Kansas ...” Will Kansans listen?

The above quotation from last week’s Indy refers to gubernatorial candidate, Josh Svaty. The success or failure of his candidacy depends on the answer to the question following the quote. There will be no one in the Kansas gubernatorial race more intelligent or more articulate than Josh Svaty. His success will depend on whether or not Kansans will give him a fair hearing.

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By John Carlin

Investments in our highway infrastructure are critical to economic development in Kansas. During my administration in the early 1980’s, we dedicated the sales tax paid on roadway products to the Kansas Department of Transportation for the purpose of funding necessary roadway maintenance. This was followed by Gov. Hayden’s comprehensive highway bill adopted in 1989. The commitment to our transportation system was reaffirmed again in 2010, when the state adopted T-Works, a multi-faceted plan that dedicated dollars for the preservation and modernization of our roads and bridges.

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By "The Cowboy" Jim Gray

Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock assembled a massive force of military might power to meet the Cheyenne and other plains tribes in 1867. He arrived at Fort Harker April 1 with seven companies of the 37th U.S. Infantry, Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery and four companies of the Seventh U. S. Cavalry.

At Harker, two more companies of the Seventh joined the expedition. Hancock was certain that his show of military force would force the Indians to give up their desperate fight for their way of life, sign a treaty of peace, and live forever on the reservation.

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By Lee Hamilton

Every few months we have to contemplate the very real possibility that the government might close its doors. Is this really the best we can do?

Think about this for a moment. Two days away from a federal shutdown, Congress comes up with a stopgap measure to keep the government operating — for a week. A few days later it arrives at a bipartisan budget deal lasting a bit over four months. This, in turn, moves the president to take to Twitter with the following statement: “Our country needs a good ‘shutdown’ in September to fix mess!”

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By "The Cowboy" Jim Gray

News of the discovery of gold in California was well reported by October of 1848. In a message to Congress in December, U. S. President James Polk noted, “The accounts of the abundance of gold in that territory are of such an extraordinary character, as would scarcely command belief.”

By spring of 1849, it seemed as if the whole nation was on the move. Steamboats arrived at St. Joseph, Mo., bursting with emigrants. The St. Joseph Gazette estimated that 27,000 emigrants had left Independence for California by June 4, 1849. “California Fever” had taken hold of approximately 40,000 souls by mid-May, 1850. Horses, mules, and oxen were estimated at 100,000 to 120,000 head.

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By Jill Richardson

Remember the climate crisis? It’s still happening. Having a government that resembles a circus, it turns out, hasn’t stopped the clock on the level of greenhouse gases in the air.

At a conference in Italy, former president Barack Obama spoke recently about the impact the climate crisis will have on the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.

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