White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1867-06-27
Correspondence.
(For the Chief.)
Sr. JosrrH. Mo-, June Is, 1867.

(For the Chiefly
Sf. JosEPB, NO., June Is, 1867.
FnIExD MILLn:-Business matters, down
this way, are dull-Uery dull. Money is scarce,
and hard to get hold Of; rents are enormously
high, and the price Of living. frightful. Iven-
ture the assertion that half of the merchants of
this city are not psyias ez7eases. and the other
bali barely making = living. Mechanical work
Of all kinds is nearly at q stand still. and
things generally and collectively look Slue.
In the language eof-of-ofLwell, no matter.
but you know where he sayss Things ain't
a they used to was; the crisis which vas to
have arrove, has arriven." Instead of the cit
izens of this place seizing the Ill BY the horns,
the bull has seized and gored them tremen-
dously.
refer to Railroad matters-the Pacific
Railroad, in particular. s.. JOSEPH was the
hrst place on the Missouri River to start the
Pacific Road west-by the indomitable perse-
verance Of the ubiquitous JeG. Thompson-and
the road to-day stands just as Jef. left it, mi
nus the locomotive; while Omaha and Kansas
City are fast leaving St. Joe. in the shade
connecting themselves With the Pacific slope,
and growing into great and Aourishing cities.
St. Joseph ought to have had the Road. In
fact, this is the great central point where the
main trunk should have started from. and pos.
sesses more natural advantages for building q
road west than either of the above points.
Why has 81. Joseph failed 10 build the Road
the Pacific Road1 Why has she failed to build
the G. B. l. st. Joe. R. R.-or. rather, the P.
C. R. RI The principal cause is this: Bitter
sectional, political. and personal bate, avarice,
and money making. have shut the eyes of the
people hcre to nearly everything that would
advance the interests of the city, in CONNER.
cial point of view.
When the war began, most Of the merchant.
here had full stocks-these doubled and ire.
bled on their hands. They grew wealthy
built large. commodious stores, and rolled in
luxury. Men here who formerly lived from
hand to mouth, we're we'll OF when the wal
closed. People didn't stop to think of rc-ac
tion in fRancial Affairs, but lived as if the Nj
agara food Of green backs was going to be Z
steady thing, apparently unmindfal Of the fu
ture. The consequence was, when the time.
frightened up, many were involved to an alar
ming extent, and could not raise money enough
to buy locomotive sohistle. to say nothing o.
building railroad! Others, Who had money
were either avaricious, distrustful or suspicious
and would not vote "s man or dollar"
Then came old grudges. both personal ant
political. to settle up. strife for Offices, &C.. &c
Look at our recent elections. Radical agains
Radical; Conservative against Conservative
Copperhsed against Copperhead; all fighting
each other. in their greed for Office, and hatret
Of each other. Such mixed up mess as ther,
was here at the last city election, never va
seen before, since the fall of the Tower O
Babel
Great God! Talk Of building railroads, Il
such a confused people! A railroad from St
Joseph to the Pacific? Why, it's all moon
shine. You might advance the SINE pr posi-
ton to the inmate of a lunatic asylum, with a
much hope of success.
Why. some Of the very men who helped Ben
Loan to Congress. have tried to cripple hi
efforts for the good of the State, while there
have tried to tie his hands and seal his lips
and heap infamy upon him-and, mark you, ou
of pure personal spite, BY professed Radicals
Is it any wonder that st. Joseph is on the de-
cline1 Can such discordant elements build
railroads7
Kansas City is building railroad from Cam.
cron, to cut the trade from st. Joe. to the
above place. The citizens here look on with
apathy. Kansas City is bsilding q bridge
across the Missouri. Quincy is building a
bridge across the Mississippi. Freight and
passengers for the Kansas City route will take
the Cameron cutoff. Trade and traffic. freigh.
and passengers for the Omaha Road, will take
the Chicago. Des Moines, and North Western
Railroad. Where will St. Joe. bel Echo an.
swers. Where7
Most Of the wealthy men here were formerly
slave holders, and it is almost impossible to
shake the old slow-coach slavery system out of
them; for,
Galvanire IL, whitewssh IL.
Fix ST. Joe. up a. you Will,
The (s)cent Of the African hangs round It still.
That's what's the matter. In the language of
the immortal Obediah Drant, the fructiication
of q darkey, placed in juxtaposition to some
mems pockets, obfuscates their vision to augit
else.
st. Joseph ought to finish the Pacific Road
from here to Kearney, If every house in the
city is pledged for the money. 1t ought to
have been built long since. Some day. per-
haps, the people here viii wake from their Rip
Van Wiukle sleep, to fnd repetition Of Gold
smiths Deserted Village.
OCCASIONAL