Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-07-01
.ouT1WEST.

estipg Letter from Gen. George
( w. Morgan. a
Especial Correspondence of the Mt. Vernon Banner
! WAMEGo, Kansas, June, 1867.
Z. Harper, Esq:
MY DEAR SIR:-When assured you that |
/ would not have leisure-to write you from |
the banks of the Kansas, had no expecta-
lion of being able to comply with your
wishes; but laval myself of an idle hour
to drop you line. will not attempt to
give even a general sketch of our excur-
sion, but will merely touch upon matters
which may be of interest to your readers.
MILITARY IMPoRTANCE OF RAILROADS ACROSS
rfsFt-a 81 THE CONTINENT. !
Thus far the grand enterprise of con-
pecting the great oceans by an iron road
has been mainly considered in commer-
cial point of view, while its military i'm
portance has scarcely been alluded
to. That the deadly antagonism
between the Red and White races is with
out remedy is well understood; and that
it will only cease with the extinction of the
colored raceis generally admitted. 1t would
be idle to waste time in ffuitless discus
sion as to which race is al fault. Possibly,
the white man may bea much, or more to
blame than the red. But may not each
race be pursuing the inevitable road of its
own destinya For all wise and practical
purposes, it is sufficient to know that a
~
list between the two races. Since, then,
war must continue between these natural-
ly aantagopistic raees-between civilization
and barbarism--it becomes q matter of
duty and wisdom to adopt proper meas
ures to give security to our kith and kin
who have gone forth to plant Christianity
and civilization amid the prairies and the
mountains of the far off West. The great
est of m ,dern civilizers is the steam en-
gine-before its advance the Indian
and the buffalo recede together, and
churches and school houses, cultivated
| fields, and towns and cities, spring up
along its path. The Indian has supersti-
tious dread OF the snorting, roaring, rush
ing locomotive. To him, each rail upon
the road is a talisman of danger; but did
tie possess intelligence and power of COM
hination equal to his courage, the Union
Pacific railroads could not be constructed
within a century. AS it is, the Indians will
vanish like the buffalo grass and the ante
lope berry, which are said to die out when
the buffalo and the antelope no longer re-
turn to feed upon them. But clover and
timothy, the apple and the peach, wheat
and corn, the COW and the, horse. and all
eoDquering, all-subduing white man of des-
| tiny will take their places, and civilization
will rear her temples of religion and SCI
ence amid the tombs of people who lived
without an object, and died without a his
tory. lAs-l-9 81 T. aA re 2-es
| If it can be done, humanity demands that
the Indians should be gathered together in
Reservation, out of the advancing line of
the white pioneer, where they may enjoy
their own hunting grounds after their own
fashion. -t5a,. .7--ssf -t5'l.sess s4
ID But in any event, the Pacific Railroad is
important in military point of view, for
tho desiring peace we should be prepared
to transport troops and supplies on the
shortest notice to the heart of the country
now occupied by the Indians And not
until that road is completed will the States
on the Pacific be secure against European
aggression.
r7az-T THE GARDEN OF AMERICA. .. ,--.
Weall boast of the productivenesso of Ohio,
Indiana and Illinois, aud they are great
States; but the garden of America lies in
Southwestern Missouri and Northeastern
Kansas and that lovely region is settling
up with wonderful rapidity. Kansas and
Leayenworth cities are less than ten years
old, yet the former has population of fif-
teen and the latter of twenty-five thousand
inhabitants. While Lawrence, though .hiee
I times reduceu TO HsneS uurIug Lne war, Is
now a beautiful and well-built town of
seven thousand inhabitants. At Leaven-
worth saw DIR. Shannon and wife, and
Capt. JEFF. Irvine; and at Kansas City, the
Hon. Rebt. 4. Van Horn, formerly of Mount
Vernon, Joined our party, and on our re,
turn, l met with Alex. Davidson and Sol
Smith-the former a cashier and book
keeper in a leading house, and the latter
| driving his trade of a mason, with contracts
on hand to build four large three-story
houses.
THE s'KAw'' VALLEY.
Kansas City is situated at the confluence
of the Kansas with the great river mis-
called the Missouri, which in fact is but the
lextension, North-westwarG, of the Missis-
sippi. From this point, we crossed over
into the matchless valley of the Kansas, or
n ks-Kaw" river. Southwest Missouri is beau
Aiful and productive, and the scenery, es-
pecially around Pleasant Hill, is "a delight
II 10 the eye," but as you advance along the
valley of the Kaw, the soil increases in pro-
II Effectiveness, and the scenery In beauty
But before proceeding, must not forget to
say that while stopping at Pleasant Hill ]
saw Robert Irvine, his son "Mat.o and
Lloyd Lippitt-each looking well, and all
: 10 raptures over the beauty of their new
home. zt q s-i :, sg-a
The valley of the sKaw' is the route tc
the gold fields OF Colorado, Montana and
California, and is the highway over which
!. Twill pass the .surer and more permanent
wealth which will flow into our country
from China and India; and it must become
the principal market for most of the settle
: ments betw cen Kansas and California.
, PoTTAwATAMIE COUNTY. r-
D In order 10 examine for myself the mos
lovely section of the Kaw valley. tor a few
e days, parted company with the eXcur
f sionists at Wamego, thriving little place
t on the banks of the Kansas, and station
;. lon the line of the great railway, and onll
three miles from the OLD Santa Fe road
The general surface of the country is roll
4 ing, and Pottawatamie is one of the bes
Watered counties in Kansas. Accompanied
e by Mr.. Peter Baker, the County Surveyor
: spent part of two and one entire day il
: driving over the country, and was sur
q Iprised to find SO many well cult
: waited farms. Along the creeks AM
# runs there is plenty of timber TO
. building, fencing and fuel; although ther
is also much rolling prairie without tim
e Der; but believe that every section con
s tains more or less stone. And lest Ishoul
], forget to do so, / will here speak of the eX
n haustless supply of magnetism limestone
y which can be had in few hours run aloni
,r the railroad to the West. There is no bet
i ter building stone in the world. 1t is take
? out of the quarry with saw, and can
d readily cut into any given size or shape
Il and it hardens by exposure to the air. Th
se State House at Topeka is to be built of thi
d. stone. and it will be one of the finest al
ID chitectural monuments in the Union
i Many of the cities of Mexico and of th
l. South of France, are built of this stone
ut and it has the merit of being both chea
le and durable. Nor have / spoken of til
-e astonishing cheapness of pine lumber, ;ln
ut you will be surprised when tell you ths
1t pine shingles-and believe all pine lun
al ber-are cheaper at Wamego than in on
Of town of Mout Vernon. The entire lum be
I'd necessary to put up frame building ]
IN feet square only costs $50.
: Another important feature of this cour
try is the existence of companies for tt
cultivation OF hedges. You can have
ek1 good Usage orange hedge planted and Gu
TO Livated for five years, at one dollar per ro
lie to be paid in five equal annual instalment.