White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1868-07-02
Volume Twelve.

Volume IL of the Chief-a 6gure that
has been reached by bat very few papers
west of the Mississippi River. There is
. vast difference in tue appearance and
prospects Of Kansas, between the present
time sad the Spring of 1867, when Vol
ume !. Number 1. of the Chief appeared.
Long before the close Of Volume 2, we
had little hope that the first number Of
Volume 8 would ever see daylight. But
by hanging on, by the hardest kind Of
work. and by the help of kind patrons.
We managed to "wiggle" through. and
have the pleasure of issuing the irst num-
Der of four times 3.
When We first landed here, the town
contained about half dozen shanties.
and less than that member of families
now our population is not far short Of
1900. An occasional box of tobacco or
barrel of whiskey were the usual extent
Of freight landed from steamboats, at our
levee--now the trade and manufactures Of
White Cloud are greater than that OF
any three towns in Kansas, north Of
Atchison. Then, the country from White
Cloud west was on unbroken parsirie,
with scarcely farm to be met with
now, rs far as one can travel, he finds Q
comparatively well settled country. with
new Improvements sprirging up in every
direction. Thep, we received an occa.
sional mail on horseback, or 10 the pock-
cts of some person who happened to get
hold of it; and hard work to prevent
that privilege from Icing taken from us
DOW, we have three or four mails
daily. in four-horse coaches, and tele
graphic communication with the whole
world. Points that were then doing
q. heavy business, with bright pros
poets for the future, are now almost de-
serted; and newspapers that Aourished
and blew their trumpets loudly, and
threatened to break down all competitors,
have been dead SO long that even their
names are forgotten.
When the Chief was first started, the
Free State men of K Ksnsas bad not began
to fight the Pro-Slavery party at the
polls. The Border Rufisus had Regis
try law, and their officers were around
registering the names Of men of their
stripe Of politics, but failing to find Free
State men to register. The Lecompton
Constitution was framed by men elected
under this registry. and there seemed to
be no earthly prospect Of preventing the
admission Of Kansas as q Slave State
The following Fall, the Free State party
made 6ght, and carried the Territory;
and have held it ever since. The Le-
compton Constitution was rejected, the
State admitted free, and is now one Of
the most Radical States in the Union.
The Government has passed from the
control OF Shareholders into the hands Of
the friends Of Freedom. The country
has seen terrible war; and Slavery, that
had its deadly clutches upon X ansas, has
been swept from the nation. OF the men
who lorded it over Kansas eleven years
ago. some are sleeping in traitors graves,
some are eking out precarious existence
in obscurity, and some are begging the
men whom they once disfrsnchised to re-
store to them the right of voting!
A man who, when the Chief was start
ed. was at the bottom of the hill, subsist.
ing by borrowing little sums from his
friends, afterwards attained such power.
that his win controlled the destinies Of
the State. Still later, he betrayed her
people, died suicide. and is almost as
little thought of ss if be had never lived.
Other men, who we're then in poverty and
obscurity, have since besn thrown into
positions Of power. have become wealthy |
by selling the rights Of their constituents,
and sre awaiting their time to return to
oblivion. Hundreds OF others, who were
then true. have remained true ever since. |
and nave been rewarded only BY on sp-
proving conscience.
We enter upon the 18th volume, with
the promise to continue to do the best we
can. and hoping still to receive the sup
port of our old friends. many of whom
have been with us from Volume /, Num-
Der 1. and many new ones from the
thousands who are aocking to our grand
young State. If we are so fortunate as
to be permitted to send forth twelve moro
annual volumes. We cannot anticipate
what changes viii have taken place when
we announce the irst issue of our 6rst
quarter of century 10 Kansas!
E Those suffering from chronic dis.
eases should not despair of finding relief