The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1869-12-17
B8SE 81 NhERs.

by a ReU. % VIM. Campbell, of Niles,
Trumbull county, Ohio, and published
in the Independent of that town.
It seems the aforesaid Campbell was
sent here as sort of an agent to "spy
out the land, and on his return he made
a report to a public meeting in Niles.
That report is as evil of this country as
the report of the promised land +"
drought to Moses by the twelve rebel
lious Israelites, and we advise the peos
pie of Niles and vicinity to send an
honest and sensible Joshua or Caleb to
search the land for them, if they are
really DESTROYS of correct information
concerning it.
j In a few respects the report is favor
able and true, but the mass of it is mex
cusably erroneous. We propose to no.
ticc a few of these errors.
The first misstatement is unimpor-
tant, but we notice it to show the char
acter of the report throughout. He
says it is thirty-five miles from Topeka
to Burlingame. The real distance is
twenty-five to twenty-five miles. If a
man will exaggerate in small matters
he will in those of Importance.
/ Misrepresentation No. 2 is as follows
Neither the Agent or clerks in the
Office at Humboldt could give any def
mite informatian whether there was a
single quarter section in the State unoc-
cupied, that is now in the market. In
fact there is no way to ascertain except
by personal investigation, aided by a
surveyor at Kansas prices. A person
has to reside on his claim six months
before he can enter it at the land of
fee. He then gets it at cost of one
dollar and a quarter per acre. One can
never depend upon the statements OF
the settlers as to the ownership of any
particular tract. Almost invariably they
will claim to own it themselves, close a
bargain for the sale of it, if the inquirer
wants it, and is green enough to pur-
chase from him, hastens to the land Of
flee and procures title, and returning,
transfers it to Greeney at double the
government price, or more OF less &C
cording to Greeney's estimate of its
worth"
i The above is exceedingly fiat, and
is as false from beginning to end as it is
fiat. We have the honor of personal
acquaintance with both the officers OF
the Humboldt land Office, which is moi
a branch of the Office at Topeka, and be-
lieve, from what those who have done
business with them tell us, that they are
universally polite and prompt, and both
having been residents of the State fol
ten or twelve years, they cannot fail to
be we'll posted in land matters. Itwould
seem that Campbell fell into the hands
of some sharper, who may have swim
died him in selling him ''claim." II
so, he very properly calls himself
Greeney." These sharpies always
know who to ego for" That we are
cursed with few such characters who
prey upon greenies we will admit, but
the newcomer must not conclude, as
Campbell did, that the people of Kan
sas are a set of scoundrels. They are as
honorable as any set of people we, have
ever lived with, and we have tried them
nearly thirteen years. We will ac-
knowledge they have way, peculiar to
themselves, of cutting the eye-teeth OF
such gents as we take Campbell to be.
They ought not to do so.
l
81 learned by admissions of land
spectators, the universal testimony OF
the women, and by my own observa-
ton, that it takes two years to become
acclimated, during which time the new
settler is nearly constantly sick; and
|; that it is extremely difficult to raise
children until they reach the age of five
or six years. One lady from Vermont
remarked, IF you want to get your eye
teeth cut, just come to Kansas An
other lady declared there was not a
man who had lived in Kansas two years
who did not become lazy and worth
less including her husband, who was
present The woe-begone, Indifferent,
indolent, wretched looks of the settlers
would fully sustain her in this declara-
tion.l @
Well venture that Mr.. c. learned no
such thing as is contained in the fore
part of the above paragraph. Well
venture the assertion, also, that Mr.
Campbell never travelled in more
healthy country, or among more
healthy looking people. How could a
man, especially with Rev. before his
name, go home and tell such an unmiti.
gated falsehood? Considerable ague
prevails here, in the fall of the year
among settlers on the bottoms in wet
seasons, but large majority of people
have no sickness here which they dc
not bring from the east with them
Every observing and truthful man will
admit this. We have but to refer to
our schools and private residences to
find abundant proof that Mr.. C.'s state.
ment about children is wholly untrue
OF course, care has to be taken here
as elsewhere, with children and adults
or i'll health may ensue. The very ma
ture of the climate and lay of the coun-
try will convince any sensible and re-
fiecting man on first sight that it must
be healthy. Now and then we find
people who are dissatisfied with Kan
sas. Of such is probably the lady from
, Vermont. They generally have parents
in the east who are begging them TO re-
turn. The true friends of Kansas are
always glad to get rid of such grum-
; blers. The very fact that thousands OF
people are coming here every year, and
staying, and the other fact that the coun-
try has been inhabited for twelve OIL
fourteen years, is proof that the state
ments of Campbell in regard to its un.
healthfulness are false. How many ont
of the thousands who annually come
here would stay if they had to be sick
two yearss and if they had such sad
experience in raising children? The
: facts in regard to the matters are well
!, known to intelligent people east, and
they will at once stamp the statements