The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1869-04-09
KANSAS vs.. INDIANA.


A friend the other day handed as q
leaf of the North Westey5s Farmer, pub
lished at indianapolis, Indiana, which
cosltainsed an article under the above
heading which is full of falsehoods in
regard TO Kansas. The writer sigue
himself j. NJ. c., and halls from Coles
county, Illinois, bot was formerly res
ident of Morgan county, Indiana. We
are glad to see that the editor Of the
Farmer does not endorse the statements
of J. NJ. C. The many worthy citizens
of this vicinity from Morgan county,
Indiaua, will not endorse them either.
II seems that j. NJ. G. was carpet
Dagger" in this State for q few weeks
last season, and formed q hasty opin-
iOn of Kansas, from travelling over
several counties without seemingly,
taking the time to give the country that
close inspection he should have given it
before delivering himself of such aoeighty
opinions as he does in the article before
us. This Is not the first instance we
have seen Of wise (7) individuals rush
ing into print and making themselves
ridiculous abOut Kansas.
But that all may see what j. N. c.
has to say about this State, we extract
the more important parts of his Scetghty
letter. lie says:
.~The readers Of the Farmer, having been in
vited 10 write for IL, / win present few facts
Ghat feel IL my duty TO write, not for the BEN
cit Of myself, but OF others. am now in
Coles county, Illinois. On the 23d Of last Sep
TENDER, started, In company with my family
and two others rs emigrants. for the western
country (Kansas) and landed in what my
friend, Mr.. Apple, calls the garden spot Of
Kansas, after four weeks hard travelling and
lam surprised at him calling Il the garden
spot. II he will examine the soil, as I did
think he will admit am right before get
through. want him to take the spade and
examine how deep the soil isl mean the por-
down be viii find a very hard, eIammy clay,
which he will be compelled to raise with
PICK or some other mighty instrument.
would like II some other one that understands
1t would explain it, for 10 Is very irregular;
sometimes 1t comes to the surface very hard
and never gets muddy: IL appears that water
night, and the wind turned from the south
west, and IN Aixty four hours the roads were
dusty, and t.had rained in torrents before.
There Is singular substance rises TO the sur
face In some places, 30 much so that 10 gathers
on the weeds, low down, and can be crumbled
Of IKE soda. ! supposed IL was alkali., Not
being chemist did not take il through any
process. unless In my system. This is not on
y In Allen county, but in the most Of the
Stats. was I'm Linn, Bourbon, Allen, Frank
lin, Anderson and johnson counties-,the lat
ter being the best saw by half"
From the tone of his letter we take
j. NJ. e. to be one of those unfortunate
iudividuals who sometimes come to
Kansas expecting to find q literal gar
don of Eden, with highly cultivated
farms ready at hand, timber, water and
good improvements, for $1.25 per acre,
aud because they do not find it that way
are disappointed, and ''sour" on the
country. This sort of men always go
back east and rush into print against
Kansas. The song is an old one, and
we zee its ear marks and hear its mourn
ful aud bilious chorus in the above ex-
tract. The country is always the better
Oh for their leaving, and their publica-
tions have little or no effect on the kind
OF people whom we want to come here
To stay. All people who have come to
kansas-and there are several hundred
thousand of them-have enjoyed the
same "four weeks hard travelling and
exposure" They didn't expect any
thing else and don't want to appeal to
the syInpathies of eastern people about
II, and implore them to stay at home on
that account. Did j. NJ. G. expect to
fluid railroads to every section of the
State, with Pullman cars attached? He
puts us in mind of an eight years old
boy crying with q certain complaint
caused by eating too many green apples
Then he made an examination of our
soil, and won't our farmers be disap-
pointed when they read it. His discOv-
cries will be new to many who have
been delviDg in our soil for ten OF
twelve years. We suppose they will
get discouraged and leave by the humid
red. We have been in some twenty
counties of the State-including those
named by j. NJ. C.-and We have never
seen anything like the wonderful dis
coveries made by this j. NJ. G. If there
is anything Kansas is distinguished fol
1t Is her rich deep soil. 1t is composed
of the vegetable Accommodations of cen
turtles. There is no "clammy clay" il
It, If we know what is meant by clay
You have to go east to find that. A
the depth of two or three feet it is gen
orally compact, but is black and rich
II is true the attempt TO dig it makes
lazy man shudder. The sight of "a pick
or some other mighty instrument al
ways does. The soil is light and mel
low and dries very quick after rain
This seems to have astonished our In
diana friend. He expected to find ponds
swamps and marshes, and sixty-fou
hours after shower, mud knee deep +
q horse. He won't find that in Kansas
except in long continued wet spells
We in Kansas think this a recommend
alton to our soil. The experience G
the past six months knocks this learne
mans theory that water will not pent
trate the soil into a cooked hat, as
can ascertain by addressing (enclOsin
. red stamp any gentleman who wa
compelled to do hauling during I'll
winter months. He either did not G,
anime our soil, or if he did knew L
more about it than two-year old DO
In fact, most of our old settlers wou
be inclined to spank any of their tw
year Odds who displayed as great d
gree of ignorance as j. NJ. c. This
not the first learned disquisition v
have seen from eastern "carpet-bagger
on the singular substance" that rises
the surface and gathers on the weed
ard haa tha annaar.anea If eoda III