New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-10-14
KANSAS IN 1870.

nearly every other new State and every Territory,
were retarded to the fnl extent Of it's four yearS
duration: so that Kansas has really had seven yeau
to grow in since May. 1852 Then, she had about
Sixty Thousand inhabitants; now, she has over Il
Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand, as she bad that
number when the Federal Census was taken last
lime. and she cannot well have less than -Four
Hundred thousand at the close Of the current cal
endar wear. In cultivated area, building, pro
ductivoness. and wealth, she has increased fully
nine-fold since my former visit And, while 80 largs
n ratio of increase in numbers cannot long be MAN.
tanned arn confident that next Census viii
give her population of at least One HilllOn.
And this for the best possible reasons Settlers are
pouring into eastern Kansas by carloads wagon
loads horse-loads daily because Of the fertility Of
her SOIL the gcmsHty Of her climate, her admirable
diversity Of prairie and timber the abundance Of her
living streams and the marvellous facility wherewth
homesteads may here be created. The Coal which
| underlies large proportion OF her area ana the
Limestone which crops out at almost every dun. IN
nearly every ravine add sgnaly to the value OF her
millions on millions Of yetunplowedacres wherever
declivity however moderate, is seen, there choice
| Limestone for fencing, or building. or burning,
may be rapidly taken out with pick and bar, most Of
il in fiat, square Tor oblong) blocks of ten to
sixty pounds, whereof the poorest may be laid mp
with facility into excellent wall leaving the better
available for building This Limestone has yielded
and is still yielding the surface to decay, en-
riching the soil while increasing the facility with
which the uncOrroded portions are broken INTO con-
yenient blocks for use. The veins OF Coal are uSu-
ally thin, while the Coal (Bituminous) is far les
dense than our Anthracite gnites far more readily.
burns ont quickly and yields but half the heat az
forded by Anthracite. / presume thicker veins OF
better quality will be found further and deeper
e "a I,sI -, .Iaara hc .tyl
and superficial.
| Timber is scarce in some localities, though tho
need of it has hardly been felt yet. The inter
wales of tho Kansas 0sage Arkansas and their tnbu
tares still yield Flu Sycamore, Soft Maple &c IN
abundance but the Pine bounteOusly used in build
ing, as Boards &C.. is wholly imported mainly bom
! Lake Michigan and tho upper Mississippi And
while the Peach is uniformly luxuriant, and the ~
pie and Grape do very well, regTettully conclude
that the high winds which sweep over these praries
deal harshly with some of our finest foreSt-trees
Lawrence is darkened with fence-rOws of Soft or
Swamp Maple, with very few indeed of the Sugar
variety; and my inquiry for the reason developed
the fact that the Hard Maple grows slowly III tins
mild climate and does not seem at home here. The
| Oaks which cover many Of the eastern slopes are
mainly Of the Red variety usually low and stunted-
perhaps by the heat of the annual prsirie-fres to
borer will not suffer to live While of Eyergreens far
too few-mainIy Pines and Red Cedars--haye as yet
been set out these seem to live but not decidedly to
thrive 1t may give some Eastern people an idea OF
popularity of these praires if state that. while
soil and climate alike congenial, little Tobacco Isl
| grown in Kansas, and have been repeatedly todd
that this is owing to the high winds,
which whip the tender, growing leaves into
lifeless strings! The Sweet Potato doesI
very WELL and is extensively grown. Indian Corn.
Wheat and Cattle the chief staples of the State
Thousands of bushels of old Corn still hand
and was told by the Mayor of Lawrence that he
could ship it heavily to Denver if the railroad would
transport it for $50 per car; but he asked S90
per car, which was more than the price at Denver
would afford: so the trade stopped. l presumed
the road kansas Pacific is short Of rOlng-stoCk
otherwise $3.50 per for COL miles of road through
level and yet unpeopled country would seem
sufficient
And this reminds me that Kansas is railway-mad.
She now reckons over 800 miles of completed track
! aud is pushing on the construction of more with
reckless rapidity. Two roads run from Kansas City
MOL enthusiastically through her southeastern
counties; Lawrence has one such: Topeka another;
Junction City third; and there are two or three
more of the same sort begun or at least projected
the Kansas Pacific runs westward through the heart
OF Ile inc AICNcSOu SNlnuic runs parallel
thereto some thirty or forty miles north another
starts at ElwOOd opposite st. joseph and means to
reach Denver in time by the aid of prospective land
grants and possible subsdes and there are seyoaI
more hatched or Matching And the struggles Of the
various Railroad combinations or RINGS for Indian
and other Immigrants have corrupted and are still
corrupting the State, buying and debauching ib
legislators, converting the choice of L. s. Senators
into auctions, and tainting its elections with We
nality and jObbery.
do not speak in the interest of those who profess
opposition to railroad rapacity and monopoly. After
hearing their story, cannot realize that they are
one whit less selfish and sordid than the adyers
crowd Take for example, the squatters on Indian
lands, especially on the Eight Millions of acres
Usage lands just coming into market All Of thea
lands, hear, are claimed" " sQuatters, wha
ought to be Fifty Thousand in number to make then
claims valid and legal since they are restricted to,
auarter-section n6O acres) each. Does any QHe
Imagine that there are many bona dde settlers %
those lands 1 doubt that there is half tie number
And even of these, half will be found to have made
claims with intent to sell them at early day to the
highest bidder.
The Railroad men mean TO make good thing u
their operaiOns-there is no doubt of that Ipresums
they seldom fail 10 achieve their end. Nevertheless
the Railroads they build great positive enduring
good But for those roads. the population of Kansas
would have been hardly more than half. while l /
wealth would have been less than half the actual |
amount. The lands of Kansas are worth and would
sell for twice the value OF those same lands in the
absence of her railroads.
Now, it is idle for the anti-Railroad men TO say L
that they not opposed To Railroads. when thsy Il
VIGOROUSLY condemn and dCnounce the only means /
whereby these Railroads or could have been L
built Had the Immigrants and subsidies been with |
held. Kansas would not have had two hundred ml.s /
of railroad nor two hundred thousand people, tbs
day.
The sGuaters desire that others shall furnish the |