The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-10-28
KANSAS In 1870.
HORACE GREELEY'S ESTIMATE Oh
OUR STATE.

HORACE GREELEf'S ESTIMATE DE
OUR STATE.
| EGThe Child is Born Who Will See Her
Fifth, If not Fourth, in Population
and Production among the States Of our
UniOn."
Editorial Correspondence of N. Y. Iribune.]
TOPEKA, Kansas, Oct. 8, 1870.
More than eleven years have passed
since my former visit to Kansas-years
in part eventful, stormy, trying, glo-
rious. 1 presume that the settlement
and growth of this, with nearly every
other new State, and every Territory,
were retarded to the full extent of its
four years duration; so that Kansas has
had seven years to grow in since May,
1859. Then she had about sixty thous-
| and inhabitants now she has over three
hundred and fifty thousand, as she had
that number when the Federal census
was taken last June; and she cannot
| we'll have less than four hundred thous-
and at the close of the current calendar
year. In cultivated area, buildings, pro-
| ductiven ess and wealth, she has in
creased fully nine-fold since my former
visit. And while so large ratio of in
| crease in numbers cannot long be main
| tanned, l am confident our next census
will give her population of at least
one million.
And this for the best possible reasons.
Settlers are pouring iuto eastern Kan
| sas by carloads, wagOn-loads, horse
loads, daily, because of the fertility of
her soil, the geniality of her climate,
her admirable diversity of prairie and
timber, the abundance of her living
streams and the marvellous facility
| wherewith homesteads may here be Gre
ated. The coal which underlies large
proportion of her area, and the lime
| stone which crops out at almost every
bluff, in nearly every ravine, add sig
nally to the value of her millions on
millions of yet unplowed acres. Where
ever declivity, however moderate, is,
there choice limestone for fencing, or
building, or burning, may be rapidly ia
ken out with pick and bar. Most of it
is in fiat, square, or oblong blocks of
ten to sixty pounds, whereof the poor
est may be laid up with facility into ex-
cellent wall, leaving the better available
for building. This limestone has yield
ed and is still yielding near the surface
to decay, enriching the soil while in
creasing the facility with which the I'M
corroded portions are broken into con-
yenient blocks for use. The veins
of coal are usually thin, while the coal
(bituminous) is far less dense than our
anthracite, ignites far more readily,
burns out quickly, and yields but half
the heat afforded by anthracite. l pre-
sumo thicker veins of better quality
will be found on further and deeper
search, since the quest of it has hither-
to been hasty and superficial.
Timber is scarce in some localities,
though the need of it has hardly been
felt as yet. The intervaIes of the Kan
cac A ,.l-n o,,I kI1,, AL -,
ries, still yield elm, sycamore, soft ma
pie, ETC., in abundance, but the pine
bounteously used in building, as boards,
etc., is wholly imported, mainly from
Lake Michigan and the upper Mississ-
ippi. And while the peach is uniform
ly luxuriant, and the apple and grape do
very well, l regretfully conclude that
the high winds which sweep over these
prairies deal harshly with some of our
finest forest trees. Lawrence is dark
ened with fence-rows of soft or swamp
maple, with very few indeed of sugar
variety and my inquiry for the reason
developed the fact that the hard maple
grows slowly in this mild climate, and
does not seem at home. 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 prairie fires, to which
they were till lately habituated. Lo-
Gust the borer will not suffer to live ;
while of evergreens far too few-main-
ly pines and and cedars-have as yet
been set out. These seem to live, but
not decidedly to thrive. 1t may give
some eastern people an idea of pecu-
| iarity of these prairies if / state that,
while soil and climate are alike congo
NAL, little tobacco is grown in Kansas,
| and l have been repeatedly told that
this is owing to the high winds which
whip the tender, growing leaves into
| lifeless strings. The sweet potato does
| very well, and is extensively grown.
Indian corn, wheat and cattle are the
chief staples of the State. Thousands
of bushels of old corn are still on hand,
and 1 was told by the mayor of Law
renee that he could ship it heavily to
Denver if the railroad would transport
it for $3.50 per car; but he was asked
| 5000 per car, which was more than the
price at Denver would afford so the
trade was stopped. / presume the road
| (Kansas Pacific) is short of rolling
stock; otherwise, $3.50 per car for COL
miles of road through level, and yet
unpeopled, country would seem sufi-
cient.
| And this reminds me that Kansas is
railway-mad. She now reckons over
1,500 miles of completed track, and is
pushing on the construction of more
with reckless rapidity. Two roads run
from Kansas City southwestwardly
through her southeastern counties
Lawrence has one such Topeka anoth-
err Junction City third and there are
two or three more of the same sort be-
gun or at least projected; the Kansas
Pacific runs westward through the
heart of the State; the Atchison swim
die runs parallel thereto some thirty Oh
forty miles north another starts at Ell
| wood opposite St. Joseph and means to
reach Denver in time, by the aid OF
prospective land grants and possible
subsidies; and there are several more
Matched or Matching. And the strug-
giles of the various railroad combina-
ticns or t.rings" for Indian and other
land grants have corrupted and are still
corrupting the State, buying and de-
bauching its legislators, converting the
choice of U. S. Senators into auctions
and tainting its elections with venality
and jobbery.
/ I do not speak in the interest of those
who profess opposition to railroad ra-
pacity and monopoly. After hearing
their story, cannot realize that they
are one whit less selfish and sordid thar
the adverse crowd. Take, for example
the squatters on Indian lands, especial
ly on the eight millions of acres o.
Usage lands just coming into market
All of these lands, hear, are claimed
by squatters, who ought to be fifty
thousand in number to make theil
claims valid aud legal, since they are
restricted 10 a quarter section (16l
acres) each. Does any one imagine tina
there are so many bona .tfde settlers OF
J, those lands? / doubttha there is hal
the number. And even of these, hal
viii be found to have made claims witt
intent to sell them at an early day 4
the highest bidder.