The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-10-14
WICHITA ITEMS.

The recent wet weather has placed
the roads in such a condition that it has
been almost impossible to get lumber to
Wichita, and consequently but little
building is being done at present. There
are about thirty buildings under con-
tract, to be built as soon as the lumber
arrives. We noticed about twenty new
business houses on Main ST., built with
in the last month. Several new brick
buildings are going up. The progress
and continued prosperity of Wichita are
without a precedent in the history of
Kansas, and although much has been
said of this place through the press and
otherwise, strangers are unprepared to
find such city, and so full of life on
the lands, one year ago designated the
'Plains," and supposed to be without
any redeeming qualities. To illustrate
the manner in which Sedgwick county
has been filling up, we refer our readers
to the neighborhood of Payne's Ranch,
on the head of Dry Creek. This is on
the Homestead strip, ten miles from
Wichita, where last winter not a soul
lived nearer than ten miles; now they
have a voting precinct with thirty-five
legal voters. But this is only one in
stance of the many in this rich and rap
idly developing country. For many
miles on either side of Wichita each
quarter section has resident.
The business men informed us that
4 IL, 10
that of any previous month.
The citizens of this county firmly eX-
pect Wichita will be point on the A,
T. Il S. Il. r. II. They have voted $780,
600 in county bonds to the railroad COM
pany, and it certainly will be one of the
most paying points in the southwest.
The probabilities are that they will
have quite lively little political fight
here this fall for Representative. Mr..
Ed. Smith and Capt. Steele are the prin-
cipal candidates, subject to the decision
of the County Convention. They are
both gentlemen of ability and would
make able Legislators. j. a. III.
Coon NoMNATIoNs.-Wea are glad to
hear that the republicans of Sedgwick
county have placed in nomination for
representative, j. Al. Steele, of Wichi-
ia. Mr.. S. was, for while, resident
here, and we know enough of him to be-
lieve that he is the kind of a man who
will command the influence and sup
port of fellow members in favor of any
measure he may advocate for the bene-
| fit of his newly settled and rapidly de-
veloping section of the State. We be-
lieve the people of Sedgwick will not
regret their action, if they ratify their
nomination at the ballot-boX. The live
town of Wichita needs man like Mr..
| Steele in the Legislature, and her peo-
pie as well as those in the county, are
to be congratulated on having secured
| his nomination.
Prof. III. Il. Norton has been nomina-
ted by the republicans of Cowley coun-
ty for the same position. This nomina-
ton is also a good one. Prof Norton,
as the public knows, was for years con-
nected with the State Normal School.
He is a gentleman of liberal education,
forcible debater, a man of thorough
knowledge of the wants and interests of
the section of the State from which he
halls, and man of unimpeachable and
never-failing integrity. If elected, he
will be heard from, always on the side
of right, in the next Legislature. AT
this distance from the ''field of battle''
we are inclined to the opinion that the
people of Cowley county cannot do a
better thing than to let Prof. Norton
| try his hand as a legislator.
Our daily is DELAYED on account of