The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-04-08
THE CITY OF EMPORIA-ITS POPU.
LATIOy.


This week Emporia throws off the ha-
biliments of village, and becomes, in
the eyes of the law, a city of the sec
ond class. So, then, we are a city. To
those ofus who have watched the growth
of the town from two or three wooden
shanties, one little store and two OF
three thousand vacant town lots, through
all the drouths, wars and discourage
ments of dozen years, this is indeed
gratifying! Attimes, in days long gone
by, the discouragements seemed insur-
mountable, but the energy of the peo-
pie knew no such word as fail, and their
faith in the town and country has tri-
umphed over all difficulties. Other
towns, started at the same time this one
was, with equal advantages and more
capital to back them, have long since
been numbered among the things that
were. Nothing less than the indomita-
BILE energy, pluck, and unfiinching faith
Of the citizens of Emporia, as manifest
ed on hundreds of occasions in its early
history, would have triumphed over the
IssaS tAACu ldlu TIC WHY Oh
the progress of the town. One of the
secrets of her success has been the uni
ty of the people on all matters that af-
fected her interests. They believed in
and have practiced the maxim that Gin
union there is strength" No matter
how bitter the contests in our private
councils, whenever a man or set of men
were chosen to represent us anywhere,
they were backed by the whole force of
the town. While rival towns were
fighting for the ascendency of individ-
uals, Emporia gathered around her mail
routes, educational institutions and
railroads. We do not now remember
of an important railroad convention
anywhere in Southern Kansas in which
Emporia was not represented in the
early times when railroad matters were
first being discussed by the early set
tiers. She was a point in all the rail-
roads, SO that afterwards when practical
projects became to beconsidered it was
must come to Emporia. We do not say
these things boastingly or to the dis
credit of any other point, but merely
to show that our people had so great a
degree of faith in the town and coun-
try as to attend to such matters when
they seemed of little or no importance,
and to show that it was by this very
exercise of faith that we now have a
town of twenty five hundred people,
with State Normal School AMI two
railroads, and sure prospect for the
third. These could just as well have
been secured at some other point in this
section of the State, had not our citizens
looked after them when most people
thought them not worth looking after.
In two or three years Emporia will be
surpassed by no point in Kansas in the
way of being accessible by railroads
from all parts of the State. She is q
point on a road which traverses the en-
tire Neosho Valley, giving access from
sections of the State; the AtchisOn, To-
peka and Santa Fe road will be compile
ted here in two months, giving access
from the Kaw Vally and Northern Kan
sas it will be pushed to the Southwest
as speedily as possible, and will give &C.
cess to Emporia from the whole South
western part of the State. In short
time we shall be in connection with the
eastern part of the State by railroad
connections via Ottawa and Paola
and via Humboldt and Fort Scott.
When these roads are all completed, as
they will be in short time, no city in
Kansas will have better railroad advan-
tages or be more of railroad center.
The population of the town as shown
by the vote cannot be less than $500
There were nearly 400 votes polled
This multiplied by five, which we be.
lieve is the rule in the west, would give
us population of 1000. A large por
ton of the voting population cannot bt
reckoned in this way, because they had
not been in the State six months, as re
quired by law, before they were entitled
to vote. There are at least 500 people
in the town not represented in the vote
on Monday last. Good judges thinl
there are more than that, but we prefer
to be on the safe side. BY the first o
January next, at the present rate of in
crease, we shall have population o
four thousand people.