White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1871-02-16

1<cs1veDWOft0 kBAm0uets
Mr.. President. Gentlemen ofMe Leg;sla-
ture and Citizens Of Leorennor6:: |
Iwould that had the sloqueuce of !
Webster or Clay. thst might in Et-
ting terms reply to yonr complimentary
toast, and give u,tersnce TO the feelings
Of gratitude that swells up in my heat.
Ny life bsving been devoted T. basinss,
neither time nor opportunity has Le, q Of
fered me to cultivate the srt of speech.
making Bat l re l'z.i early ia the bat
tie Of life th.t fficuitiss mus, be sur
mounted; that where there " as v III there
was . way. snd believing. gentlemen in
that principle ain deter mined to stand
up here to night end at lszst tell yoa
how much thsuk yon for the surIcIt
you hsve given me. In the Senatorial
contest bad many able AMI wOr,hv com
petitors. smong whom were Hon S,duey
Clarke. Gov. Crawford. Hon. Thr.,ieus
w .lker, Hon. z &. Ross Col. Phillips
and Others. To these gentleman lie, ire
to return my Acknowledgements for the
very conrteons and gentlem anly manner
they saw 6t to conduct the csmpa;gn
Not one " ord Of acrimony did ever hear
as coming uow them duIirg The entire
contest.
To the members Of the Legislature l
desire to say tbs, it is with pleasure ]
embrace myself Of this. the earliest oppor
tunity. to return to them my sincere
thanks for the high honor they have con-
ferred upon .me. / fully appreciate the
dignity Of the position to which they have
called me. and as fully realize ths great
responsibilities l have assumed. The
responsibility Of Senator from young
and growing State like oars. is much
gtester than ons from an older State.
Kansas is yet IN her infancy, and her TO-
ture prosperity will depend upon the wis
dom Of those who may be entrusted with
her public Affairs. To them must we
look for tie consumaiion of our railroad
enterprises and for the development o.!
the mineral and ag' icultursl wealth Of the
State, With proper management there
is no reason Why the future Of our yoang
State should not be even more glorious
and bright than the past. What true
Ksnsan can contemplate the past with
other than feelings ofpride. But fifteen
years ago Kansas was supposed to be Q
part Of the great American Desert Cities,
towns, Villages and cultivated farms are
now located upon what VAS then waste
and . wilderness. the home Of the lndi-n
and the buffalo. The record of Kansas
is peculiarly historic. II was here npon
her beautiful prairies that slavery and
freedom met. The propasandists of
slavery beaten by the ballot. appealed to
the bullet and esssyed to spread the
blighting cnrse Of slavery over free Kan
sas. Upon her virgin soil the blood Of
liberty was shed. From the birth OF her
territorial existsnce Kansas ives the scene
Of strife. But the brave men who came
to our borders in the name ofliberty were
equal to the occasion. and a. result Of
their efforts. free Kansas wss admitted
into tie Uuicu 10 1861, scarcely ten years
ago. free State. With her admission
came the nstional call 10 arms. aud truc
to her glorious record. she was among the
first OF the States to raise men and mean-
to project that very Union of which she
bad become q part. How she ,eri, rmed
her part in the terrible struggle for pntion-
al existance. let Wilson creek, Prairie
Grove. Cane Hill ami hundred other
well fought battles attest. All through
the war the Kansas soldiers was ever
found in tho from, and in proportion To
her population hefnrnishsd more men to
defend the a,s of the nation than any
other State.
This should rebound to her honor an
long as Republics live. And notwith
standing onr early trials and tribulatious.
how rapidly and extraordinarily has Kan.
sas grown. Why. fellow citizens. fifteen
years ago the site of Lesvenwor,h was
covered with hszle brush. and the solitude
Of these majestic hills was only disturbed
BY the whoop of the Indian ard the oc
cAsional whistle of some stesmer whose
brave captain had thus far pioneered her
up the mighty river. Nov we have q
beautiful city of mors than %. 900 souls.
mscadsmized streets lighted with gas.
paved walks. blocks of commodions
stores. palaiiai residences. elegant church
es. and cathedral and school buildings.
aud q system of education that rivals that
Of New England.
The prei'ies Of Kausss. and the great
plains that ten years ego were travelled
only BY the slow and cumberous OK team.
are now spsnned by the iron rail. and
towns have sprung up as II by mag;c all
slon: the route; and the vast dom ,in il
being rapidly transformed into finely cu:
tivat.d farms.
And now. fellow citizens. what OF the
future? opine thst the predictions OF
the most ssneuine Of us would fell fer
short Of the progress our yonng State WILL
make within the next decade. Six years
ago We did not have within the State foity
miles Of railroad. Now we have sbou,
500 miles in successful operation. and
as many more projected. Within the
next ten years we will have . system Of
roads equal 10 that Of Illinois. and pop |
ulaiion Of at least million and half Of
souls. and whilst would give every en-
eoursgeneot TO railroad enterprises calcn. |
lat I'd to develop the resource Of tho State.
I would ever carefully guard and protect
the jost rights Of the settler.
In contemplating the future Of our
State. We may we'll congratulate ourselves
upon lite geographical positions. Situated
midway between the frozen Lakes of the
North and the warm waters Of the South.
between the rock. bound cosst Of
the Atlantic. and the golden sands Of the
Pacific. Upon tbs great Missouri vita
three thousand miles OF water navigation
shove Leavenworth. A soil unsurp assed
h, .uv in sha uvorld sud sh> elm sfa a.