Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-05-03
Letter from Kansas.

DOOy, l take advantage OF q uulI dlteTHoOu W
scribble you line or so of everyday matters.
We have just had our April election
q town meeting you would call it, sup
pose, in Vermont. Probably everybody knows
that business is not done here by towns as it
is in Vermont, but mostly by counties. 1t is
true, c have townships which correspond
with your towns, but it would be safe to say
not one man in a dozen can tell where the
township lines are or why they exist at all.
There are some Offices that pertain peculiarly
to townships. We have an assessor and a
trustee, both Offices being held by the same
person. We have a regular constable and
justice of the peace. Then there are the
path masters. OF road masters, or supervisors
or whatever you are pleased to call them for
in a Western crowd this office has about as
many names as there are States represented
Vermonters, | believe, call it surveyor,
though | think it would puzzle them to tell
WIN. These officers are elected the first
Tuesday in April There is seldom much
enthusiasm manifested at these elections,
and the vote is always light. ought to
mention that we seldom ever get through a
season without one or more special elections,
either township or county. Whenever a
new railroad line is proposed, and bonds for
a few hundred thousand dollars are wanted,
a special election is ordered and we 90 and
vote them.
Last Tuesday there was considerable more
interest than usual, as there was question
up that is being asitated all through the
Western States This particular locality
had pettioned the Legislature, and obtained
the privilege Of deciding by vote whether We
would have herd law or no TIE sub
stance OF this law Is that whoever has
cattle. horses Or stock Of any kind, shall take
care Of them. OF course then those who
have no stock, would have no fencing to DO.
1t would take too much space to give the
arguments, pro and con, that were used in
this matter, but viii just hint at them
Those who favored the law argued that it
was the poor mans Iaw-that these prairies
never could be settled up until there was in
operation a law OF this character Fencing
material Is so scarce that away back, scycral
miles from timber. it Is exceedingly expensive
for farmer to fence hi- farm and if be
has no cattle of his own. what Justice i. there
in compelling him to incur this expense
Ought be to 30 it, they asked, that owners
Of cattle might allow their herds TO roam at
pleasure, without care OF trouble on their
part. he virtually bearing the expense, while
they pocketed the profits? 1t was main
tanned that fences should he built around
cattle, instead of around growing crops for
cattle might 30 neighhor Iarm, tut a grow
I ing crop never would. It was better and
cheaper, they argued, for the State at larg,
to fence their cattle IN. instead If fencing
them out.
I On tie other hand, II was argued thai
Kansas was pleem.nently adapted to stock
raising. Those who are loudest in praise o.
our state dwell mainly ufon this point
1 Pass the herd law. and cattlc-men would IL
shy Of bringing their cattle here. 1t woul,
not he safe to take herd Of cattle out upor
these prairics with here and there grai1
crop unprotected by a fence. for with tb,
keen scent for mischief, which an cattl,
pr9verhially nave. they would ID likely t,
break away from the &. utrol of a hcrdsma1
at any time. and there would re DO end 81
the trouble that would be caused. Thu
one most in portant branch ST business yeoulc
be killed he vast amount of luxuriau
grass that is annually converted into cash
through the fundamentally Of hooi-. would
I be a dead loss Then stock must have water
and sometimes they have to ~ long way
b get it, Ii would he impractigable fol
every owner of quarter section 70 fence of
\ d corner Of ms farm for pasture on this ac-
count Catt.e-men were vehement against
the law They ttau5hJ it uuwi-e and an
polite for the business Of catt'c-raising to D.,
SO restricted that is could mot Do done viii
+ profit, simply because now ard then man
wanted to raise patch Of corn, pr cabbage.
on tie open prairie. lie law VS. vote,
down more than two TO one.
We are having forward p riug-mor,
than two weeks ahead Of last year. We lag
our cold weather in the earlier part 81
winter, and tie latter part has been much
warmer than usual-aa arrangement that
gives universal satisfaction. Cattle now &c
a good living Or the prairie. and will hardly
be tempted to touch the lest of fodder
Poplar and cottonwood trees are nearly il
iuu leaf Apple trees are in fun bloom
Peach trees arc past that stage. their bios
SONS having come out and disappeared
Wheat never looked finer. Yesterday | had
occasion T. haul some shocks Of corn from
field OF wheat, and | could hardly check tb
horses heads 90 high bat that they woul
reach tic tops Of the waving grain. It wa
more than knee high.
Emigration still continues t. pour nto ID
State at an almost unprecedented rate. Tn,
three new counties south Of here are e. innate
to have had an increase of thousand IN
hsbitant~ each, within the past two year
and still they come We bid them Welcome
We want to see these wild prairic~ worko
up into farms. Il is what they were mad
for. Still feel constrained TO add that W
are not entirely dependent upon outside hell
10 fill VI our State. Kansas would soOl
grow to her full stature, independent of an
more immigration. | heard it said. On goo
authority, that the ratio of births to deaths
here. was about twenty to one. Our Thysi
can, in conversation short time since, dir
closed the number Of those interesting Gaze
that add to the duties of the census-takcl
which had come within the scope Of hi
practice within a given time, but if shout
mention it here no one would believe me
neither viii mention, because they are 5
common, the name Of lady, our neighbol
who is the mother Of fourteen children, an
who has thirteen iull gown sisters beside
several brothers hut taking this as eaB.ul,