Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-07-03
Correspondence of the HERALD
letter from Kansas.
TOPEKA, Kan. June IA.


Edit0r RutEa1ad Herald Topeka, the
capital and old historic city of Kansas,
would to-day hardly be recognized by
the early inhabitants of the State who
have not seen ii for the last ten years.
AS you approach the town from the
north, instead of the old rickety ferry
boat or pontoon bridge, you find sub
stantial iron bridge across the Kansas
river, built by tho King bridge company,
whose shops are located here. This
bridge is well supported by stone piers,
and cost, am told, about eighty thou
sand dollars. As you cross the river,
instead of a cheap house or shanty here
and there, and a store or two, you see
large brick blocks of stores with fine
fronts, on either side of Kansas avenue,
the principal business street, for nearly
half mile, and dwellings, hotels,
churches, etc, extending nearly as far
as the eye can reach, the town site be-
ing a beautiful rolling prairie on the
south side of the Kansas river. The
city now contains about eight thousand
inhabitants, and has become one Of the
most lively and substantial towns in
Kansas.
One wing of the capitol is already
completed 1t is built of Junction City
lime stone, which somewhat resembles
Joliet marble, used so extensively for
fronts in Chicago, but is not so good and
4 is too easily crushed, for so large a
building. Many of the blocks in the
front are already cracking, and will have
TO be removed and replaced.
On entering the State Library l met
an old friend, Judge Bingham, the Chief
Justice of Kansas, who was there enjoy
ing his ''otiup cum dignitate" during the
recess of court. The Judge very readily
showed me around the library and point
ed out all its excellencies. AS a law
library it is very valuable and contains
many rare books, and must be of great
service to the legal profession in the
State.
Topeka has two fine public school
buildings, a ladies seminary and col
lege.
Kansas has more colleges than stu
dents. am sorry to see somany. Every
denomination must have its college, IN
addition to the State University at Law
renee and the agricultural college at
Manhattan The result will be the same
as in Vermont. The colleges will strug-
gle along for existence until some OF
them will finally die, and none of them
will, for years, be what they might were
there less of them. l hope no Eastern
man will be humbugged into giving
money to help sustain and keep alive
any of the poor colleges of Kansas.
The sooner they die the better it will be
for the State. The State University and
Agricultural College have large lanc
grants and receive aid from the State
and it would be far better for the people
of Kansas to concentrate their effort;
upon building them up and making them
what they ought to be, instead of trying
to sustain several sickly colleges IN dlf-
ferent parts of the State. These two IN
stitutions will be all the colleges kansas
will need for the next fifty or one hun
bred wears, and perhaps Tor all tline.
Almost the first man | met at the de-
not here, on leaving the cars, was Sena.
tor Pomerov. He is looking well, ano
as though his trial for bribery, to come
off here next week, does not trouble hin
much. His friends, so far as | have
heard, all admit his guilt, but say they
do not think he will be convited and
should be acquitted, as everybody
expects he will probably enter the
field as candidate for the Sen
ate and the people of Kansas are
politically, so thoroughly demoralized
that l should not be surprised if he were
: Caldwelps successor.
Senator Pomeroy has two hundred
COWS on his farm which have never beer
MIXED, but each one is sucking calf
He requested me to send him a Yer
monter who has dozen children, Ole
i enough to milk, and wife who can rur
a cheese factory. He said he would