The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1874-10-08
SUFFERING KANSAS.


Ed. PILtf:
Eveutful indeed has been the history of
Kansas, and lame ntable, in the main, have
been he- experiences. Ushered into exis-
renee tbr,rgh vail of blood, she com
I u need her career a. be 'f.one of ccIte t.
Ion" te:He two great factions, hich has
since revolusionized ,.ur country, and under
the title of Bleeding Kansas, took her place
IN history as having advanced the first eff
fectuai grade 90 the ladder Of progressive
civilization, the acme Of which was the abo;i
| ton of human bondage in thi. country
Drenchcd in blood by the sanguinary con
6cts between the two smaller representa-
tive factions, the free state men and Border
Rufians, which were struggling. the one FOR
those everlasting prime pies of right and
justice which eventually took precedence,
the other for the perpetaa.ion Of an evil,
;ry lives innumerablr, and dollars almost
beyond computation; weighing down she
nation with load Of debt under which IT
is still grooming .Is seemed ss though Kansas
could lot survive; tut with giant nerve she
struggled into statehood, and adopted as h,,
motto Al astrd per aspera To the stars
! through difficulties "A mo:to grand in it,
significance and also wonderfully cousisten
with the history Of the state; for kansa
has gone through many difficulties and II
seems as though she will have to maste
many more before she can attain the star,
Her principal troubles, previous to tn,
| time, have been Political in their nature,
but now, although she has lately had he
Caldwell and her Pomeroy, she is strurgin.
from other and perhaps more grievous evil,
Her vegetation has been ruin.I By drouth
ard excessively hot weather, and following
the drouth and heat, which have been i'm
measureably disastrous in their effects f.
the last two years, have come counties,
millions Of grasshoppers, to devour the re
mains of the ruined crops. Their descenr
upon the farms caa reasonably be compare
to the falling Of the fakes in snow storm
aud was altogether beyond she realization
Of any hut eye witnesses. It woull he too
much t. say that absolutely nothing has
been saved by the farmers, but enough ha>
been lost to cause much suffering and ii
general stasnaton in business. Within the
past few months the Legislature has had
special session convened by the Governor
for the purpose Of devising means OF RELIEF
fer the suffering people, and bonds to tie
amount Of sc, 900 we're voted for that bur
pose. Several counties have agents out
soliciting donations t. assist their poverty.
stricken inhabitants through the winter
Hundreds Of farmers are leaving the
state thoroughly discouraged, disposing of
their property ut great pecun larry sacrifice,
in order to &c. away. Such being the con
dition Of the farming community, person
can readily imagin the state of atfiIrs in
the cities, which are almost wholly depend.
ent upon the farmers for support. Before
the days of Railroads in Kansas, when the
principal cities in the eastern portion of the
state had an extensive overland trade with
the territories by means of wagon. trains
ETC., and the Big Midly, Missouri river)
Was the sc-ne of u lively Steamboat ira lc,
then the cities could weather croath or IL
grasshopper plague without much trouble;
but now things are different, and AS very
little manufacturing is carried on, the pea
Pile in the cities suffer almost equally with
the farmers in the event of i failure of the
crops. Many .: the cities have signed their
own death warrants By voting assistance
to Railroad schemes which they expected
to enrich them AMI now 6nl themselves
daily growing poorer for their rasiusess.-
The failure in the crops alone, ha Kansas
no other misfor,unes would place her in
very unenvable con iision; Lut she has
other evils to combat and serious ones too,
her borders are raiIed 10y hostile Indians
and the great plains on her western and
southern frontier affurd hiding places for
horse thieves and crimirals of all kinds,
who, IN connection with the Indians, keep
the more remote farmers in constant un.a-
siness. This year especially have their
depre lations been serons: in many in stan.
ces settlers have had to flee from :heir
farms to places of protection only to return
and find their homes desolated and the labor
and expense of m ,nths totally destroyed.
The number Of murders committed by
the Indians IN the state during the past
summer Is estimated at thirty. The state
and general government are doing all they
ca1 to extirpste the depreiat0rs, ard it is
believed that they will be pretty eff ctpaIly
wiped out this fall and winter. The gen
eral government has over thousa sand men
in the field in Kansas and the Indian Ter
ritory, and several companies OF militia are
preparing FOR campaign against 10"
The above dark picture of the condition
OF Kansas | do rot think is orerdrawn; but
think the present unfortunate state of
affairs cannot last as in the tillable portion
of the State the soil is very prolific, and
with reasonable climatic assistance would
enrich the population. fn fact, the State
has Rad intervals of such such success that
enthusiastic persons have called it the Italy
of America, and should the climate prove
favora BILE for Cen consecutive years, | lave
no doubt bus that Kansas would be one of
the richest farming states III the union. 1t
is fne fruit raising country, It's wheat and
corn crops, when they are good, are of the
best 11a!,ty, and two or three successful
seasons cause general prosperity; but the
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