Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-09-13
letter from Kansas.

ierred to the rapid growth Of the State OF
Kansas, the extension OF railroads, the building
of new towns, &c. The change has been so
great since my last visit to this section, four years
ago. have been led to enquire where The money
comes from to build such fine school houses and
other public buildings, &c., 10 almost every lit
tie town started, and find that great many
Of the cities and towns Ct the West, as We'll as
the railroads and other corporations, borrowed
on their bonds to mako these improvements,
and are now unable to pay their interest. Some
of them have not paid their nterest for three
years, and are now asking for compromise.
The indebtedness Of Levenworth county is over
ono aud hsf million. They have notified the
holders Of their bonds that she cannot and will
not pay the interest 90 her Indebtedness.
correspondent Of the Emporia News presents
the details of plan whereby the demands OF
creditors, the awards Of the courts ~, may be
set at uought. The plan proposed involves the
continual resignation OF members Of the Board
Of County Commissioners, by whom it IS claim
ed legal cvies can only b, made, and says that
many of the counties are determined 10 rid
themselves Of their enormous Indebtedness by
a resort to the most desperate means. The debt
Of Kansas city in Missouri is said to be greater
than any other corporation 10 this scclion 1t
is said that misery loves company. was glad
to find that We were in much better condition.
financially, than many Of the Western corpora
tons. 10 some cases compromises have been
made at 50 cents on the dollar. This condition
Of things is not SO bad in this State az it is in
many other parts tf the West. Notwithstand-
ing the crippled condition Of the various oorro.
rallons the people appear to prosper, and many
have been pointed out to mc as being very in
| dependent, with all the comforts Of life around
them, who came West only few years ago
without dollar. 1t is wonderful to see how
| rapidly the farms arc being improved along the
whole line OF the A!chlson, Topeka and Santa
Fee Railroad. My attention has been called
ings and other farm buildings and all the com
forts of a home around them that had not been
| located when was out here four years ago. 1t
| is marvellous and would not be credited by some
of our farmers when told the quantity of grain
and other crops raised here. was told by
man who was working steam threshlng ma.
chine near Great Bend 10 the Arkansas Valley
| that he had made contracts that would occupy
his time until December to Lhresh out wheat
| for tho farmers, and that he had 10 every case
agreed to take all over thirty bushels to the
acre for bis pay, and on one crop be averaged
| forty-two bushels. A MIR. Andrew Yeatmap,
on Wrights Creek, made IS bushels of oats to
the acre on his upland aud a to tons of hay,
| I am told. has been cut this season on many
farms. have seen fields OF corn said to aver
age II feet 10 height. AS regards the oppor
tuoiliea for securing and opening up desirable
| farms they are perhaps untqnacu IN any part
Ct the West. Literally every foot Of laod is
arabic Thousands Of area of government lands
Dear the line Of railroads are still unoccupicd,
and the low price for ard terms of sale of the
railroads lands make it within the reach OF all
to get good farm at a small cost Agricultu-
| raj implements and labor saving machines of all
kinds can be worked to profit. You are at no
expense for fences 1.-THE herd law being in force
no expense for roads, 40 expense for manure
aud fertilizers for the s3il (uature having for
ages been preparing for you) When We con,
slider the fame the Genesec Valley has acquir, d
in the East we can say that hundred G.ncsee
valleys would scarcely be missed Cut Of the
great valley Of the Upper Arka.isas. All arli.
cles needed and luxurlcs Can be purchased at
the towns and stations along the line Of the
railroad, and all articles, great or small, pro.
duoed By the settlers can be disposed Of at the
stations. The schools arc good. The people |
have met appear cultivated and Intelligent, and
churches arc numerous. There is 20 scarcity
of anything but ladies. | was told that the cry
had been and is now, "Go West young man, :"
but they wanted annexed, Come West young
woma0." They wanted the girls to come 10
Kansas. They could not make it a matter Of
business 10 import them. So they would CO.
dcaver to lay before them inducements suff-
cicnt to attract by promising excellent society,
advantages OF an clevatng and refined charac.
ter, and good husbands. They say the girls
are much needed and admired; so much 80
that very short tlmo expires ere they become
Mrs. SO and 30, and shining lights 10 their
pleasant homes. So [ would. say to all young
girls, and to the older ones who are tired of
waiting, nothing Gao prove more beneficial to
you than trip West. Dropping this subject
Of interest 10 the ladies and returning again to
the practical, the subject Of sheep husbandry
| celebrated and holding the supremacy Kansas
now holds firm in hand the sccptrc of wheat,
corn and cattle sovereignty, when ten years ago
she was 40 infant toddliDg forward with both
hands outstreched for sustenance. Five years
ago she produced hardly enough to meet the
demands Of home consumption; now She exports
wheat and corn by the million bushels, and upon
her magnificent eypansc of grazing grounds
| feeds cattle for the markets Of tho world. For
sheep range find Southwestern Kansas pre-
cmincnly adapted; the extent of the range on
either side Of the A., Il. & St, Fee r. r., east
| OF the cattle quarantine line, at Dodge City,
being practically Unlimited. | am told that this
section was selected by James NJ. billiard, q
native OF Kentucky, and fer many years sue.
cessful breeder Of tho higher as we'll as the
common grades Of sheep in that State. When
Mr.. ID. started in tho winter Of 1874 and 1875
in search of location to engage largely in sheep
raising, he divided the territory of observation
with his partner, the one taking Texas and
Southwestern Colorado, and tho other Kansas
and North Colorado. 10 the spring they met in
Colorado to compare notes and decide The
question: so far as Texas and Colorado was
concerned, was soon disposed Of because Of
the fact OF tho range being already occupied
to such an extent as 10 exclude all new corners
from territory other than that so far west as
to be practically beyond civilization, and another
objection was the exceeding dryness of the
soil and streams these. with many others, were
1uop ~ ,bo