The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1879-09-18
From the Buffalo (N " Daily Courier.
THE TRUTH ABOUT KANSAS.
STATEMENTS OF A PREJUDIcED CozRE-
.rs>~nr,~~r Coup rs-rrr

STATEMENTS OF A PREUDIcED CozRE-
sroNDENT CORRECTED.
NEWTON, kAs.. September /, -.
\ letter from A. W. Grisman. dated
at Wichita, to the Louisville Courier
Journal, proclaining kansas \ Fraud"
has been extensively copied by papers
all over the Eastern States. In some
cases-as for instance in that of the New
York Iri6ane-it was prefaced by edi-
toriai remarks very strongly calculated
to commend it 10 credit. The letter
itself is fraud. emanating from fraud,
and it is but just 10 the people of Wichita
and the people of Kansas at large that
its true character and that of the writer
should be exposed. The extent to which
this reply should be copied by eastern
papers in which Grismans letter appear
ed. will be fair measure of the anxiety
of the editors to deal truthfully with
their readers and with Kansas. For the
reliability of what may be stated in this
reply the writer refers to all reputable
citizens of Wichita. and TO Hon. Alfred
GRAY. Secretary of the State Board of
Agriculture, Topeka. Kansas. and for
the testimonials as TO MIR. Gray's eharac-
ter we refer 10 the Department of Agri-
culture AT Washington and to the many
Throughout the United States who have
known him for years. am resident
OF a county adjoining Sedgwiek, from
which the ..Grisman" letter was written
and being familiar with lis history, its
soil. its products and its people. and
knowing how false are all the statements
contained in the letter. | have taken
some pains TO lind out who its author Is
| Ii appears that the C0urir-,jonrhoi, IN
printing the letter. niisspelled the auth
or's name. nasing il read "A. W. Iris
man. when it should have been ''A.W.
Grismore. Having satisfied myself
| that Grismore was the writer OF the
letter. he having acknowledged the
authorship, il did not take long 10 lind
| out who Grisnore was. l could give
YOU many details of his antecedent>. but
| 1t will suffice to say that neither they
nor his present reputation l. such rs en-
titles what he may write or say 10 the
| credit of the pubic.
In reply to the charges made as TO the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF Kansas, | will quote
from reports of the state Board OF Ag-
riculture, the Secretary of which Is
known all over the Union as a man
above reproach, and incapable OF pre-
pairing false statements.
Sedgwick county was organized in
1870 with population of .Oy5. In 1879
lis population is 1858. Query II
.Grlsman's" statements be true, why
this enormous increase of population! .
| The assessed valuation of all taxable
property in Sedgwick county in 1873.
was 81 ,159 500 $500. and the true val
uation 5,5y9.67 $1,000. La 1870 il
amounted TO less than a half million,
and the settlers now resident there
| brought into the county less than ST.
100000 capital, which has already IN
creased live fold.
| There was only one school house IN
Sedgwick county III 1871. In 1873 there
| were one hundred and twenty school!
districts and nincty-seyen school houses
with school population of i.1ol.
Churches of all denominations are rep
| resented in the county. and nowhere
are the moral and educational interests
| more carefully looked after. In this
respect >edgwick county and the whole
of Kansas hold Il position 70 which Ken
| lucky has never aspired, and owing 10
our superior school system and the in-
| telligence and love of order instilied III
our people, there is hardly any compar-
| ison TO be made between the masses OF
| the people in the two States, either for
morality, intelligence, industry or enter
prise and industry.
\ further examination of the State
Agricultural report shows that from
4 4
1872 10 1878 inclusive. the average yield
of wheat for the seven years in Sedg.
wick county was eighteen bushels pei
acre OF corn. iorty-three bushels oi
rye, twenty-oue bushels of oats thirty
eight bushels of barley twenty-iouI
bushels. These official figures would
indicate that some crops have been
raised in Sedgwick county. The county
produced in 1873 | 1874 .s2s bushels 81
wheat, averaging twcnty-one bushels
per acre. and ,22o .0i0 bushels of corn
layeraging forty bushels per acre, and
the value OF all farm products in thu
county for the year was 81 ,062 lS7 y6-lOt
or an average income of Sl35 for eacl
man, woman and child in the coun V
These official statistics are certainly q
complete rciutafion of "GrIsmain >
living statements with reference 10 tn,
drouth and barrenless of this region
No Off cial estimates of the crop OF ls1.
have vet been made. but In Sedgwlch
county the wheat viii Yield about Il,
much as in 1877, and corn about double
that OF 1878. The wheat crop VIII be
the lightest ever raised in the state and
the corn crop the heaviest; but know
of no county in this part of the state
that Will ayeragc-or that ever has av-
eraged-lcss than ten bushels of wheat
per acre.
In addition to the crops raised, Sedg-
wick county has a, farm animals
and 594 .649 fruit trees. ''GrIsman' as-
serts that the fruits exhibited al tie
centennial were bought i'll the east
Why then did the people OF the Eastern
and Middle States manifest 80 much as-
constituent when tLey saw them !. Why
did none Of them recognize these fruits
as familiar acquaintance How could
such an astounding fraud. so palpabe
pass undeiected for three years and he
left to be finally unearlhed by aH adyen.
turer from Snckcrdom. whose opinion
or whose veraciiy wouldn't weigh 4
grain on any balance in Kansas IN which
they could be laid This consideration
alone should have beer enough To put
any newspaper man on his guard Us Il
the reliability OF his correspondent. II
is refreshing TO read III the leading jour.
mails OF the country. the warnings given
Ito innocent farmers" To look oit ici
sharpers" who are ever on the watch e
take advantage of the simple-ninded
and then observe the gullibility of thcss
same new spapers in publishing letter
from fraud Of the worst description
who yet can persuade reputable Jour
uaIjst to swallow tissue of the iio-i
monsfrnn- falsehoods. without cver
taking the trouble 10 dress them IN til,
oarb OF FEASIBILITY. II j. amazing thai
such a paper a. the CouritF-joa,na
should have admitted this infamous let
ter 10 il, columns without taking ia,
least trouble to ascertain it, CORRECTNESS
4 II j a matter of profound surprise TOT
That such papers 81 the New OH
Tribune. the Philadelphia Record aHs
Others should be so far yiciiinized by rll'
sGrisman letter a. 10 introduce j. witi
editorial remarks which would have
been appropriate enough had Il emanat
ed from a thoroughly reliable source
but which. considering the source iron
which il did cuanate. was se7i9ir
fraud upon their readeT-
have lived here five YEAR. and fac
much the same Kind OF people that
left in Western New York. oniY ! iliHs
that here. - rule, they sre Hfoce 80
+ tive aud enterprising. ! he moral anf
educational Influences and advantage
enjoyed by our childreo are a. gpes
here a. in New York. immortality 1
inst A. disgrseeful and receives a s'sveF'