Daily Republican., 1879-07-19
LETTER RROM KANSAS.
The Growth Of the State Its Bald.
inks-TOpeka's CrOwning Gl ,ries
-Reai Estate ana the Advantage
to be Derived by EASTERN Capita..

inks-TOpeka's CrOwninE 6l ri,
Real Estate ana the Aavsntsgs
10 be Derived by EASTERN Capita
lists.
From our Occasional Correspondent.
Topeka, Kansas, July Is, 10.
The tide of emigration during tn
past few years has been continuousl
sweeping into the Westesn from tn. East
ern states thus making the affairs {
this portion of our country Of nations
interest.
The growth Of Kansas has been {
such recent date that the generation {
sour first settlers" has not vet passe
away; every year the "Old Settlers Re
union" Is held in some portion of tn
State and 1t is always largely attende,
by those Kansans whose advent int
our commonwealth anti-dated the war
The war was the dividing line that dis
tinguished the old 'smion pure" pion.
eers from the new comers.
i II has occurred to me that few fact
in relation to the Capitol City of Kansa
and short talk upon matters of gener,
al interest may be not uDinteresting t,
the readers of the REPUBLICAN, and so
will attempt to crafty them in this
respect.
Topeka. was. after the ratification O
the people, finally decided upon by ths
"act of 1892" as the seat Of govern
ment Of the State. This decision was
not reached until after a serious Of lone
and often bloody struggles. As is well
known the first seat of government wal
located at Lecompton and here the pro
slavery element decided it should re-
main. BY the organic act Of 1854 the
temporary seat of government was fix
ed at Ft. Leavenworth but the terrific.
rial convention held at Wyandotte in
1869, located it at Topeka and this &C
tion of the convention was afterward
confirmed.
The first settlement history in Tope-
ka was made just rs years ago and
by one Isaiah Walker. On acpoun O
the troublous times, the frequent and
sanguruary conflicts between the Free
State and Pro slavery parties the growth
of Topeka was greatly retarded Another
serious drawback to the prosperity
of the city was the strong opposition Of
the Pro slavery party to its being the
county seat. T-cumseh was the place
chosen by the border rutian ele-
ment and the situation is aptly given
in two sentences by writer for the
Kansas Magazine and an inhabiant of
Topeka in '56 who says: 'Topeka
raised the flag of Freedom Tecumseh
that of slavery" but with the close of
the war and the triumph Of the Free
State party Topeka as city attained
marv)Ious and rapid growth. In 1864
there was bat few hundred inhabi-
tants in the entire county of Shawnee;
now, in q brief fifteen years Topeka
alone has population OF 1900.
The situation of the city is adr1ira-
bly, adapted to its growth, lying as it
does on both sides of the Kansas river,
the great proportion of the city on tie
south bank, the site rises gradually
from the ''bottom' land to the high
prairie and spreading South and East
covers large amount of territory; more
IN fact than Wilmington.
BUILDINGS.
The business blocks of the city are
Mostly of stone and brick. The Topeka
State Bank, the general Offices of the
itchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 4. r.,
md others being OF finely dressed Cot
onwo9d Falls stone, the Topeka Bank,
'ourt House, Opera House, Fifth Ave
ue Hotel and many other fine APPEAR. {
Dg buildings are of brick all the
ulldngs named are four stories in {
eight and are OF imposing appearance
ansas avenue, one mil. in length, is
le principal business street. it is com
actly built aud lots thereon command
Ugh price. from one to three thou /
and dollars each for twenty-five by one t
uudred feet. :
Topeka's browning glori-s are and are Il
be, have reference to the Capitol t.
nd the government building. The G
apitol is situated in the heart of the II
ty upon a twenty acre square. As yet II
1t one wing-theeast--of the building i,
completed; this is built Of the Cotton a.
Dod Falls marble and cost a bait h
llllon dollars; the last session of tn. c.
gislature app oprated $500, 600 with pl
nicIi to erect the west wing, which is tt
he similar in size and style to the VI
st, and the work of doing this is rap g
y progressing. The building when ge
npleted will present an appearance ar
unlike III style and shape to the
ticnal capitol at Washington.
The government hu lhing which is ~,
ing erected at cost of $3.50 600 but VI v,
lch has, as yet, progressed no fur w. ~,
,r than the ioundatians, will 10 ',' ,i
y fine structure and add greatly to w "
beauty and improvement of the VIZ
t would take too much space aud u
le for me to describe to your reader, gre
Washburn College which cost $lOO,. Ju'
}, the college of the Sisters of B-th- y"
I, (EpiscopaI) for girls, and the mag au'
cent buildings Of the State Insane e.
'lum. Topeka has the finest schools IRA ~,
he State and many large and hand. i''
10 church edifices. The r sid-pc,.
tion of the city is mostly built of in I
ne and there are but few houses eau
cost over 5000; but the abund the
; of trees and shrubb-ry, the beau as
lawns and the tasteful styles OF dec
lltecture that have been adopted. will
q otherwise plain and mex pensibIe Ho,
ses models Of beauty and comfort. of A
BUSINESS. the
business. to use truism, is on es'
loom; every bu iness near with pr"'
m l have conversed upon the sub uor' uor'
says he is doing we'll, and as an the
,ation of this will merely men ,