The daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1884, 1884-05-30
THE Fl. SCOTT & WICHITA.

The editor of the Fort Scott Mont
tor has been out in Harper county as
far as Harper City, and he seems forci-
bly, impressed with what he saw.
This southwestern country is always
revelation, its growth, beauty and
fertility never failing to start stran-
gers wondering why they had never
realized the fact before. The Monitor
seems inclined to the conclusion that
it would be wise thing for the Fort
Scott & Wichita to 60 to Harper City.
1t has been understood, or believed
here, ever since that road abandoned
its Kingman route that it would run
to Anthony. and until the publication
of the following ny the Monitor we
had thought the thing settled. From
this it would seem that the people of
Harper City are alive to the impor-
lance Of the road.
Harper county is, as we remarked
the other day in these columns, des-
tined to be, in the near future, one of
the great counties of the southwest.
But we reproduce the Monitors arti-
Gle in full:
Harper is the terminus of the Kan
sas City and Southern Kansas rail-
road, and while it is only about seven
years old, it contains population to-
day of at least $500, of as wide awake,
active energetic people, as this world
can produce.
The county was organized in 1873,
and there was but little settlement un-
til about 1876, yet in 1880 the county
had a population of about 5000, and
the city of Harper population of TAI.
In 1880 there was in the county 1922
horses, mules, $40, oxen, 4,61O head
of cattle and LOO sheep. There were
1866 acres in corn, 1907 acres in
wheat, 1864 acres in oats. Now the
land Of the entire county has been ia
ken up, and over one half the county
is under cultivation, and the popula-
ton of the county has more than
doubled.
The amount of business done at
Harper, considering the newness of
the town and country, is really wen-
derful. The business of the town is
no W represented by three banks, some
forty odd stores, number of which
would do credit to Fort Scott or any
of the older cities of the state, and is
supplied with three hotels and sup
ports three newspapers that will COM
pare in size, ability. &C., with any
county papers of the state.
In passing through this lovely and
rich agricultural and stock county
another thought has forced itself up
on us, and that is, why Fort Scott
should not have a direct commercial
connection with this section, and we
certainly will have it in the near fu-
ture.
The St. Louis, Fort Scott & Wichita
II. r., which is a pet of Fort Scott, is
building, or intending to build, their
road from Wichita southwest through
this favored land. We are not APP
prised of the location of their route or
their objective point, if indeed that
has been settled but from personal
knowledge of that section, and es-
pecially of Harper county, the road
cannot afford to give the town of
Harper the go-by. 1t is too important
a place to be ignored, and has too much
business energy and wealth to be left
and to remain out in the cold. If the
Fort Scott and Wichita Railroad does
not go to Harper, some other road
from southeastern Kansas will, and it
is from an honest public spirited mo-
tive, for the benefit of the Wichita
road as well as Fort Scott, that we ex-
press the decided wish that we soon be
in direct commercial connection with
Harper, the emporium of the trans
Arkansas country, by the Fort Scott
and Wichita railroad. If Kiowa is an
objective point, no nearer route from
Wichita to kiowa can possibly be
found than through Harper, and this
route would carry the road through
the very best part of the northwest
corner Of Sumner ami through the
very best agricultural portion Of
Harper county, and for which the peo-
pie Of Harper stand ready to give
freely any reasonable bonus or subsidy
in order to secure this eastern outlet.
There is another consideration of
much Importance TO the Fort Scott T.
Wichita railroad, and that is this /:
The city of Harper. this past winter,
used over 100 car loads ofcoal month.
and this will be very largely increased.
The freight of Harper amounts to over
$50 900 per month. while the receipts
of Adams Express amounts to 81 $50
per month. These facts fully bear out
all we have said about the Importance
of Harper, and shows the Importance
to Fort Scott of commercial connec-
ton through this road with the city of
Harpet.