Smyrna times., 1885-02-25
For the Smyrna Times
KANSAS CITY-THE SOURCE OF
ITS POWER AND PROSPER
TTY. A BRIGHT FUTURE
FOR IT,

Kansas City is the most misnamed
city in the Union. Any one would To-
cate it in Kansas, as its metropolis, of
course, for it bears its name, but it
stands in the corner of Missouri, just
over the line.
Its growth and progress of recent
years has spread its borders over the
State line into Kansas so that those
business men living over there have to
be careful in their headlines to have it
Kansas City, Kansas.
There is a history Of the cause of this.
Thirty years ago the country was agi-
tated from centre to circumference on
the Kansas, Nebraska Bill and squatter
sovereignty before Congress. The
wounds had not healed on the North
ern bOdy-politic caused by the pas
sage of the fugitive slave law a few
years before and nOw:Jhe pending bill
repealed the Missouri Compromise Of
1920, which was the western end of the
Mason and Dixon's lines north of which
slavery was never to exist. Judge
Douglass championed the bill and gave
it the best efforts of his life.
The whole scheme was in sympathy
with President Pierces administration
and the party in power. After weary
weeks of speeches and pages of editor
ials in the leading journals the bill be-
came law which provided that either
or both should be free or slave as the
inhabitants thereof preferred, their
will expressed by ballots cast to so de-
eide it. II was victory of the ad-
ministratiOn that lead to its ultimate
defeat. Northern sentiment was solid
ified and brought forth Uncle Toms
Cabin " and ushered in the Republican
party with the broad plank of no
! more slave Territories" The ball soon
opened in Kansas and her borders con
stituted skirmish line for years be
tween the opposing forces. The
/ names of StringfellOw and AtChiSOn
soon became prominent as pro slavery
leaders, and being on the Missouri
border they had the best of it put
more squatters on the ground than the
! opposition were able to, and succeeded
in carrying the first election. The eff
feet of this news caused Massachusetts
to organize "A New England Emi-
grant Aid Society,"" and soon the names
of PomerOy and Brown and Otawota-
mie Brown became familiar, with head
quarters at Lawrence, where they es-
tablished a printing press for weekly
journal as well as TO discriminate
free State literature in tract forms
Meantime the MissOurians had built
many cities on the border on paper
and Kansas City is one of them, and
we think it safe to say, it would not
have been what it is if it had beer
christened by any other name. lie
compton and Weston were once more
prominent, but now they can scarcely
be found, having possibly three hun
dred inhabitants divided between the
two, the latter having the biggest hal
of them. The free State men estab
lished only Leavenworth and Wyan
dot as river towns, both prOspering an'
prominent to-day. Many were tn,
conflicts between 1854 and 1858. Th'
pro slavery party saw nothing bu
visions of "A new State added to tn
Southern galaxy, increasing her pres
tage and power. Perhaps the elemen
of Over-cOnfdence entered into il
but they ceased not to labor and toll
resorting to every means and subteI
, fuge known to political science unit
the election scenes were so tragic tina
it won the name of bleeding Kan
sas." The early free State agitatOr
entrenched themselves at Lawrence.
The little press was soon raided an
destroyed, some carried away an
some thrown into the Kansas rivel
Yankee recuperativeness soon rt
placed it, and avertised that under tn
new one there was magazine of pow
der and fuses laid in various direction
so that if any future raiders apprOache
I it they would surely meet their etel
nal doom. This insured its existenC
f and Mr. Brown went on publishin
G his free State literature to inCreasin
thousands of subscribers create
through its supposed destruction.
: There were no railroads west of tn
Mississippi river, but a short junk I
7 the Missouri Pacific, halt way frOl
o St. Louis to jefferson City. The Mi
, souri, river boats furnished the higl
!. way of both freight and travel to Kal
sas and when the emigrants from th
r New England Emigrant Aid SOciet
: commenced running on these boa
r from St. Louis, trouble commence
!, and popular sentiment laid restriction
r on it instituting police force of il
quiry, and if the passenger hailed fro
New England he was suspected
: membership of the Aid Society, W.
l. stopped, his papers demanded and
), not allowed transportation to Kans;
J. on this line. A flank movement ";
i instituted around through Iowa and !
> the stream ran on. Pretty soon a +
action took place among the owners
!, boat property, on account of loss M
n detriment to their interests. The ma
}, ter was put into their attorneys han'
. and he threatened to bring suit f
h violation of United States laws of FRI
-s navigation of her rivers. The poi
was so well taken that they abandon'
70 their position and took off their depU
IL marshals. An incident Occurrt
n which shows how deeply imbedd,
r. the Southern sentiment was. On OF
Ia occasion there stood by the marsh
a. one of the dignitaries of the land
:, companied by his daughter, your
- lady of great refinement and cultui
9 When the emigrant was asked whe
n he was from he said Massachusetts
The young lady in all cOmpOsure sa
to the young man, Arn't you asham
ofit?"
AS time passed and election su
ceeded election it became evident tn
the pro slavery men must fall in t
s. minority; though they attempted
De foist their laws on the young TerritOI
n, held two sessions of their Legislatu
ID at their chosen capital, LecOmpto
9 and passed the Missouri code of lay
- over Kansas, simply making the nee
% ed alterations of name and location
9d suit the prospective State. The
,p cipient war here ripened into open :
0. cession in 1861; and Kansas furnish
or a handsome quota for the defence
,d the Union.
no RAILROADS.
at After the close of the rebellion ra
= roads that had been contemplate
= or partially completed soon were Fl
" ished to Kansas, and then was Lea
0n enworth's chance lost, by allOwi
n Kansas City to first construct railrO
lis bridge, and give the constructing CO
IL panies invitations to unite their d.
=, tiny with hers. Ever since then
success of the city has been assure
'u sixteen roads now steam proudly IL
a her Union Depot whose restaura
th feeds more than one thousand peOpl
,is day. Four more roads are to be bU
,r. in here this year.
:. The city has continued to grow, I
AOA Jo,,,.k,1 49, MI nV HnnPpCGInn