The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1886-12-23

ma stands on the banks Of the SmOkl
Hill River. The Union Pacific Rail
road used TO charge IL cents per bush
el 10 haul wheat from Salina to Kan
sas City. To-day wheat fetches n
much money in Salina as IL does IL
Kansas City. The completion Of the
q Missouri Pacific 10 that point has in
Cerased the price Of wheat Is cents
per bushel for every bushel raised In
Saline county. Under the grasping
extOrtiOnate management of the
Union Pacific Railroad Company the
agriculture OF Saline county anguish
ed. and the city OF Salina ceased Il
grow. The Missouri Pacific entered
the county aud gave the oppressed
farmers an outlet to eOttOn-grOwing,
4 bacon-eating, and hour-devOuring
Texas for their produce. Instantly
/ the road was offered three times as
much business as IL could handle.
Men who had encountered their
farms In former years to pay the
| freight charges on the Union Pacific,
TesOiutely held back their crops for
the Missouri Pacific. They borrowed
money at one or two per cent Pc
month 90 pay their pressing bills
rather than TO ship over the hated
/ Union Pacific. The agents of the lat
ter line no longer snub customers.
The reserve and arrogance Of the Of
ficials OF this corporation disappeared
before the heat OF the competition Of.
fered by Jay GOuld's agents as Ice be-
! fore a furnace,
Kansas Is grateful TO Jay Gould. In
that State he Is the most grateful
man in the country. On all sides his
name is mentioned with kindly ar
feetiOn. Farmers who till heavily.
encountered acres tell their sons that
II the farm Is saved and they are res
cued from becoming tenant farmers
that they will owe IL TO Jay Gould.
tie Is spoken Ofas benificent being,
who, in advancing his own interests,
has released Kansas agriculture from
bondage. ] would not be surprised III
the people Of Kansas erected q statue
Of Jay Gould. IL sounds strangely to
hear the same men who used 10 de-
nOunce him when he owned the
Union Pacific and who savagely ex-
pressed their desire 70 Kill him. now
praise him and call him generous, but
the truth Is that be deserves ali the
praise he gets. The transformation
he has worked IN Kansas is marvel !
lOus.
Two years ago Salina was dead. |
There was hardly any business in the
town. Farmers could not pay their
hills. Many merchants could not 4
meet their engagements. The Union |
Pacific Railroad lay heavily on the
community as an immense, iron
armed, and even hungry octopus. All
mea were respondent. There were
three open poker games In the tOGn,
and a score Of private games. Busl-
ness Offices were transformed into
gambling rooms, aud poker, and more
poker, and stili more poker was con-
SANITY played. Bucket shops, or
springs Of the Chicago Board Of
Trade, hOuFished. Money could not
be earned legitimately. Almost the
sotire community gambled, either at (
Doker or In the wheat market. Men
nortgaged their property, which IN
many cases they considered worthless
.nd invested IN wheat futures.
Warmers heavily eneumbered mort 4
saged their lands 10 the highest notch 1
nd entered lbe grain pits, aud staked
heir last dollar IN vain attempts 60
eiflefe tnelr Qecayed fortunes. The
iour mills ran on half tins Banks !
efnsed 70 discount any bnt gilt-edge,l 1
laper. A dozen loan agencies -four
shed. The individual debts o. the
inhabitants Of Saline county, debts 9
epresented and secured By real and q
.hattel moTlgsges, aggregated close 10
5,ti0, y10. No mar expect d % pun
through the financial mire. AS lei
Ias IN Saiina, 20 g Was IN nearly all '
no towns Ia the State Of Kansas. Z
'lrtueily the people were hank Q
upted. IL
Then came Jay Gould and the Ms I
onri Paclfc Railroad. The towns &
ouched b HE rad have sprung into
Give lie. The value Of property =
oundef skyu ard. City lots bought r
o-uaF were sod to-msfroE e hand q