Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-12-29

Shall Trego County Have Sugar
Plant?

To the Editor of the Western Kansas World:
Since the early settlement of Kansas
her history has been one of partial sue
cesses, partial failures and total failures.
Many different causes have contributed
to these failures, and they are too well
known to call for mention here. But
never in the history of our state has it
been recorded that the soil was not suf-
! iciently fertile to produce an abundant
crop of anything that was ever planted.
This fertile soil, together with the fact
that eastern and central Kansas have I'M
dergone great climatic changes in the
last quarter of century, has helped to
keep up the courage of the struggling
settler in western Kansas. The seasons
of 81 and 'SS have brought scarcely any
thing but disappointment, and the poor
settler, who perhaps has spent his money
and some Of the best years OF his
life, as he stands among his blighted
corn and his blighted hopes, and
raises his face Tanned by the furnace
heat to brazen sky, cries in his despair,
"How long, o Lord, how long?" And as
if in answer to his agcnized appeal, bow
Of promise appears. Down at Fort Scott,
at Topeka, and the little town of Douglas
in Butler county, and at one or two other
places they have turned sorghum into
gold. Sugar from sorghum is no longer
an experiment, but certainty. Sorghum,
the standby of western Kansas, the
settlers only sure crop! But as he gazes
cloud obscures his vision. The fact
stares him in the face that it takes gold
to turn sorghum into gold, and that gold
and gold bugs are very scarce in western
Kansas, and if one should venture out
this way he would not be able to escape
from the eastern counties, where they
can offer large inducements. Yet there is
[ venture to assert, one way in which We
may secure sugar plant; and it rests
with the people of Trego county to say
whether we shall secure it. The way
wish to suggest is this: To secure the
assistance Of our representative and SEN
ator in the passage of special act to
legalize the voting and issue of bonds,
and to give the county issuing such
bonds the right to purchase all necessary
machinery and erect suitable building
for the purpose of erecting suitable
building for the purpose of manufacture
ing sugar, and to operate said plant in
name and interest of said county, or to
rent the same if thought advisable. It
has been demonstrated at Fort Scott,
where they have it perfected, that it is
very profitable enterprise. At most of
the other places the machinery was put
in hurriedly and some mistakes were
made in arranging it, and expensive
changes had to be made, shortening the
season and cutting down the profits. All
pronounce it success.
If the plant is owned by the county,
then I would suggest that the county
figure only to make the interest on the
bonds and sufficient to keep the ma
chinery in good repair. The cost of
sugar plant varies according to capacity
running from 100000 up. The plant
costing 100000 has a capacity of one
hundred tons per day. 1t does not seem
possible that there can be found in the
county a person 70 blind to his own in
terest and the interest OF the county as
not to be willing to make some effort in
this direction. The dry atmosphere of
western Kansas will produce more sugar
from the amount of cane than in eastern
Kansas. We know that the condition of
western Kansas is truly desperate at the
present time, and we must make des-
perate effort soon or all the cane pro-
ducers will get away. It looks to me
like grounding case. If we can't get the
grounding we won't have anything for
the preacher or ourselves either.
We must get sugar plants in western
Kansas, or we are left. This seems to be
the prevailing idea in western Kansas
to-day, and we can safely count on all
the help necessary to pass the bill mon
toned, or something likeit. Ness county
people are all alive over it, and are
anxious to vote bonds on top of their
100000 or more. Ellis county is trying
to organize q stock company. This is
out Of the question with us. I have
spoken to few men who are considered
conservative men, and, without an excep-
ton, they approved of the enterprise. and
acting on the advice of some, I take the
liberty of announcing that there will be
public meeting at Opera Hall, January
5, 1888, at 1:30 P. NJ, to discuss the ad-
visibility of such an enterprise, or any
other way that may be thought best to
make arrangements to push it at once;
for if we wish to be ready for next
seasons crop we haven't much time to
spare. Let Us see as many of our citizens