Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-09-20
THENORTHWEST
KANSAS LETTER


satisfy, for weather more beautiful it would
be hard to imagine. The hot weather Eas so
very hot that there was only one good thing
aboutit, that il wasn't any hotter than it
vas; however it did not last very long this
summer, only about a month of it. Just
before the rains, which ended both the heat
and the drought, there were.nine consecutive
days in which the Thermometers marked from
I01 to 103 degrees. Some thermometers re-
gistered higher but that's high enough for
any reasonable person.
But since the rains everything has been
most delightful, never too warm for comfort,
evenings and mornings cool, the air stimu-
lating one like a tonic-the air is all the
stimulant to be had in Esnsas-and the nights
beyond complre-so good have they been for
rest and sound sleep. For the last three
weeks we have been having genuine October
weather, and especially has this been true of
the last week, when fire has been very
comfortable mornings. Just give Kansas
rains in season, and it will be the best State
in the union, agriculturally as we'll as in
every other way. If the rains had come ten
days before they did. it would have been
worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to
Kansas. As it is, in the western portion of
the State the corn is failure, while in other
Wheat and oats turned out well, and so
farmers are not as badly off as last year and
year before, when everything nearly failed
Even as it is, wagons full of men, women,
children, household goods, chickens, ducks
geese, farming tools and provisions. and ac-
Companied by numberless dogs, and preced-
edby droves of horses and cattle, are pouring
through town on theirway east. A merchant
in town told me few days since, that he had
that day counted twenty-five wagons going
east, land there comes some more" he
added. People come out to Kansas often
with barely enough to get here, and if the
first cropis a failure, there is nothing left for
them to do but get back the best way they
can. Further west farmers are mortgaging
their land for all they can get on it, then are
going off and leaving it, because they have
not raised enough to keep them till another
crop can be raised. But the result is to be
expected where there has been such rush as
has been the lot of Kansas for the last ten
years. 1t takes time to tame wild country,
one cannot go into new country and as
rule, raise such crops as he can in q country
that has been thoroughly cultivated for per-
haps fifty years. In a new country, while
often the yield is wonderful, the crops can
not be relied on for sure yield. 1t is no
slight thing to make soil which has raised
nothing but prairie dogs, buffalos, wild grass
and rattle snakes, produce corn, wheat and
oats. The turning up of the soil produces
new climatic conditions, and during the
transition state, everything must per force
be unsettled, and consequently the crops are
uncertain. But things are adjusting them
selves here, it is cetain that the rainfall has
materially increased within the last twenty
years, and is much better distributed, and the
time will come when the farmer sows his
seed with Just as much assurance of bounti-
full harvest as if he were in Ohio or Indiana.
While in Topeka few days ago. visited
the State Capitol, now building. When COM
pleted it will be one of the finest and most
substantial buildings in the country. The
foundations are laid on the solid rock, and
are massive enough to last for all time. The
building was begun, I do not know how
many years ago, two of the wings are COM
pleted and occupied, but the body of the
building and the other two wings are in the
process of construction, being nearly ready
for the roof. The capitol is in form of a
Gross with equal or nearly equal arms. and at
the intersection of the armswill be the dome.
The finishing of the new wing is very fine
indeed, but the House of Representatives,
which is in that part of the building, is
spoiled, it seems to me by over-ornamenta-
tion, and if that is true of the House" much
more is it true of the recently finished Senate
chamber in the old wing. The Senate cham
ber is blaze of color, too gaudy to be called
rich and tasteful. Yet there are many in
congruities there, as there are in the House.
For instance it strikes one with a kind of
shock to discover after his mind is full to
overfowing with the gorgeousness of the
finishing that the floor is simply common
flooring boards three inches wide. could
not but smile at the vanity of the guide, who
graEeAy informed me that the Senate cham
Der was the finest Legislative room in America.
Il think he said the finest in the world, but I
will give him the benefit of the doubt). The
stairways are very cheap looking affairs,
being Of iron in the new and of ash in the
old wing. OF course great deal of the
incongrnetyi is the result Of the building be-
ing SO many years in the course of erection,
and the change in the ideas of what was,
needful, as we'll as the change in architects.
1hear of great deal of remodeling to be
done, and have no doubt but that when all is
finally finished all will be equally gorgeous.
1t is hard to tell what the effect of the out
side appearance will be, but think it will be
fine. The house is built of gray limestone,
found at Cottonwood Falls, and cannot help
but present very pleasing appearance with
its Greek porches, faced with their corintheatl
capitalized pillars full forty feet in height
Topeka is improving very much in general
appearance, large sums are being spent in
paving the streets and inspublic works of
various kinds, itsoon will be ft capitol for
q great State like Kansas. If the capital re-
movers expect to succeed they must get in
their work pretty soon, for before many
years the State will have too much invested
in Topeka tomake move possible, even If