Wichita eagle., 1888-04-29
liberal"
She Boometh-Water in Abundance at a
Depth Of Sixty Feet--Artesian Water
Almost q Surety.
To the Faitor OF the Eagle.

in the extreme southwest. Liberal has
more natural advantages than any town
or city ever started in the state of Kan
sss TO begin with. She is undoubtedly
located at point where the country for
one hundred miles around demands
city of some twenty thousand inhabi-
tants. Liberal IS far enough from any
city of any note TO insure healthy
growth. and there never was city
started out with as bright prospects as
does Liberal. When one stops TO think:
two hundred miles southwest of the
principal distributing city, Wichita: five
hundred miles from Kansas City and
seven hundred miles from St Louis: two
| miles north of theneutral strip, six miles
from the territory line, fifty miles east of
the Colorado line and sixty miles south
of any town Of Importance on the Santa
Fe road.
Besides being surrounded with the
richest OF soil for agricultural purposes,
the many thousand acres of grazing
lands in the territory and No Mans Land,
! the immense wholesale trade which
| she will evidently control. for
surely Liberal is today and viii be for
( & number of years the finest supply point
west of Wichita, supplying over thirty
good towns. Then, as we started out to
| say, ii has been the general talk all over
the state for the last two years that be
! fore long there must be a large city
spring uD some where in the extreme
/ southwestern part Of the state, and
! truly Liberal is that city, for we can say
and stay exactly on the line of truth,
| that never was the like known in any
country. The town was only plated and
! placed upon the market the 10th OF
| April, and what pity it wasn't placed
on the market the first day of April, Tor
of all April-fools in this world surely
| Liberal is and viii be the greatest.
I One week ago | came here 10 look
after the interest of the paper which
contains this article. little did ] think
that today she would be a town Of 800
inhabitants. having only at that time
four or five tents and a few l0Xl2 frame
buildings. / can say and with perfect
safety toe, that never did any town III
the state or our adjoining states, spring
into Importance as Liberal has and Is
doing today. 1t IS a perfect wonder,
indeed
A great many who read this article
NAV think / am drawing largely on my
imagination but they are cold facts and
facts which the general public ought 10
know and | am certain that those who
come here and see for themselves
and look at it unbiased that they are
those who can and will verify my above
statements Then again, the public
| lands or No-Man' s-Land will open up for
settlement and reason teaches us that It
will be Joined to Kansas, or III other
words, be governed by the laws of the
state of Kansas. and when this Is done
surely Liberal is the center of vast
country. of a rich country, of an lntelh-
gently populated country. Then what
will there be to hinder the locating OF a
public land office at the city OF LiberaE
Not a thing, surely.
Another thing. 1t is a city which the
Rock Island people take pride in point
ing out and saying that some day 1t Is to
be beautiful city, and who IAN say but
that the Rock Island always do more
than they promise: They are today build
ing very handsome passenger
depot and eating house with a large ca
pacity of very extensive freight depot,
which was completed today except some
inside work which will be finished inn
mediately.
The depth of water seemed to be n
problem unsolved until the afternoon OF
the Goth day of April when large well
was bored in the rear Of the Star Grocery
store, when to the delight Of everybody
| they struck an abundant vein OF fine
water at a depth of sixty-Gve feet, and
number of those present thought 1t acted
! somewhat like artesIan wells do when
| boring them and if that should prove 70
/ be the case then this will be great city,
| for then Liberal would have like Meade
/ county, the finest wells IN the west and
/ be on a direct line 10 the coal fields. TO
| the south, and what more could they
! ask for
| There are a number of good towns
moving in already, recognizing the fact
| that Liberal is that coming city IN the
| great southwestern Kansas. Liberal Is
| located rather on the south side Of Sew
ard county, 50 being three miles north
| Of the county line and almost IN
I the center east and west
/ Springfield is at present the county seat
! and is sixteen miles north of Liberal but
! if the town Of Liberal sustains her pres
ent rate Of growth and becomes the city
which SO many look for and candidiv
| expect then what the good citizens Of
Springfield would choose to do Is more
than we can tell; but one thing we can
say. so far as we are acquainted, and
that is that Springfield has an excellent
lot Of county officers and set Of gen
uamau who have the best interest Of the
county at heart.
There are a great many excellent gen
tlemen who have already gone t. Liberal
and engaged IN different kinds Of bust
ness. and furthermore I can say, ana /
have been in most Of the frontier towns,
that never have / been in border town
where there was 50 much life and bgIsl-
ness and so little trouble: have candidlv
not seen a single disturbance IN the city
Of Liberal. | cant understand IL unIess
II Is that there are two saloons Just across
the line II NO Mans Land, two and
half miles south and when the boys want
To have a time they 90 outside Of the
state 70 have their fun.
Liberal has two good drugstores. two
weekly uewspapeFs-the Leader and the
Democrat. The Leader was the first
paper 10 come out and under great diff
cuities, which the people IN Liberal fully
understand. There are two excellent
banks, doing an immense business. The
Bank Of Liberal VIII be in their new.
brick building before many days, and
they VIII have excellent quarters wbeu
they get moved. Ir Howe, Of the Kan
sas National bank. At Topeka, y pTesi-
dent Mr \. II. Heber vfce-president
and Mr. Cicero CooHneT cashier, formerly
81 Pratt.
The delegates 70 t4e congressional con
vention from Meade county, 81 b i8eld
AT Garden CITY May !. i-7>. were ia