Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-12-13

this prudence? Why are Emporia. New
ton, Hutchinson, Winfield, Wichita
and Wellington so much larger thar
Manhattan, Clay Center, Concordia
Abilene, Minneapolis, Salina. junction
City and Beloit? In short, why should
the cities and the country of the Al
kansas Valley, or the great Southwest
lead in wealth and population the cities
and the country of the Northwest:
Take single striking instance: why
IS 1t that a quarter of million of dol.
lars is now invested in the manufac-
ture of salt at Hutchinson and practic-
ally nothing done toward the develop
ment of the salt find at Ellsworth?
They have as much salt, and of as fine
quality, at the latter place as the
former can boast of. Salt was found
at Ellsworth before it was at Hutchin-
son. The latter place is now shipping
out twenty-five hundred barrels of salt
per day and within three months time
that city will be making seven thous-
and barrels of salt per day, and Els
worth VIII probably not be making a
barrel.
Or, take another industry. Large
packing houses are now being built in
the Arkansas valley, and why? Be-
cause. as one of the proprietors ex-
planned to me less than ten days ago,
they want to get out as far West as the
corn will grow and the hogs can be
raised. But there are no packing
houses being built in the Northwest,
and yet We all know that the great
Northwest is as good, if not a better,
corn region than can be found any,
where else in the State. A packing
house located at Belleyille, ConcOraia,
Smith Center, or coming farther down,
at Abilene or Clay Center, would have
a larger area of compromising country
surrounding it than has any point that
could be named in the Southwest.
Again l ask, what is it that has at
tracted so much attention to the one
section and comparatively SO little to
the other? 1t occurs to me that it
is largely due to the political, as well
as the business organization that exists
and has existed for long time in the
Southwest. Capitalists coming West
intending to invest in Kansas, stop first
at the State capital and there they find
every influence directing their attention
to the Southwest; there is an umbilical
cord the Santa Fe railway between
the State capital and the Arkansas val
ley. Perhaps the wealthiest, and GER
tainly one of the Shrewdest, of the real
estate operators of Hutchinson told me
just the other day how the location of
the ReformatOry started Hutchinson
and Reno county on towards its splen-
did development, and how by pulling
together they managed to take the very
man who first constructed a salt manu-
factory at Hutchinson away from the
city of Ellsworth, whittier he had gone
to engage in the same business.
AS | said before, am not criticiSine
the action of the people of the Arkan-
sas valley; am calling attention to the
wise policy they have inaugurated, and
venture to ask what at the same time
has been the policy of the Northwest:
Quite the reverse; indeed. so ''splil
up'' has been the Northwest politically.
and l Lad almost said commercially
for the past few years that we have
grown to be the laughing stock for IT,
who halls from the Northwest have III,
show, then the shreWd politicians VII,
swarm around the State capital jon,
their forces with the great Arkansas
valley and proceed to find some other
fellow in the Northwest who will con-
sent to become a candidate for the
same Office, OF some other otfice-a can
didate not to win but simply to draw
strength away from the man who has
good chance for victory. If our OPP
ponents ind it necessary, they will
promise this traitor some insignificant
Office as price for his treason, and
then what little influence comes to him
by virtue of that Office is sometimes at
the command of those shrewd manip-
ulators of our State politics. And thus
it is that we are kept constantly fight
ing each other. And then to add in
suit to injury, our opponents point the
finger of scorn at us and say, 80, the
Northwest never agree on anything"
Take the matter of Speakership,
that by every rule Of fair distribution
of power over the State should go to
Northwest, if the thirty-eight mem
bers of the house from the Fifth and
Sixth congressional districts would
agree to support some one of their
number for Speaker, that man would
be elected beyond all doubt. When it
became known that. the Northwest
would unitedly present some one of
their number for Speaker, so just
would be their cause that it would
break down all opposition, and the