Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-01-12

Reports from Kansas show that tn,
blizzard last week froZe many people L
death. while hundreds of others lost arms
legs. ears, etc. 1t was impossible to ge
any kind of fuel. and on top of that lots
of people had very little provisions
Tuesday night another blizzard set in
and in few days more another howl viii
90 up from the Land of Italian skies
suuflowers, etc, for help. We agree
with the st. Louis Republican in saying
that: The only wonder is that anyone
can be found foolish enough to 60 to
Kansas Coal is worth from IS to $15
IL ton, when it can be procured at all out
there. While wood for fuel is an un-
known thing. But all this will cut no
figure mex; spring. for if enough of
them are left to yell, Kansas will be the
greatest state in America, with the
real estate agents. boomers, etc. 1t is
the greatest in one respect, four hundred
miles from coal, three hundred feet from
water, but they raise big sunfiOwers.
With big sunfiOwer as a companion,
life in Kansas is made easy. They don't
have to raise anything but sunflowers to
make them happy. One big sunfiower
will furnish food. clothing and necessar-
les of life for one year to several families.
be more suffering out there on those
beautiful plains than the world ever
heard of, but for the noble sunfiower.
Ask man what he raised in western
Kansas last year. and its like this: Amy
corn? No Wheat? No. Oats? No
Hay? No. Potatoes? No; but we
raised the d-dest biggest sunflowers in
the world beneath these blue Italian
skies. Rats. Let's all go to Kansas
Will Carr Gem MO-.
COLBY. KAs, Jan. ), 1888.
To the Editor of Twill Cars Gem, y
Knob Noster, jefferson Co.. Mo-:
KIND sIR:-Having seen your article
on Kansas and Kansas billiards. in your
issue of Dec 30. 1887, and feeling that
you do an injustice to this portion of the
state as we'll as the people, feel con-
strained to make reply. have lived in
the extreme western portion of this state
for over ten years, and known something
about our elm ate as well as the country
and its resources. You are labOring un-
der great mistake. and have a wrong
impression of the country. l know not
! L
care not. But one thing do know. and
that is you are mistaken. You state that
people have been frozen to death here
this winter. While the truth is we have
had no blizzard severe enough to freeze
anyone. We have had a very mild Win
ter in every respect, remarkable for be-
ing pleasant. At present there is no snow
covering our ground. and daily we see
prairie schooners passing through our
streets, bearing whole families of child
rem to a new home in the west. And by
the trace chains on the horses and Inch
pin wagon. we judge that some of them
are from Knob NOster. Missouri. As a
rule the winters here are much milder
than in Iowa or Illinois. have lived in
the winter for a week or two coal was a
little scarce; but since that time We have
had plenty of coal. Coal is dear on ac-
count of transportation, but we can get
good coal here for $3.50 per ton. We
have some poor people in our county. but
NONE are suffering at present. Ample
provisions have been made here for the
support of the poor, but thus far but one
appropriation has been made by the
county. You say That you agree with
the ST. Lonis Republican saying that the
only wonder is that anyone can be found
foolish enough to live in western Kansas
and say that the only wonder to me is
that anyone can be found foolish enough
to live in Missouri and wear their lives
out for mere subsistence, working days
work. paying enormous rents when they
can come to northwest Kansas. get land
of their own, make home. and be no
longer at the mercy of some expressing
landlord or capitalist We have rich |
soil producing everything necessary to
the support of life. We have mild and
healthful climate, and will in time be- !
come great agricultural people. OF
course we have the drawbacks that are |
always incident to the settlement of a
new country. The prairie grass must be
subdued. the sod must be upturned be- /
fore good crops can be raised; but the
difficulties with which we contend are /
not as great as those met with in the ear
" settlement of many of the eastern |
states. Is it any wonder that there should /
be some suffering in this state when she |
has and is furnishing homes for the OPP /
pressed, the poor and the downtrodden |
from all our eastern states and Missouri? |
They come seeking homes, and we are
glad to receive them, for they do in gen |
eral represent the enterprise and progress |
of the age. They come here without |
means, without money. choosing to brave |
the privations of early frontier life rath- |
er than the scanty wages of oppression
and svarice in the east. and there never
was an industrious diligent man Who ev- |
or came to Kansas Who did not better his |
condition. OF conrse there are kere IS |