Wichita eagle., 1889-11-01

|
VIZ: railway mismanagement, if moth
ing more. People In the east believe
that Kansas bad crops has caused Kan
sas railroad stocks to depreciate. The
error should be corrected and our real
condition made known, that farmers in
the east may come to Kansas and not be
prevented by the railroad howl over bad
Kansas CROPS.
| We urge the newspapers Of Kansas to
rlvet these facts and press the considera-
ton OF them on their readers; broadcast
them throughout the United States as an
lrreIroslble refutation of assertions
wired to the east by railway managers.
first, that our crop is more plentiful
than ever before Second, that with crop
yield not more than two-thirds as large
there was no railway cry of distress.
Ihlrd, that prodigality, extravaganza,
ACKNOWLEDGMENT, private plumber, and
betrayal OF the real interests of the rail-
| way company, in the desire to profit
from railroad construction contracts. and
towns on the line of road, was the cause
OF railway embarrassment and depres-
sion.
Neglecting all other factors that may
tend to build us up. let US join hands
and bring the farmers to Kansas. We
want producers from soil, to occupy the
prairie; this accomplished the manu-
featuring interest will measurably take
care of itself. We need in Kansas 100,-
600 farmers, and if we will it we can
secure them, and the securement of
them brings all other classes, and there
Is no other industry which in itself
brings in its train SO many blessings as
| the grain and stock raiSerS
| This needs agitation. Agitation is the
Kansas stronghold. All we have and all
we may be is from agitation. Quietude
is our ruin and turmoil our safety. Our
| history proves that the kansan stag
mates and deteriorates from standing
still.
We must think and work or tester
and die.
We should remember that the build
ing OF towns and cities beyond the de-
mands of state must result in individ-
ual misery if not general depression;
whereas, the building Of the farming
settle ments beyond the town corrects
the error, if any. The demand for
/ tradesmen can be supplied in a month,
but the demand for farmers does not
meet with ready supply; it is slow and
requires laborious efforts and the result
is generally diffusion of wealth, not a
spasmodic prosperity.
| That part of Kansas lying south and
west of Newton and Ell Dorado can sup
port a half million farmers, and unless
| this territory obtains farmers it is ques-
tionable if people in the towns will not
prove curse instead of a blessing IF
this be treason make the most of it.
| The depression in Kansas is attributa-
BILE to the neglect of the farmer emigra-
ton and the desire to build cities all
over the state. We have secured pack
ing houses but we have neglected to Sc
cure the needed ten thousand hog rails
ers, who will make the success of the
packer a quick factor in building up
Wichita. We have enlarged our grain
elevator capacity but have forgotten to
increase the number of grain raisers.
Independence in a state or nation has
been defined to be 1.-THE power to SO de-
velop its resources that everv demand
shall be supplied without going
abroad" Kansas with its packing houses.
salt plants, sugar works and soil should
now be prosperous, not cast down. and
our depression is the lack of business
prudence and the utter neglect to realize
the blessings to flow sfrom it. To build
years labor. The laying of this founda-
ton. broad, deep and firm, contains
permanent prosperity for Kansas, and
other avenue of business or trade. Its
omission longer should and will bring
punishment.
Manufactures established in Kansas,
at present, cannot secure farmers, but
farmers around our towns, can and will
force the manufactures. A prosperous,
thickly settled farming community will
create a demand that capital will supply,
and the home buyer will sustain the IN
dustry demanded; but capital will not
supply lack of farmers. This demand
can only be supplied by systematic. ener-
getic, laborious work and judicious ad-
vertising. We must put the same
degree of enthusiasm, energy and in
terest into this factor, in our future pros
perity that we put into car works, pack
ing houses and colleges. The methods
will be different. but the argument of
future good" and the many sources of
prosperity to be derived from the labor
will equal, if not surpass, the beneficial
results claimed for the wealth to issue
from all other forms of money giving
Is it worth the agitation necessary to ac-
complsh it? Let our board of trade an
swer this question.
In urging the board of trade to earn
estly weigh the wheat in this paper, we
state that the secretary of the board
will sustain our assertion that the rail-
ways of Kansas from A. D., 1873, down
to the final disposal Of Immigrant lands,
spent thousands of dollars annually, to
attract farmers to Kansas, and much of
our farming immigration in counties
south of Immigrant counties was due to
the efforts the railway immigration agent
put forth to sell the railroads lands.
Much of our prosperous eras can be
credit to the railroad advertisements,
and the decline in farming immigration
can be attributed to the failure on the
part of the railroads to still advertise.
The railroads have lost their direct inter
est in This phase of our prosperity by
sale of their landed interests. Ii any les
son is to be drawn from this fact it is
that we must supply this want by our
own efforts and advertise the farms of
Kansas as factor, not as an incident.
The people of Sedgwick county and
southwestern Kansas should through
boards of trade and other organizations,
give time, labor and money to booming
the farm lands and let the town phase
alone. The disposal of the unoccupied
and half occupied and neglected farm