The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-16
COMING TO KANSAS.
To the Editor Of the Eagle.

their buds, and indeed new year and
the growth of new crop was well on its
way in Kansas. a day and night
brought us into Michigan where ouI
spring overcoats and summer neckties
made US appear as if we had not received
our last winters pension. Snow to right
of US, snow to left of US, snow all around
us, wind underneath and sleet overhead
and candidly, in the midst Of a snow
storm it Numbered and Gghtened like
Gettysburg. Now how much eloquence
do you suppose it takes toincline Michi-
gan man to come to Kansas when he has
listened to implanted realities?
Why, l met an old Michigan farmer in
Lansing who is worth $4,000 in clear
property, the boosted accumulation of
fifty years of his own labor, supplement-
ed by the possessions of his father, who
told me that the load of stove wood and
carcass of mutton on his wagon had been
''drawed In eleven miles by them there
two spans of HOSES through mud and
slush axle deep and he expected to get
| $1.S5 for his wood and 81. o. for his sheep.
Two hours after that | saw him Just fin
ishing up bargain with a good looking
state officer. He had consummated a
deal by taking SLIT for his wood provid-
ed he would bring in three big knots for
| the gentleman's heating stove ''tO boot. F"
That was pie for a Kansas man, and
sailed in with my corn cribs, wheat bins,
sugar cane, fat hogs, packing houses,
watermelOns, peach blossoms, sweet pO-
| tatoeS and pure sheet of snow water
running through crystal sandSjust above
a mine of ebony wealth that lies there
/ only for fire use and to separate earth
! from a sea Of salt that is hauled up
| and dumped out almost mountain high
| when barfooted boys gambol in their
glee, happy with the thought that for
nine long months they can print their
| toes III the heap of salt and wear straw
| hats and get rid of cutting kindling
wood till December. BLESS your soul, >
said the farmer, around whom had
| gathered about fifty more haulers Of
wood and pickers of stone; "You don't
mean to tell me that you have COM
menced farming already out there, right
in the middle of winter and that every
| thing won't freeze up" Then l quoted
them some more KensaS poetry and dis
| tributing my Kansas tracts and | heard
thousand men in Michigan say about
this: eff what you and this EAGLE and
this book say is true, and l begin to be-
lieve it, then Michigan, compared to
Kansas, isn't worth anything, and l am
going to see that country. When is that
excursion, and if that country isn't what
you say you better take the other route
when you come here again"
Tell the eastern people the realities
Of Kansas and they will flood the state.
While there is no doubt that Michigan
and many other eastern states are grand
states and have grand people, the fact
remains that their worn and sterile lands
respond with meager returns for their eX-
pense, toll and vigilance, and that while
wheat, clover and fruit, the great agri-
cultural staple Of the state, refuse to re-
ward the huSbandman, yet in these older
states, most of the good, well improved
farm lands have price to sell at, and a
buyer, too, at a little less than the own
erS figures. Now when these farmers
are posted on this country they will
come and look at it, and when we show
them that they can buy an acre Of land
here for $25 that viii raise not less than
double any acre they own, then they will
be willing to sell their holdings to the
man that stands ready to purchase of
4
ket value. For instance / met a farmer
in Michigan with dressed hog on his
wagon and he told me that he was get
cling S405 per hundred pounds When
| told him that they were on the sunny
side OF that price here on foot he wanted
to know some more about this country.
He is coming to Kansas on the 23d of
April to see if he can buy land at S25 per
hot loll
and bring So. - on foot. He has a lot of
neighbOrs and they came to town, seven
miles. through the mud eleven feet deep,
$50 they said and | wouldn't dispute
them for tried a sample box. They
came in to see the man from Kansas,
and one of them said to me: ''Say. how
would you like to be fenced in this country
again after living out there>" l told him
he could answer that himself when he
came.out, and he said ne would come if
he didn't get stalled in the mud or snow. |
He said he had fed his stock since the
Goth day of August, and it looked to him
as if he would have to feed them right on
till August again before spring came !
And vet thousands Of people are
going from that country into the
DakotaS, because Dakota has her
men there talking cheap, rich lands and /
distributing reading matter and offering
cheap rates and getting local men to di- !
rect their trade in the land business /
there. The state of Michigan has over
200 local land men representing railroad |
lands and railroad grants and cheap |
homes. These are the best land men in |
the state in whom any farmer or person !
desiring to move of make inquiry has /
confidence and they deal with them. |
Thus these men direct them 10 the north |
ern states. These are the men Kansas |
should have working for her. We can /
offer them three times the inducements /
to sell our lands or direct trade here that /
they now get. They have a trade and /
reputation in their lines and already con- |
troll a business and the people go to them |
because they know them and 1
thus they go 10 the north instead of /
coming here. The same was true of /
Kansas years ago when the railroads had |
their lands here and their eye on bring |
ing people. 1t takes something besides a !
rate TO move people into a country. 1t /
takes a mover. Once get the people to |
know what Kansas Is and get them !
started and you can't fence them out. |
Whenever you can take the people OF the /
east singlv or in crowds and truthfullv |
contrast the two conditions with all their |
differences. then you won't need any |
immigration bureau.
But there is work ahead. Let us /
capture every man we can that controls !
a trade for the north. Much good work |
Is being done by the newspapers. |
From hanks Of snow to fields Of sun |
shine: from mud and mire TO handsome /
avenues and waving locks of green; |
from s!eaIed forests to the golden tipped /
wings Of the peach and apple blossom;