Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-07-02
KANSAS LETTER.
cLA1 crsrra. Kax., Juns lsth, IsgI.


the last few weeks have been general, and
every body Is in good spirits, for the crops
promise well and an era of prosperity seems
to be at hand. There is larger acreage Of
wheat than ever before and the yield will be
very heavy. / have been, recently, on a hve
hundred mile trip through the central part Of
the state, almost to the south line. never
saw so much wheat as is in southern Kansas.
Thought / there was large amount here, but
il is a mere nothing compared to the south
central counties, where it all seems to be one
vast wheat field. Mile after mile was passed
and far as the eye could reach wheat field
after wheat field extended-and all promis-
ing ve.y heavy yield. The rains insured the
crop, and now if they will cease in time for
harvest, so the farmers can get into their
fields with their heavy headers and self-bind-
ers, there will be millions of bushels of wheat
in this state, and thousands of farm mort
cages will be Cancelled. And the farmers
will not remortgage, for they have grown
wiser by experience, and will wait until they
have the money in hand before investing.
eastern capitalists, and the new party is
never tired of passing resolutions the reverse
of complimentary regarding them. At the
convention in Cincinnati Senator Pieffer
made some statements which show one or
two thinps-that Kansas is in a worse tinan-
cial condition than any one imagined, being
actually bankrupt, or else that the Senator
is tie champion prevaricator OF the west A
Il ba m in
what condition Kansas would have been to-
day had it not been for eastern capital. Now,
have no affinity for eastern capitalists, and
do not propose to fight their battles for
them, but like to give every man his due,
which the said eastern money lender will not
get, financially at least, in many cases.
The senseless howl against mortgage COM
panies is on par with the equally senseless
clamor against railroads, which have been
the making of the state, opening up vast
tracks to civilization, and making them the
homes of thousands of industrious people,
where else to-day herds of antelopes and buff
alo would wander as in the times when the
Indian held possession of the greater part of
the country west of the Mississippi.
While away from home / spent day or
two in Wichita, visiting the high school and
other places of interest. Wichita has fallen
much IN population, and in pretentions, too.
They do not claim more than thirty thous-
and now and have about twenty-five thous-
and. During the 'boom" period they claimed
as high as fifty thousand people. Neverthe--
less, Wichita is considerable of town and
has some fine buildings, among which are
the county court house, the new city hall, ana
the building of the Young Mems Christian
Association, any of the buildings named
would be an ornament to manya city of two
hundred thousand inhabitants
Within the last year or two electric street
railways have been introduced and now
horse cars are we'll nigh obsolete-there be-
ing but one line, and that short one, IN the
city. The electric street railways the great
institution of the present day, as far as city
travel goes, and no city that respects itself
can afford to be without one. Topeka was the
first city in the state to introduce them, and
is or was, the leader of the world in the
number of miles in operation. l do not
know whether or not there are other cities in
this state besides Wichita, Hutchinson and
Topeka which have introduced them, but l
think am safe in saying that probably sew
eraI Kansas cities will have them.
My visit to the high school was very in,
terestiug. The number enrolled is about 300
and there are six teachers in charge, also
there is a special teacher in music. The
method of instruction is of high order, all
the different teachers being specialists in
their particular work. The superintendent
of schools is R. W. Stephenson, formerly OF
Columbus, O. He has been in Wichita two
years, and under his management the schools
are progressing rapidly, and will soon take a
front rank among the city schools OF Kansas
While was in Wichita there was meet
ing of the State Lodge X. of P, and the city
was full of uniformed and plumed knights,
and the town was decorated in very elabor-
ate manner. On the day of the grand parade
there was very hard rain. but soon as 1t
4 IL knoIk kyNIa fhaRa a
ing no mud, as the principal streets have
asphaltum pavements and are smooth as a
floor. It is said that there were more than
5000 knights in line. Owing to the rains OF
the week there was not as large an attendance
as was expected, yet there were enough pres
ent to make the streets present gay and
busy scene. resembling the time OF the
''boom."
I found that Harper had grown to be a
very pretty town in the last five years. The
streets are lined with trees and the yards are
full of them, and now that they have at
tanned good size one can scarcely "see the
town for the trees" Harper used to claim
uopulation of four or five thousand anC
probably had $500, but it too has passed it,
boom period and is at last resting on solle
foundation; its present inhabitants numnel
about 2,000 There are indications that tn
place is on the up grade and that health!
growth has begun. Business is better thai
for some years and there is in general NOR
confidence in the stability of affairs. l
Harper and Anthony had never entered int
the county seat fight it would have been bet
ter for both towns. Better yet it would hav
been if both places had been started, the on
five miles farther south, and the other nv
miles further north, then there would haV
been one good town and no rivalry.
As it was, nothing Was more foolish tina
the struggle made by Harper to obtain tn
county seat when Anthony had possession o
it, The result could not be other than it was
and the damage to the town of Harper alone
to say nothing of the county, was immeasul
able. Harper and Anthony are connected b
railroad now, and the famous 'dead line,"
is to be hoped, is a thing of the past.
County seat wars have cost the people NOR
money and been the cause of more trouble
(and often have cost lives, too), than elthe
grasshoppers or mortgages. In several II
stances the governor has been compelled
order troops to settle the rival factions an
to prevent blood-shed. 1t is to Se hope
that all the counties Kansas will ever hav
are organized and that there will be no mol
trouble about the location of county seats.
the money wasted in these useless and ofte
sanguinary struggles had been applied I
paying off mortgages, or to advertising tf
state. Kansas would have been hundreds
thousands of dollars better of.
All acknowledge now that the law regula
ing the locating of county seats should hay
been different, but it is too late now II
changes to do any good, as all such thing
are settled, all the counties OF Kansas haVln
been organized.
Anthony is about the same size as Harpe
Fs1t-- - s,.k ton ia