The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1892-12-15
THE NEW FIRST DISTRICT.

Of The Kansas City Gazette IL sorely
touched by the JOURNALS remarks
last week in reference to q congress
ional district. While he don't like
Il ne takes occasion to say many
things that are not true. For In
stance the northeast district will not
be made in order to punish that Sec
ton OF the state for being prosperous
or for any other reason, but solely on
the ground Of justice and geography.
The nine counties OF Doniphsn,
Brown, Atcbison, jefferson, LesveD-
worth, wysndotte, Douglas, Miami
aud johnson would lack several
thousand OF constituting an eighth
Of the population, but we think the
balance Of the state would be willing
to concede as much In the interest
Of preserving the harmony OF geogra-
ply.
What the river fellows would like
TO have Is Atchison county In one
district, Leavenworth county In an
other and Wyandotte in another so
that they could dictate In three dis
districts the actions OF the repre-
sentatiyes. As We said last week,
the little scheme won't work; II died
a bornin', and there Is now no pos
sible combination In the legislature
whereby the state can be cut up into
congressional districts solely In the
interest Of the Missouri jobhers and
their Kansas sdjuncts. And II
there was, a Kansas governor stands
in the way Of making any such COM
bination effective. The time has
gone by when mere partisan bun
combe can be used to whip into line
recalcitrsnt Interests to subserve the
selfish ends of a few towns on the
Missouri river.
The Gazette parsdes its great
prosperity before its readers and
intimates that the balance Of the
state has not prospered TO the extent
Of a hundredth part OF what it has
gained in manufactures. IL so hap
pens that Salina has done the very
thing il denies, and in an entirely
different line from any branch OF
industry known in Kansas City. A
paper mill whose products are large
~ used in packing meat products,
il now ia operation here that crst
considerable more than 100000 IL
cannot begin to fill it, orders, and il
may be necessary to double or treble
its capacity in the near future.
The ''limit-d jobbing scheme"
the Gazette hints at is a living,
flourishing reality, the envy of
every house that does business in
Kansas City, st Joe, AtchisOn and
LeaveDworth. Its business, like
that of Kansas City, has expanded
until the walls OF its buildings are
literally bursting for want Of more
room. IL its promoters could be as
sured that the railroads Of this state
could not discriminate agsint IL. its
capacity would be multiplied as fast
as builders could make buildings.
Besides this every house doing bust
ness on the Missouri river would be
found in SaIina inside Of three
months. One has already found IL
handler TO be here, or at least is here
with s sort OF a bob-tailed branch.
probably in the hope Of annoying
the other.
IL Kansas City has prospered We
are glad Of il, but that does not give
her license 10 interfere with our pros
perity, nor the railroads to discrim-
mate against Us in her interest. We
are here TO stay, and the Gazette
may rest assured that every voter
west OF Manhattan considers this
matter of freight discrimination a
personal matter. The fact that a
test case decided in a prejudiced
town in q prejudiced court cuts no
figure in the matter. There is one
court yet higher than any court
where this matter has already been
decided, viz: the court Of the peo-
pie, who had lost confidence in their
old party temporarily. Calamity
and Democracy combined did not
defeat the Republican ticket this
year in Kansas, it was the Republi-
cans themselves who insist on JUS
tice being done the interests of the
interior Of the state. This matter
Of equitable freight rates Is not one
Of politics, but one Of business, and
while We may entertain some doubt
ne to the expediency Of the measures
used to correct the evil, IL will be
remedied nevertheless. The rail-
roads Of this state, and their pet
towns on the extreme borders of the |
state have been flying in face Of fate
long enough. The day Of reckoning
has come.