Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-12-02

now but monuments to the creduli
lty of the people who purchased tn,
bonds and supplied the money fo
an extravaganza that was only ia
tended to draw other people to tina
iseetion.
/ "These counties have taken adee,
interest In the irrigation schemes
that have been set forth by the
various congresses, regardless of the
fact that there is no available water
within hundreds Of miles, as many
investors in dry bitches can testify
to their sorrow. Western papers
have aided in the raising Of these
monumental follies, and even now
cry that there is no suffering in that
section.
During Kansas week at the
great fair, little sandwiches were
given out at the Kansas building by
the thousands, while sign over the
building proclaimed that kansas
IeeQS tne world.
The investigation by the United
Workmen proves that there is great
restitution in Kansas.
As before intimated there is an
evident attempt to create the i'm
pression-and the ordinary reader
will so construe it-that all Of
western Kansas is in the same con-
dition as the counties mentioned
and that was doubtless the intention
Of the writer. Whether this feel
ing was caused by some unfortunate
speculation during our boom period,
whether he is in the employ Of real
estate spectators who are at this
time interested in another locality.
whether the result of profound,
criminal ignorance. or whether it is
only another instance of total de-
pravity, the fact remains, that when
the conditions cited are made to ap-
ply to western Kansas generally and
Unfortunately, that he has per-
petrated a great wrong and the
dissemination of such reports, when
the reader has no means either of
verifying or disproving them, will
be, for a time, almost an irreparable
injury to western Kansas generally.
The counties referred to are STAN
ton, Seward, Morton, Grant and
Stevens, and are in the extreme
southwest corner of Kansas. No
attempt at settlement has been
made until within a few years and
they are emphatically the pioneer
counties. Railroad facilities are
limited and it has been quite gener--
ally understood that the soil in this
section was not the equal of other
portions of western Kansas. Natur-
ally the settlement and development
has been slow and to take these as
a basis-admitting all that has been
said to be true-upon which to es-
innate large portion of the state,
and without any knowledge, plainly
shows the animus Of the writer.
While it is not our purpose to de-
fend the counties enumerated, or to
extol their advantages, fertility or
future possibilities, we wish to say
that a very little discernment is
necessary to show that an honest
desire to tell the plain, unvarnished
truth, even in respect to the terri
tory mentioned, is wholly lacking
and that spirit Of exaggeration
and prejudice had complete control
Of the writer. He says referring to
Stevens: "This is the county that
built $4,000 schoolhouses which
are now but monuments to the ere
lulity Of the people, etc." We
would infer from the statement that
$4,000 schoolhouses in Stevens
county were not unusual, that per-
haps almost every school district
two or three miles square was pro-
vided with one of these palatial in
situations Of learning. The number
IS unlimited and the plural is used.
The fact is Stevens county never
had a $4,000 schoolhouse. During
The county seat war the capital of
The county built very fine school
house. The county seat was remoy-
I'd and most of the business went
with it. This one item shows the
animus and vindictiveness of the
Topeka letter writer and, we might