Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-28
WILL CALL IT PEFFERWLLe
Proposed New Site for the Kansas
Capital
The Removal Question Again Beina
Asitated-The Hideous Nightmare
of the Topeka People.
Correspondence OF The Evening Star.

Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
TOPEKA, Kan, Feb. 90, 1894
The capital removal question has always
been a hideous nightmare that has disturbed
the dreams of Topeka people and the citi-
zens OF eastern Kansas at every session OF
the state legislature. The schemes for pull
ing down the present state capitol building
and removing 1t to some more central point
have been Matched at nearly every ression
since the state was admitted to the Union.
In the early days this was a subject OF
great contention. and since the central and
western sections of Kansas have been con-
verted from the great American desert into
the wonderful agricultural district that Il
Is the demand for the relocation OF the
capital has come up at every session OF the
legislature.
Every proposition favoriag the removal OF
the seat OF government from Topeka has
had wide discussion, and was Invariably
accompanied by the agitation in keeping
with the Kansas spirit Of doing things. hut
each one has run its course and finally
passed out of the minds of the people. hav-
ing accomplished nothing. For this reason
the more recent capital removal schemes
have attracted little attention.
For the past ten years there has not been
twelve-months without some scheme be-
ital or the division OF the state The last
of these schemes is the one which recently
originated in western Kansas, Ellis county
being the scene Of operation. This time Il
is political movement. the populists hsv-
ing undertaken 10 start a town with the
avowed object of making IL the capital of
the state. The town is TO be christened
Penerville in honor of the first populist
United states Senator. A section OF land
Is said TO have been secured in the center
OF winch commodious capitol grounds have
been reserved. The remains der Of the sec
ton is to be laid out into 25-foot town lots
which are to be sold, the proceeds 10 he
used in the erection OF a stase house which
ture in Topeka.
AS suggested by a western Kansas parer
II is the plan TO make the removal " ithout
the cost OF a dollar to the taxpayers Of the
state so that when the time for voting
comes no one will refuse TO vote for loeffer
Vile because IL will increase his taxes II Is
altogether probable that Peffervine viii NOT
inateriailze, FOR town lots in the arid county
OF Ellis VIII not sell readily even with the
remote prospect Of the state capital being
located there.
The kanopolis scheme.
Penerville appears to have been modelled
| after kanopolis, in Ellsworth county
kanopolis, which was located I'm almost the
exact geographical center of the state for
the purpose of making 1t the capital of
Kansas, was. during It's meteoric career.
one of the best advertised towns I'm the
west. Its natural advantages were heralded
from one end Of the land TO the other. IL
was the enterprise of a number of prou-
inent men in Springfield, Ohio who. with
their money and influence, gave Il a brie.
boom, such as no other town in the state
ever enjoyed In 1884 such mott ,es as the
following, from the Ohio State Journal ,yere
seen In papers In every state In The Union.
What is kanopolis? This is a question
wnlch forty years ago might have been
asked OF Chicago. The answer in reference
TO the latter might have been: 1t is she
new city at the southern extremity of Lake
Michigan. which, in forty years more wifi
contain hall million Inhabitants and be
the metropolis Of the great northwest The
answer in regard TO Kanopolis may reason
ably be; Ii is the new city founded in the
very heart OF Kansas. and which in a few
years viii surpass all other cities in that
mighty commonwealth and in the year IaO0
viii contain fifty thousand souls fThe
Journal proved a bad prophet for in 1894
hanopoiis does not contain two hundred
souls).
Right in the geographical center of Kan.
sas. and as well in the geographical center
OF the United States. is tho site of the town
Inc new city is not dependent on the strue-
snng energies of its first Inhabitants. II
mas 10 back IL the resources of an orean-
lied company with a capital of SJO00,O. a
company composed of men who have ali
fortune N h. rorfn,
walks of life"
This is a modest sample OF the reading
notices that flooded the country telling
about the future metropolis and capital of
Kansas. The great display ads which
could invariably oe found at the ton of
column and next TO reading matter" I'm
nearly all the newspapers of the country
were thing Of beauty. For each Of these
ads cut of the state OF Kansas. show
ing the location of kanopolis with its score
OF projected railroad lines representing The
new Eldorado as the hub. and its railway
lines as the spokes to the great wheel was
il was deceiving.
While these flaming advertisements were
appearing in many of the eastern papers
the press OF eastern Kansas never lost an
opportunity TO denounce the Kanopolis COM
pany as a humbug and swindle But the
town was advertised nevertheless and many
people were attracted to il who invested IN
town lots. erected buildings and engaged fn
business A population of nearly 5000 peo-
pie was gathered there in a short time and
invested their all I'm the geographical CEN
ter OF the state. nation and world"
1t was in 1887 that a syndicate was or
canned TO secure the removal of the capital
from Topeka to Mcpherson. Senator ii h
Kelly was the executive head OF the move
ment. No sooner had IL been launched than
a dozen other central Kansas towns became
capital candidates. and soon Abilene Saiina
Minneapolis. Ellsworth and Kanopolis were
lighting Mcpherson. OF course with the
central part OF the state divided, the re-
moval scheme was bound to fail. and it
never even came to a vote in the leRis-
lature.
The Latest Project.
When the stormy session OF the legislature
was In progress last winter the populists
became highly incensed at the people Of To-
peka because of the alacrity with which
they enlisted as deputy sherifs to resist
the militia and assist the republicans in
maintaining their position. They thought
that Topeka needed punishment, SO the fol-
lowing resolution was introduced in the
Senate and adopted by a strict party vote:
whereas. The people of Shawnee county
are organizing under the authority Of the
sheriff Of said county for the purpose OF de-
flying and overth-owing the authority OF the
state: be IL
Resolved. by the senate OF the state OF
Kansas. that committee of five senators
be appointed to consider the ACCESSIBILITY OF
removing the state capital. with instructions
to report within ten days"
A week later the committee submitted fts
report. IL had learned that to remove the
capital the constitution would have to be
charged, SO they offered resolution SUBJ
mttin. TO vote of the people a proposition
authorizing the next legislature TO choose a
location for the capital more central than
Topeka. The resolution was adopted but
as the house failed 10 act upon Il the people
will not have m opportunity of voting ON
a..na..a ss.sr.A o n