The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1895-08-02
A Letter.
BELLEvILL, KAN. July 10, '95.

AbllOn lI%AE hfNos---
Trusting that may be permitted to
ink corner of your paper l give you
a present brief sketch from the east
slope Of the Rockies,
This being by first communication
since my departure from Oregon, I
would briefly make mention that en-
joyed an uncommonly pleasant trip to
Kansas, having come by the Northern
Pacific railroad to Billings, Montana,
thence over the Burlington & Misso-
uri, to Lincoln, Nebraska and Chicago
4 Rock Island railway to Belleville.
The magnificent beauty Of the scene
riding down the Willamette valley
from Lebanon to Portland with the
mountain walls fringed with fir, cedar
and pine rising, on either side, and the
broad fertile valley decorated with the
cultured improvements of the closing
years of the Nineteenth century rises
again before me at my desk this morn.
ing. We passed them; crossed the rol.
ling Columbia and sped away through
the fertile valleys and great hop fields
Of Washington, wound through her
timbered Businesses of the Cascades
and crossed their crests to the broad
plateau beyond, with Its wide fields
and wider ranges. And yet on, win
ding around and passing over the
splintered ridge of the calm, cool and
majestic looking wall of the Rocky
mountains. Then into that vast and
gentle slope beyond which seems to
spread out as one field in gentle de.
scent 10 the waters of the Mississippi.
No more fences, crooked roads or
small "patches in the hooks" are
found here. Farming is carried on, on
an extensive scale. Corn is the pre-
dominating crop and the fields of forty,
eighty, l60 or an entire section lies be-
fore you all in a waving green as far as
the eye can reach, and the whole
country has the appearance of one
vast garden.
Rain is the only want here; and
plenty of that there is no fear Of want.
This year however is up to the time
fairly promising over the states of
Kansas and Nebraska. In many
places the rainfall has been heavy and
good crops are insused; other localities
have however yet had insufficient
rain'and some anxiety for the future
exists, The worst localities however
feel sure of from half to third of crop
and the supply will be sufficient to
meet home demands there is no doubt.
Oregon, (abroad) has terrible
name, for rain, water; but the question
asked me more than any other is:
'How is 1t where you have beena Is
it dry in Oregon? Have you had
plenty Of rain out there? etc?p Two
drouths In succession have made q
very anxious people here, and their
great anxiety is hope that they may
have sufficient rain,
For these people l can say that, II
there is any one who will feel thank
full and appreciate good crop 1t Is the
Kansas and Nebraska farmer who has
seen two successive failures. But with
the failures of the past you'll find
them loyal to the soil with produc-
tive history behind it and they who
have taken root at all are here to stay
with the faith that assures them 1t will
redeem itself for the recent past.
There certainly is nowhere a finer soil,
and all hinges alone Oh rain.
In the political field, free silver crops
in as the chief subject Of discussion.
1t has quite q following here in all
parties, though the free silver men are
largely in the minority. Populism
has had Its flourish and is fast declin-
Ing, The old leaders are looking for a
new party, are very unsettled, and
would, properly be classed with the
mugwump element now. They would
vote all over the field,
Trusting that this sketch may serve
to express our regards to the EPREss
with its readers, and all my personal
friends through the same, l am,
Yours Truly,
q. III. WIIKRs