The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-01
THEY CONE TO STAY
MR., BUSCH DXPLAINS WHAT HAS
BEEN A GREAT MYSTERY.
Something About Values Of Farm Lands
People Do Not Pay More Than They
are Asked-Hich Prices for Land In the
German Se1tlcrasnt--Charscter OF Set
tiers Eject yalues--Homes That Are
Not For Sale--The Church and the
school House--And Incidentally the sa-
loon.

People often wonder why farm land
sells higher in the northwestern part of
this county than in the other parts
said County Commissioner Busch TO
q reporter for the Eagle yesterday.
Then Mr.. Busch explained the cause
Of that strange but well known fact.
He declared that while people generally
supposed that the soil in that section
was superior to that of any other part
of the county they were laboring under
a very great mistake.
Il have been over a good portion of
Sedgwick county, he said. land the
sections as il is in my neighborhood. /
live two miles north of st. Marks"
Why land should sell for much better
prices in Mr.. Busch's neighborhood and
the quality of the soil no better was con-
sidered a puzzle and Mr.. Busch was
asked to explain it. This he did by
stating that it was because OF the popa-
lation in that section of the county.
Mr.. Busch explained that a ma n never
paid more for thing than he was coma
pelled to do. Land sells for good prices
in our section because people will nss
d Z
is not more than two or three raw quar-
tiers of land in all that section that can
be bought as cheapiy as 5000 QUAR-
ter.
The settlers in that section are large
ly German Catholics. They are good
farmers and they came there to stay.
The first Catholic church in that sec
ton was built in 1876 at st. Marks. The
next at ST. Joseph, which is just across
bull
in 1878. A church was erected at An
dale in 1885 and one at ST. Marys the
same wear. That is at Garden Plain
but the members are nearly ali farm
ers.
The churches all have their priests
residence and school except Andaie.
The church at Andale had about thirty
families when it was built now there
are over sixty families. These people
came there to stay and it is the ex-
ception when a German farmer is found
willing to sell his farm unless he got an
unrea sonable price. Ten thousand dol
lars would Tot tempt many OF the Ger
man farmers to sell their farms and
that is the reason land is higher in that
section.
You might go out here west OF the
Cowskin'' said MIR. Busch, and follow
the ST Marks road clear to Reno county
on that road to be German Catholic
They are hard working men and they
are all there to stay. The trouble with
some sections of this state is that there
are too many people who are not right
certain that they come to Kansas &c
STAY. The farmers who are certain
that they came to stay are all DONG
we'll and their farms are not for sale.
Mr.. Busch was asked if they had any
saloons up in his section anu ne Ie-
piled: yes, there are some. IL Is ne'
the custom of Catholics to lnteiiere
with saloons uness they get too BAD
There used to be three saloons at 81
Marks but they got little too bad ano
all of them We're compelled TO close up,
There are three at Andale and they VIII
have to keep pretty quiet II they run
much longer"
When asked if the priests at st Marks
had closed the saloons Mr.. Busch re-
plied that it was the church and tha'
the church never interfered with sa-
loon until il became a nuisance
This idea of Mr.. Busch that the char-
scter of the settlers in what is calico
the German settlement in this county
made land higher caused a farmer from
the south side who happened TO De
in the commissioners Office at the TINS
this conversation occurred open MS
ewes with surprise. but he finally agreed
that Mr.. Busch had properly solved the
prohlem