The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-12-15
THAT WESTERN KANSAS scHEME

/ Western Kansas has always proved
more or less of vexed problem for the
balance of the state. Denver, Cripple
| Greek and all eastern Colorado was at
| one time western Kansas the west
line of Kansas Territory being the
| Snowy Range, or the backbone of the
continent. After the state had been ad-
| mitted, with the 1O2nd degree of longi-
tude as its western boundary, there was
an effort made to cede all the short
grass country west of the Tooth merid-
ian back to the general government for
an Indian reservation or what-not. That
was before it was settled or organized
into counties. 1t was held that the
state would be better off without the
territory named. But railroads were
built and two or three hundred thou
sand people poured into its boom
towns and settlements, and for while,
under lively mortgage regime, it -four
ished, in way. But too much eternal
sunshine, in time, beat both the mort
gagor and mortgagee. Successive years
of cloudleSS days and dewless nights
put the disappointed settlers to flight.
1t is beautiful country, of delightful
climate, and its grass is its all. 1t
roOSts too high, from two thousand to
three thousand feet too high. 1t lacks
only one thing, and that one thing it has
lacked since time began. 1t is short on
water, therefore its short grass. As an
agricultural country it is failure and
always will be. As pastoral country
especially for cattle and sheep, 1t eXcels
the land Of Abraham's fiocks, equals
the steppes of Siberia, and has few su-
periors probably anywhere in healthful-
ness for all kinds of kline. Its hope and
chance is in ranch life, and it will yet
become famous and valuable in that.
Carl Shurz, when secretary of the inter-
ior under Hayes, which was before
western Kansas had been patented to
settlers in quarter sections, recommend
ed that it all be sold in large tracts at
nominal price per acre for ranch pur-
poses. But Plumb made fight on the
scheme, defeating it, under the plea Of
climatic change, possible irrigation, the
redeeming influence of mans presence,
and so forth.
Today much of all the high prairie
country west of the Tooth meridian is
just what it was when rowing buffalo
in rolling herds roamed, ate and in
creased upon its nutritious grasses.
Again comes proposition to do some
thing in the way of legislation for that
section. 1t is a Pop proposition and it
looks to the consolidation of the thirty
nine western counties of the state into
four counties. These counties have a |
total vote of less than thirty thousand, |
probably not to exceed one hundred |
thousand inhabitants. This would give |
to each of the new counties something |
like twenty-five thousand people. The |
claim is that it would do away with |
hundreds of officials, reduce taxes, and |
so forth. We do not pretend to say |
the scheme is a practical, or |
even possible, one. We are only on
vinced of one thing, and of that we |
have been convinced ever since we first |
travelled that section, which was thirty |
six years ago, and that is that all west
arn Kansas, outside of a few circum-
scribed valleys, can never be successful
Y cultivated. 1t will prove valuable
,nly as a grazing country. One year in
hree or in five fair crops of small grain
IF Katfir corn, sorghum and the like,
nay be matured. But the rule for the
farmer will be failure. Every failure of
hat section is charged up to Kansas as
4 whole, is a discredit mark. And
the legislature attempts any
hing or not, it is only question Of
line when practically all the farms or
quarter sections of western Kansas will
De thrown into large tracts which will
De owned and utilized for the purpose
IF pasture for large herds of cattle and
1ocks of sheep, windmills. not water
courses being depended upon for water
ng the same.
PEFFERS RECORD