The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1897-01-08
ID - nPL Anngs nEEEnsE.
Iszue Taken With The Kansas Farmers
Position on Western Esnsss.

Editor OF TIE REPUBLIC:
In a recent issue Of the Kansas Farm
! eF December B.. was an article entitled,
"The High Plains Of Western Kansas"
which, according to the editor Of the
abOve-named paper, vas inspired by "a
friend from California" whose state
ments are aof the nature of & confdea-
tial report" What the nature Of this
"rsport" is, may be read between the
lines, and reduced to plain United
States, would read: Report of an agent
of the Syndicate Tor other Cattle com
pany."
While a portion of the article is cor
rect, it is obvious that it was only
sandwiched in to give tone to the bal
ance, and the whole article intended to
depress and demoraIize the settlers who
still "live, move and have their being"
in the northwest portion of Kansas; to
hurt this portion Of the state in the
minds of investors, and proposed inves-
tors, in lands in this part of the state,
and play into the hands Of the big cat
tie companies, who have for the past
ten years been cursing the odd grang-
ers' and looking covetiously at the
broad acres Of rich and nutritious buff
falo grass; and, who have for four or
five years, been trying to work up a
scheme for the repeal of the nerd law.
The humor of the article comes in
when you read the concluding sentence
of the eighth paragraph, which is as
follows: sit is by bringing in the more
intelligent men from eastern Kansas
that anything can be accomplished"
because only a few of the citizens Of
these counties shave the patience and
persistence necessary to adapt them
selves to the natural conditions"
Shades of Plato! The "gaul" Of those
eastern Kansans. Intelligence, pa
tienee and persistence! We can give
them cards, spades and little casino,
and then beat them. The only advan-
age they have over US is money and
votes. On account of the former, they
would like to crowd out those who have
given the best years of their lives-ten
of them-and sunk their surplus money
in order to demonstrate the capabilities
of this portion of the state, and taking
advantage of their experience, reap
harvest, as the most of the same class
did, in the early days, in the section
east of the Tooth meridian. Their solicit
tude for western Kansas is something
like that of the lion for the lamb.
Thank you gentlemen, we of western
Kansas know more of it's capabilities
than even the astute editor Of the Kan
sas Farmer; that if We don't have rain
we won't harvest wheat OF corn; that
the only way for a man to roll in wealth
like the said editor is to 60 into the
cattle business as far as We can as an
Rddenda to blowing and sowing; that
Milo maise, Kafr corn, Jerusalem corn,
etc., should be the standard crops, and,
also, We know that having spent our
patrimony in our endeavor to find what
| the country is best adapted to, we will
have to 90 slow-buy a COW, a calf, a
steer or few Sheppard by degrees
| get enough of the brute creation to
stock our share of the range.
The editor of the Farmer, and his
"friend from California" both seem TO
be ignorant of the fact that there are
more cattle, horses aud sheep in north
western Kansas to-day than there were
a decade sgo-that they are worth more
money, and are a higher grade of stock.
1t is true you don't see great droVes
running at large, or in pastures cover
ing two or three townships, bat are
owned in small punches Of from one OF
two to 40, 80 or 100 head. But they
mostly have shelter and feed in bad
weather, and at any time of the year.
would require but a small outlay to
fnish'of for the market.
So far as irrigation is concerned, we
| have never thought that enough water
could be pumped from depth of from
80 to 40 feet for farming purposes,
though the editor of Farmer was very
sure, at one time, that it could. We
knew better-that only for gardening
and trucking could water be pumped
successfully, and the editor of the
Farmer need not take any credit to
himself for finding out what we all
knew years ago.
Another thing the editor Of the Farm
or should know, is that it is not neces-
sary for a farmer to Yacate his upland
home because of lack of water for stock,
| because an ordinary windmill and pump
will supply all the water needed for a
hundred head of stock and leave
enough to irrigate an acre or two Of
garden and truck.
Thanking the editor of the Farmer
and his california friend. for the
friendly % but misplaced interest they
have shown in and for the ignorant
impatient and non-psrsistent people Of
western Kansas, and asking pardon fOE
occupying so much Of The REPUBLIC';
valuable space, 1 remain a true western
Kansan. J. S.. TAYLOR.
Topiand, Kan, Dec. p, 1896.
THE GooDLAND SCHOOLS.
The Monthly Report as Compiled BY thu
Superintendent
Report Of Goodiand schools for the