The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-09-10
The Boom DAYS in Kansas.

IT was in Coffey county, in the spring OF
1872. The exuberant booming of the Sun
flower state had settled Ikea heritage on
every man who made his living there.
They yelled for Kansas and paid for the
county paper that could exploit her re-
sources and productions in the most re-
sounding paragraphs. No state in the un-
ion had known so phenomenal a growth.
Ne wheat fields yielded such abounding
harvests, no wide areas of corn enriched
the farmer with such abundance. A cara
van of movers wagons marked likely
place on winding stream. and straight
way a town was there. X became city
while the oats turned from green to yell
low. 1t fought a battle with a rival ten
miles away and became a county seat. It's
lawyers were all judges, its storekeepers
were merchants. It's latest arrivals were
leading citizens in day. II wanted a rail-
road.
Then came j. l. Banning. He stopped
at the Central House and called on the
editor. He was feeling the way for a rail-
way to the west The man back of him was
Midas and Croesus and Rothschild rolled
in one. If they built a railroad It would
be a railroad to brag about II would
cross the Neosho and the Verdigris; il
would traverse the limitless length of the
Arkansas; it would pierce the hills of Col
orado, and mingle the wealth of the mines
with the fruits OF the field-to the un-
speakable blessing OF every township In
Coffey county. Did they want the line?
They were eager for it. The could scarce
ly wait TIL Banning told them what to do
4 gang OF surveyors with transit and
chain came over the hills from the east
for Kansas is not a dead level of prair.a-
and the farmers contended for the right
TO entertain them.
Special elections were held, and the town.
ship voting the biggest aid in bonds was
found 70 offer the only available route for
the road. There were county donations
and a perpetual exemption from taxes
There was private donation OF right of
way by every resident along the rail-
road" Nonresident holdings were cut
across and sold for delinquent taxes If the
owners complained. Farmers turned out
with their teams and plows and scrapers
and hired men and carried forward more
than mile day. Patriots in the tim
Der gave ties, and the saw-mills made
beams for the bridges. Rugged old Free
Sellers who had known John Brown, who
had helped turn Quantrell back when Law
renee was burned, who had fought border
ruffians" before the war. and "Old Pap
Price" while the rebellion lasted, and who
-'oa AdtNti4ci Ol lIOpt NtlrIItl NNGH lle
war drums beat 10 longer-these rugged
old fellows said ''Yes, SIR" to Banning.
and took off their hats when they came 10
his presence indoors. He had not paid
a dollar of board at the Central and he
had the best the house or the town af-
forded. He was on good terms with the
county treasurer and secured an advance
in cash pending the collection OF taxes
He needed some ready money
The bonds were printed at Topeka and
in the highest style OF the art. They were
signed by the proper officials and were
placed in the vault" which was an iron
bound safe from Hannibal, No TIE condl-
ton OF the issue was that not bond
should be surrendered 10 the railway COM
pany I'll the road was ready for the ties
Then half OF the fund was to be advanced
and the rest was TO come when the first
train ran over the line. The grading was
done 10 the edge OF Clear Creek township.
and half the issue OF bonds was surrendered
10 Banning, he solemnly executing a for
nal receipt. Then he went east tor the
iron. And he never came back.