The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-26
A DEFERRFD METROPOLIS.
Hopes on which Bonds wero ISSUED by q
Enusns County.

Hopes on which Bonds wero ISSUED by .
Rknusns County.
TOPEKA, Dec. 25.-A Kansas official received
q letter q few days q o-from q dealer in munic-
ipal bonds in New York city asking about an
issue of bonds made by a certain western Kan
sas county in 1884. The official recalled the
circumstance Of the voting of these bonds and
the influences which were used among the
voters. The Missouri Pacific Railroad wanted
to extend its line into tho county and desired
$50, 900 in bonds to aid in its construction. The
bonds were voted on condition that thoy wero
not turned over to the company until the road
had been completed to the county scat.
Repeated efforts were made TO induce the
County Commissioners to surrender the bonds
so that the company could sell them and get the
money needed in tho construction Of the line,
but they were %fruitless. Finally the officials
decided to try a new tack, and sent Jim Orr,
a Missouri Pacific attorney Of Atchison, to the
county to see and talk with tho people. Orr
reached the county seat by stage one Sunday
evening in time to go to church. When the
contribution box was passed around he threw
In a handful Of silver. On Monday he fell in
with the town boomers and made himself agree
able. When the bond subject came up he re-
marked that he had heard something about the
voting Of some bonds. but didn't care anything
~ NAiht 90 hho cAhilo N"D ~ 5SASSs - oAte
for division headquarters somewhere out there,
and he was simply going to look over the stu.
alton at that point; he wanted forty acres OF
ground where water could BIO had, that was all.
This caused everybody 10 warm up to Orr.
and the town company offered him a whole SEQ.
ton. Orr said 1t wouldn't be right to take so
much, and forty acres was all he needed. In
the afternoon he expressed a desire to go Jack
rabbit hunting and the village sports rallied to
accompany him. He laid in a fair supply Of
beer and cigars and the party set of on the
hunt. Every one In the party killed more rab-
bits than Orr, and it was the unanimous YER
dict that he was tho best-natured and most
liberal sportsman they had met, though he
couldn't shoot much. That night he played q
little game of poker with his new friends, let
ting them win his money with the remark that
II he located there he would learn the game and
On Tuesday he started a FORGET dig a big well
and at night attended a Populist rally. making
sure to have o fellow call on him.to speak. His
speech was O powerful arrangement OF monopo-
lies and he concentration Of wealth in tho
the. forty acres OF land and made a big plat Of
the ground. indicating the location Of the
and that evening went to a church social.
where no spent money right and left. especially
patroniziny the daughter Of the Chairman Of
showing marked courtesies to the wives Of the
other members of the board. Thursday was
/ BpeuI III IL lONh uTuB olOTt, NttEo pIT BOI
ACQUAINTED with tho leading men from the
country: On Friday water was struck in the
big w etSS ana Orr T Hs d RaT;tsSaia a yele sslishtsia I'd
one of the head officers Of the Missouri Pacific
Company, in the East, announcing that this
and gave it to the Mayor to send. That night
a town meeting was held and a banquet spread.
modest. .To the toast, ,"Our Future City, he
responded so e!oqqently that those present
Ehnpa and when he wound I'm with the n agIr-
ance that in that Western metropolis he ex-
pectcd to enjoy the pleasures and RESPONSE.
bilitie Of a citizen'-the applause shook the old
On Saturday Orr knew every man, woman,
in the county. He had patronized the three
barber shops, ordered a suit OF Lhe local tailor,
taken al a share thr G or two Of stock fa nth IN the Gamer
well diggers So a day, promised the Post Office
sioners' churches. and was the good fellow of
Boz 1i" OF com%i'ssionorss aside, Orr o1''i remart1d
that since the bond had been voted, Il might
expedite matters Il there was no delay in
and he merely suggested it. That afternoon
the Commissioners held a short and hurried
to him, saying it would he a favor il he would
deliver them to ihe cominny for them -. 7 Is Is
Years have gone by since that eventml
week. A little spur or a road does the bust.
ness of the metropolis" with an cvery-other.
day mixed train, and the $50 villagers refer
TO the vacant tract of ground with the old we'll
as The Orr forty And the New York
broker still holds the bonds.
Another story Is told of Orr which the poll
ticians declare Is gospel truth. At least, Orr
has never denied It. and when It Is told in Il
crowd of his friends, he enjoys it us much az
they do. Orr is a Democrat, and although
the Democratic party has never been able to dc
much business In Kansas, he manages to get
into every National Convention as u delegate
In 1892 the Democratic State Convention tC
select delegates 10 tho National Convention g.
Chicago was held at Salins, distant 800 miles
from the east line OF the State. Orr was amIbi
tious to represent bis party in the National Con
N@ention from Kansas. He notified the dele
gatos from n half dozen counties in the eas'
end of the State to meet him at Kansas City
where he would provide them with transpor
tation to tho convention. When tho trail
was ready to leave the station Orr was sur
rounded by fifty mon who were ready to accep
his favors. He EGrded them in Il car, ant
when the conductor came through to take III
the tickets he transacted business 18th tn,
politician and not with the delegates. Thu
return stubs OF tho passes were retained by TN
candidate for national delegate, because h
knew as between supporting him and walking
home his guests would choose the former
That bunch OF passes not only elected tn
young politician a delegate to the National Con
vention. but 1T also saved the day for his father
in.law, former Gov. Click, who lived in the sam
county, in the same ward. and. In fact, In tn