The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-07-28
BURTON TALKS 1T UP.
Gives Kansas a Mighty SendOff
in Denver.
Says Kansas Farmers Will
Clear $1OO,OOO,OOO.
A Boom Circular of the Boomiest
Times in Kansas Couldn't
Equal This.


pie on the earth at the present time re-
marked Hon. ]. r. Burton, the we'll
known lawyer and politician of the Sun
flower state, yesterday. THE state this
year will raise 100000 900 bushels of corn,
upwards of 100000 bushels of wheat and
other classes of grain in proportion. I
have just received telegram from the
county in which 1 live, conveying the in
formation that one and one-quarter in
ches of rain fell in the last shower in the
county and all fears of hot winds
past. Wheat in the county yielded forty,
forty-two, fOrty-five and forty-seven
bushels to the acre and train loads of
wheat are going into the Chicago market.
AT a conservative estimate continued
the eloquent attorney, Il would say that
the farmers of the state will clear this
year at least 500 900 on their crops
and the natural produce of the farms.
This is enormous figure and almost
staggers belief, but have talked with
well informed men from different parts of
the state and never has such a season
been known in Kansas. 1 estimate the
profits prices as now ruling in the
market and there is no indication that
there will be any special decline in farm
products this year. Kansas is growing
a cattle state every year. Just now there
are more cattle in the state than ever be-
fore in its history, and if farmers cannot
find a ready market for their grain they
have the alternative of feeding it to cat
tie. The profits on the immense wheat
crop will be something unheard of in the
state before. The profits on wheat will
be at least $25, 900 900 and the man who
travels over the state is astonished at
the thousands and thousands of head of
cattle which are to be seen from the
windows. Miles and miles of corn cribs
are also seen. These cribs are filled with
corn left over from last year and the sup
ply of food for the cattle will be abund-
ant. At the same time money is easy to
borrow for fattening cattle, and the
farmer who has the corn finds no trouble
to borrow money at reasonable interest
to buy cattle with. Oats. hay, millet, lead.
coal, zinc, oil and other products are in
demand and the activity in all of these
lines is infusing new life into all indus
tries. Many of the farmers have paid off
their mortgages. many have money in the
bank and great many, as 1 know from
acquaintance. have an abundant supply
of cash which is not in the bank at all.
Farmers in many instances have been
able to buy cattle with their own money
and pay cash for them. This is something
new in Kansas, and presages a change
in the times. I know of agricultural
counties where money is actually jump
ing for chance TO De loaned ana
are actually having money showed upon
them. There is no danger of an over sup
ply of cattle for at least two or three
years, and in the meantime the farmers
of Kansas are taking advantage of the
remarkable opportunity of laying in a
supply of dollars. I prophesy that the
farmers of Kansas will pay their debts
as phenomenally fast as they made them
and that is mighty quick. The profits of
gage Indebtedness of the farmers, but of
course the municipalities will continue in
debt, as the mortgages are paid only
within a specified time.
''One of the best things" continued Mr..
Burton, ''is that farmers have at least
learned that there is a difference between
the eastern and western part of Kansas.
Eastern Kansas is the granary and west
ern Kansas is the feeding ground. Miles
of the finest corn ever seen in the world
prove that eastern Kansas is the para
disc of the corn raiser. 1 never saw any
thing in my life like those cornfields of
eastern Kansas. Kansas today has more
corn growing within her borders than
could possibly be grown in any two years
in the entire state of Illinois.
"Then as to transportation said Mr..
Burton. "How many people in the west
know that we have in Kansas north and
south railroad extending from Superior,
Neb., to Abilene and straight to the gulf
of Mexico? This road is 16O miles west of
Kansas City and gives opportunity for
cheap and convenient transportation to
the gulf ports. These ports are bidding
for the business against the long lines to
the east. Those ports have railroad lines
extending to the best granaries on the
continent. The location of Kansas as
state is Incompatible. The channels of
commerce are slow to change. but they
! are steadily moving toward the south and
the southwest and the outlets on the
gulf are destined to carry a vast in
terchange of which we form only a
faint idea in our present state of incom-
plete development The valley of the Ar
kansas is one of the coming regions
which will rival the valley of the Tigris
or the Nile in productiveness, and the low
freight rates through the ports are a
standing challenge to the great railway
corpora tons extending to the Atlantic
seaboard. In addition to all this, recent
events in congress have demonstrated
| that the empire of the United States is at
the will of the United States senators
west of the Mississippi. The western
senators can dictate legislation and all
| that is necessary in order to get any bill
| through congress is for the senators of
| the western states to stand together. Had
| they not quarreled over money matters
| during the recent session they might have
enacted legislation of untold benefit to the
| west. Now that congress has adjourned
| if it would not meet again for five years.
| the United States would be the most pros
| porous country the sun ever shone upon
| Don't Tobacco Spit and Smoke Your Life Away.
To quisstobacco easily and forever. be mag