Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1898-02-17
AN APPEAL TO KANsANs.

(Kan,) Gazette, spoke rs follows
There was no business or attempt at develop
ment In Kansas prior TO 1885 or lS0l All was
politics or war Many people from the north
and from the south entered the territory for
the purpose OF making homes, but doubt II
they had well-deHned idea beyond making It
u free or slave state So IL was not until
after the war that the spirit OF business and de-
velopment seized the people, And while people
were pushing west, locating towns and organ
izing counties u mighty conflict was raging
along the Missouri river, between certain
cities for commercial supremacy, But few OF
the editors present IRE old enough or were In
the state, and so probably have no comprehen-
sion Of the genius and labor or the millions
won and lost from 1855 to 1870 In adjusting all
the avenues and implements OF commerce to
present conditions, and not 25 per cent Of the
citizens OF Kansas City can conceive OF the OBJ
stacles overcome or the cost OF the supremacy
OF this city.
Kansas City Is the commercial metropolis OF
Kansas, and all the regions to the mountains
and north and south for hundreds OF miles, be-
cause God Almighty decreed It, / suspect the
decree vas triied with to the extent of few
miles, but the fathers Of the city us 1t stands
won fairly and honornbly 1t was so decreed
when this right angle In the Missouri was made
when the junction Of the two rivers was made
and when the choicest garden Of the world
was built around It, An army officer ut Fort
Riley years ago told me that he had been in
Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and all
parts Of this country, and he had seen no place
in oil his travels to equal the Kaw valley from
Kansas City to Salina, From one OF these
hill tops away back in the 4Os, Thomas H.
Benton predicted this city, and he was looking
up stream when he said It, Kansas City could
not help being what she Is, and there is no
power without or foolshness or stupidity with
In that can keep her from passing St Louis in
the next 20 years,
But Notwithstanding the decree l speak of,
did the city attain its present position without
hustlingY You bet your sweet life, 1t didn't
The big odds against her proved the decree
| 1t was mighty battle The city was In Mis-
souri, Ten years Of war ragged on the border
and the bitterness was intense During terri
torial days the Mssourian with Uncle Sam on
his side, rubbed 1t into Kansas and during the
war Of the rebellion, Kansas had Uncle Sam
with her and she rubbed 1t into Missouri, with
interest compounded. How many Of the pres
ent audience know that Kansas brigadier
general ordered jackson and three or four other
Missouri counties depopulated, and it was
done. He was very conservative man, At
the time all this disaster to Kansas City from
both sides was going on, Leavenworth was en-
joying the perquisites Of one of the greatest
military headquarters Of the government
But the war closed and everybody settled
down to business. Every element of politics,
every feature of Off .ial power. state pride and
prejudice, all the bitterness of the war, were
worked to the utmost to beat Kansas City and
establish the Missouri river point at Leaven-
worth Bonds were voted and railroads built
In all directions to beat Kansas Clty The
IA t,np ptn rtnI t1,a old .
Wyandotte, and Kansas CITY was reached by n
switch from Armstrong back to the state line
The Fort Scott & Gulf. of all the early roads.
was the only ROAD built from Kapsas Citv
Geography or commerce compelled every other
road to build into Kansas CITY. and mostly
against their wills. The Santa Fe started from
Atchison, and it had to build to Kansas CITY.
The Leavenworth, Lawrence g. Galveston
started south from Leavenworth but IL
was compelled to build into Kansas CITY.
The Hannibal built to St Joseph. hut IL had
to come to Kansas City. and bridge the river
at this point Leayenworth built what was
called the Missouri Valley road down to tap
the Missouri Pacific at Kansas CITY, Leaven-
worth will build another road in the summer of
1893 to Kansas City Kan. this time. to sell her
coal Lawrence built road to Pleasant Hill
known rs the Pleasant Hill cutoff, but the only
recollection there is of that is the interest on
certain county bonds The newspapers of
Kansas at that time did their utmost to whoop
up state pride and the Kansas prejudice
against Kansas City. Wyandotte, because
of her contiguity to Kansas City, suf-
fered severely from her own state from
this cause. speak in all kindness
of Leavenworth-she made brilliant
fight and it Is not her fault that Kansas CITY is
not 20 miles further UP the river. Kansas City
soon began TO absorb the cream of the BUSH
ness men OF surrounding towns. In those DAYS
there were probably u score of as strong whole
sale firms in Leavenworth as there are in this
city to-day. Every county in Kansas is repre-
scented in oil lines of business and Kansas peo-
pie are everywhere throughout the city, KAN
sas City, Kan, Is fully one-haf made up of
people from the interior of Kansas.
Now, the question of the commercial me-
tropolis has been settled, and what are Won
going to do about it? Seventy-fye per cent, of
what you see in this city has been contributed
by Kansas, and $4,000 If the population live
within the borders of our state Kansas City
is becoming more attractive and stronger ey-
cry day. 1t has no rival All bitterness has
entirely disappeared Still there is some dis
appointment that the city is principally in Mis-
souri,. That cannot be helped and the sole
question remaining is how much of this CITY
do you want in your state 1 have under
stood that Kersey Coates said without
u dollars worth of interest west of
the line, some - or Is wears ago. that
there were persons living who would see the
state line the center of the city, Is this too
Ynuch 70 ocly for9 Znpsos o,p h al,, ,,,,o a., 81