The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-03-01
BRIGHT SKIES IN KANSAS.
Impressions of a Harper's Weekly
Correspondent in Topeka

From the Harper's Weekly.
The eastern visitor to Kansas, as
matter of course, expects something of
the unusual. He has read and heard
more or less exaggerated accounts of
her statesmen, her crops, her live
stock, her women orators, her beWh1sk-
cred men, her treeless plains, her cy-
clones, her grasshOppers, her fine
schools, her debts, her deserted coun-
ties, and lot of other things, and per
haps he is disappointed when he finds
the commonplace everywhere, just as he
does in any other place where men and
women have met and formed a COM
monwealth. Moreover, he is so prepared
for the unusual that any subject, ma
terial OF otherwise, to be classed with
the unexpected, must be little short OF
extraordinary Notwithstanding these
high requirements as to the unexpect-
ed, there are surprises at every hand
in the state for the inquiring visitor.
Her own people know all about them,
and they in turn are astonished that in
telIigent persons from the east should
know so little as to the mental and
physical characteristics of the SunflOw-
er state. This article will tell a few of
the things that were downright sur
prises to me, although I visited the
state prepared, let it be said frankly,
not to be surprised at almost anything.
1 had occasion to visit one of the
largest general stores in Kansas at To-
peka to inquire as to the prosperity of
the masses. One of the prOprietOrs
had Just come in from making the first
OF the usual Two Qd1ly uGpOS4bS VI AG-
ceipts in the bank. The store does
business of more than $3.50, 600 year.
The proprietor said:
'Oh yes, times are greatly improved.
Where a year ago we took in one $40
gold piece a day we now get a dozen
"Goid?' said, in surprise.
''Why, yes, gold
cold in Kansas? And in circulation
among the people like that?"
why, certainly. I have just deposit
ted $3.50 in gold that we took in this
morning I wish you had dropped in a
little earlier, so that you might have
seen it,"
This gentleman was one of the firm of
Kemper & Paxton, owning the Model
Supply Store" of that city, and if men
tioning the name gives them any ad-
vertisement they are welcome to it, for
the story told by this member of the
firm was so extraordinary to me that
I feel 1 must give my full authority
for it 1t was Mr.. Paxton who spoke.
He said that the firm made a practice
to cash the checks of the Santa Fe
railroad employees in the general offices
of the company, situated In topeka,
and that frequently on pay day, which
comes monthly, their bank would send
down to the store as much as $1,000 an
gold, which would be given out IN one
day in exchange for the checks. OF
course that gold remained in circulation
for several days about town. Other
stores and other banks also in Topeka
took in and gave out gold, and the re-
suit was that in that city of about
81, 600 or 10000 inhabitants several thous-
and dollars in gold was being used
from day to day as medium Of ex-
change When the full extent of this
information dawned upon me I could
express my surprise only by saying:
why, out in the east, if we had read
or known that there was IS 600 in gold
an actual circulation in any place in
Kansas-in this state, which has
seemed so welded to Silver-we would
not have been surprised to have heard
as the next thing that a mob had taken
possession of the place, and that a
dozen or more gold-bugs-that is to say,
persons having gold in their possession
had been hanged on the street corn
ers, despite the strenuous efforts of the
state militia to prevent it. That shows
how little we really know about the ac-
tuaI condition of affairs beneath the
surface in Kansas"
Mr.. Paxton laughed, and said that he
was glad that Harper's Weekly had
sent some one out there to study the
prevailing conditions, so that. as a re-
suit, there might be a better under
standing between the east ard middle
west. The conversation recalled the
remark made to me the 0fs~1f before nv