Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-08-17
Editor White of the Emporia Gazette
Tells of the Lawton Opening.

age in LawtOD, the capital of the new |
country. In Hobart and Anadarko. |
two other county seat towns, there |
are four or five miles each of tent
frontage. In these tents live at the
very least computation, fifty thousand
American citizens. They are living
peaceably and in order, as American
citizens do and should live. The first
four days of this week one man was
killed at Lawton-by highwaymen-l
one man died of heart disease, and
two babies were born. There are
many grafters of all sorts and condi-
tions in the country of the
leading grafters of the United States
are there-the star men in the bust
ness; but they are not doing much
They did big business among Texas
people for a few days, but one night
the worm turned. There was mob.
The mob charged down the tent street
crying Hang the gemblers.' 1t was
a vicious looking sight. The gamb-
lers drew down their tent covers and
put out their tent lamps. An hour
afterwards the eight miles of tented
streets in Lawton were as silent as
the tomb. The next morning the
gamblers and most of the grafters got
out of Lawton; they went out in a
good-natured caravan = they knew
they were up against the Americans
love of law and order, and they ac-
copied the situation without com
planning.
Now as to the fifty thousand people
in "a hp m Or
ii butterfiy's summer. Life in the new
country is a great big Emporia street
fair. Everything goes. People are
spending their money fiuently. In the
booths two industries prevail: acid
lemonade and lawyers. There are
not twenty meat markets in Lawton,
and not over forty grocery stores, but
there are, by actual count, over two
hundred law and land locating real -es-
tate offices. 1t looks odd to see a law
library displayed under a tent: also, it
| looks dangerous, for some one wi0 pay
well for that library. The people will
pay for their lawyers all right and
well, too. But here is the alarming
part OF it. The pay must come from
past savings brought into the country.
There is nothing but accumulated
savings for the people to live on.
Those who go through the winterin
the new country must go through
on what they saved last winter.
Now the great majority of the
600 people in the new country
didn't save much last year-if they
had saved they wouldn't be in the new
/ fnr
pie who are doing well are not looking
for new location; and the people in
il new country are mostly looking for
| a snap. They will find it; it will be
cold snap along about December.
Then-look out for trouble. Next
spring excellent claims may be had in
the new country for very little money.
There are only about 5000 farms
worth having in the new country. Di
vide 10000 by 5000 and see how much
each of the 5000 farmers will have to
carry through the winter. Old Atlas,
who carried the world, didn't grunt
nearly as hard as these farmers will
grunt before they get through with
their first year, and if it should hap
pen that there should be crop fail
ure next year-which is entirely pos
Sible, as tile farmers are not familiar
with the soil and the seasons, and the
way to produce results-heaven and
the scrip of the county commissioners
will have to take care of the country.
Then fifty thousand people will rise
up and hurl large, unanimous,
brown damn at the new country, and
then will say in their haste that the
soil is no good, that the people are no
good, and that the climate is simply
sheolic.
| Which is absurd for the soil is ex-
cellent. a richer soil never lay out
of doors than that of the new country.
The writer hereof Travelled in a buggy
over eighty miles of the new-country,
and the wheels didn't CRATE on the
gravel once during the journey. The
tsoil is deep and rich. The grass is
thick as the hair on a dogs back
There are no bald spots. They say the
uplands are worthless. Thirty years
ago they said the same thing of Kan
s3s uplands. And now the kaffir and
the sorghum and the alfalfa and the
small fruits and the by products of
the farm p.ove that the prejudice
against upland in Kansas twenty
years ago had little basis in fact 1t
ha ff1,1S paur