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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 1898)
/ FHE OMAHA DAILY BEE ESTABLISHED JURE JD , ISTI. OMAHA , WEDNESDAY MOUNTING , JTEJHIUAKY 2 , 1808 TWELVE PAGES. SINGLE COPY" FIVE CENTS , BRIGHT SKIES OF THE WEST What Hard Times Taupht the Fnitima of the TiansmisaiEsippi Region , STATISTICS CF NEBRASKA AND KANSAS I'rolKeitilr lli'turiiH from ller CriitixTin * l.iij < if tin * Hi'ii 1,1' Maiin of De'ononij _ Inlflleeliinl nf The fourth ot Tranklln Matthcwa' papers fubllaheJ In the last number ot Harper's Weekly eleals with the agricultural develop ment of Konsoo and Nebraska. AUflough the tin GO preceding papers dealt largely with crop statistics , the supply was not exhausted find a few are added In groups to give the finishing touclicH to the picture or prosperity emerging1 from the fclough ot despond. The paper Is an follows : U flhould bo recorded , In strict regard for truth , that In the * ) car of our Lord clghtcni hundred and nlncty-ncveri cccn ceaced to bu king In Kansas. The empire wai overthrown by ei revolution and Ihot revolution consisted of changes In farming mcmo&i. To go back further In the logic of events , It Is truthtul to say that the hard times In a great mcnnure * brought about these changes and developed the now farming In the middle west. In hU rcpcit In March , 1830 , the * secretary of the Kansas State Hoard of Agrlcultuie raid : "In no ) ar of the sMto'.i hlstor ) has the viluo of the wheat appiouchod In magnitude that of the same > car's corn " TNit fltntemcnt was true then. In the twenty-fivo ) cam clcalng with the year IS'Jli the aveufeo annueil value of tha Kan-M corr < Tcp , vai $31,000,000 utiil the total value of the C.MII e"ilscd In those ) e.nr was the enor mous purn of $778,000,000. The crop In ISUU van worth ? .1 > ,000,000. H had been worth ns munli In one ) ear as ? . " 2)00 ( ) 000. In 1SU7 It wan worth $28.000.000 , a falling off of $ " . - 000,000 tn a year of plenty from the crop of 1tio previous ) ear The wheat crop for Uio ytar 18)7 ! ) , according to the nt'-'tc statistics , wzn vvarth $31.000,000 Uj ) to bst ) wc It was noteworthy that when there V.HH a decline In the corn crop ( hero was no decided In crease In the wheat crop. In 181)0 ) the wheat crop of the state was worth only $13,000,000 Corn for that ) oar was worth $ ' ! ! j.000,000. In ISVi whertt was worth $7,000,000 , C.CT.II , $ IC- 000,000. In 18')4 ) the wheat W.JB WCK th $11- 000,000 ; Porn , $25,000,000 III 1803 wtic-lt was \vrrth $10,000.000 , corn. $32,000,000. Hut In the vear 18)7 ! ) whe < it Jumped lust coin and the e figuics , Issued by the State Department of Agriculture , show It Value of Gl 000,000 biMheln ot wheat , $31,000000 ; aluc of IG2- OOO.POO liUHhvIa of corn , $28,000,000. Corn was dethroned in Kansas theri and there. No crop ot impoitnncu In the Htate had ever shown ouch a percentage of In- crcasan one jear as the wheat of 1S97 The Increase In production wad a little more than 100 per cent , and the increase Inalue \van almost 1GO per cent over the previous year. Corn fell elf In production , rot In price , but vna displaced as the leading crop of the state. It may ha\e been a mere colnclderxje that prosperity for the Kansan farmer arrived at the name time , thus cnib- llng Oovcrnor Lesdy to . .ay , l i his Tbanka- glv'ng proclamation : "The attneks upon the state , to which It has been GO long mibject , have been discon tinued , and the reputatlcei of Knnsra h agalD aa gooj as Its character always has been. " IJIVUItSlFIUlJ CHOI'S. The great Iwaon rhown by the dcthicne ment of corn In Kri has Is that the farmero of the state are diversifying their crops To put It In another waj , they are no longer carrying all their eggs In crat basket Al though It ban not paid to raUe corn ex- clusUcl ) for several ) ears , the Kineas farmers kept cm doing * > o. The hot winds fti 1830 and ISO I reduced the crops to al most nothing , and In the other jearn the low ( > rlce > s bad practically the same effe-ct upon the farmer. Still , the farmer kept on ra sIng - Ing cejm. It had become second rature to him. It was cheaper to burn It as fuel than to sell It , but there was one thing Inla \ fuvor ; It could be fed to cattle , hogs and poultry , and these cou'd fu tilsh food , at least for the farmer. He could live during the hard times and the low prices , e\ei if he could not pay Interest. Pcedlng the corn to 11e stock had one other Important effect lion , T. A. Hubbarel , president of the Kansas Swine Ilreedera' an EPC'utlon ' , called attenticn to It n 1S95 , when ho fcaldVh ) do farmers market IG-cen. corn , when It will bring them 30 cents It fed to hogs/ / " The farmers not 01. ' ) learned that the belt way to sell corn was by tracics- formliiK It Into how , but Into cattle and poultry , Etiel the result was that of the $10- 000,000 Increase In the productivity of Kan sas In 1897 one-half and a trifle moio eamu from the Increase In live stock In other wonk' , b ) the time that 1897 arrived the Karwas farmer had found out that there were other thlnigs thin corn worth while in'slng ' , mid that although corn wcs the largest crop , end must continue to be the largozt crop i i the fctate , ( hero were profita ble ways of disposing of It other than by selling It nt cost price or lower The farmer of the middle west last year adapted lily methods to his soil and to prob able prices It should bo rcnu'mbercd that the suitIs a sloping plain. At Die eastern end It has un eluvatlon of 7(15 ( feet above the sea Iqvel , and at the western end the tluvatlan Is 3.3G5 feet , or a rise ) which U about seven fcot to the mile. In the nouth- cabtern quarter of the state t.io crops al most never fall The western half Is given up to native grumes , and is called the short glass ( .pimtry. It U not productive of cerejla under cultivation , owing to the altitude , the lack of water , and the condition of the sail Nature Intended It for a llvo-ateick-sra/.lng connti ) . Hou Thomas M 1'otter , president of the fctato Hoard of Agrle-ultiiie , In respon sible for tlio statement that his cattle have gained ( lirco pounds n da ) In weight by feeding on thcto native giaches It lt > In the u en tern part of the ttuto that the oban- iloni'd ( owns and farms of the btato are found. Farming , as cairlcd on cUowhere , did not pay ; but It Is In the western part of the ) stala Hlso that the ) revived cattlci Imluu- tiy of KCIIBHJ \ nourishing It was In the central west that the great wheat crop was raised. An analyrls of'tho farm report U Inlerestlnp . U17TUHN8 l-'ltOM STOCK The reports for Ib97 show an Inueabe of 300,000 dead of cattle for slaughter In one ye\ir 'Ilmt Increase alone brought moro than $11,000,000 In the ) ycur'tt protipeilty for the state. Last year the cattle foi slaughter In Kansas numbered 1,000,000 in lt > 9i they numbered 1,300,000. the milch cows in- cicased 37.000 , tshouliiK a considerable In- ciecnu In the dittoing Industry It la in- < o cutltig to know that since * the ) cur 1S77 the uvcrago product of a cow has Increased from $7 01 In cheese , butter and milk to $9 C5 This Is due to a constant Improve ment In thi ) gradn of Block , anet shows an other change In the farming mutboda. The Increase In the dairy products In 1897 over 1898 was $300,000. The cost of maintaining it cow In Kansas IP sulel to bo SO per cent less than In New England. , Ait Indicating that the dairy buMncss will return u liberal profit If conducted wisely , the annual report of the commissioner of labor the man who collecta most of Ihe Kansas statistics except those collected by the Department ot Apiculture said , In 1S95 ; "There haa never been a time In western Kaiuas when a farmer out of debt , and -with a family of five , could not make a good living with twenty tows , provided he ill-voted enough time to Ihe raising of Kaillr corn to make ) feed for them. An liivestiKu- * tion of results made by J. H. Nlstlt-y , a | f.ict.c.il Ilckln on county creamery man , develops the fact that good milch cows average - lift ago $35 lo their ovvoera a year , that the- av 10 erage feedingnpento U about $20 , and that the average value of the cons la $2S. $ An average profit of MS per cow on an Invest ment of j:8 , lU'sldea the railing of a wlf , Is not a bad business transaction , consider- Ins that the feed la rained without cxpe > nee othrr than the time of the farmer " Another Interesting exhibit In the crop fig ures for IS97 Is that the number of snlno Increased more than 600,000 over the pre- \lous year. That showa that Mr Hub-bird's advice as to the disposition of corn mint hive been follow eel extensively. Sheep In creased In numbers moro than 209,000 , but there was a dccrca e In the numbe" of boric * . In the state over the- previous ) car. In 1S9B there were 840,000 horses In Kansas In 1S97 there were only 801,000 horses ; but the , sat isfactory 'de to this decrease was the fa"t that , although there were 45,000 fewer hcrsse , their value was 10 per cent grtatcr than that of the horses of the previous ) car , rep- reseitlDK an Increase In value of more than $2 000.000. 000.000.WHAT WHAT KANSAS iMionucES. Po many persons have looked upon Kan sas as a "one-crop state" that It Is worth while to go further Into the analsls of What she produces. One ot the most note worthy Items of her resources Is tliat of psultry and eggs sold. To show how great Is rhe > value put. upon this Item , let me In sert hero a quotation from the report of the secretary of the . 'Hoard of Agriculture on this topic , dated March 31 , 1897. Mr. Co- burn siys. In his Interesting western way of grouping statistics1 "In the ) cat ending March 1 , 1S9G , the value rf Kansas poultry ami eggs sold was $1OOSS15 , or 19 per cent moe > than the en tire value of the rye , barley , buckwheat , castor-be-ans , cotton , hemp , tobacco bioom- ( orn , mlle maize , Jerupa'-m ' corn , garden and horticultural products marketed , wine , ho'ipy , sheep and wool of the ssmo ) carNe No field crops , with the exception of wheat , corn and hay , equalled In value the sur plus sold from the Kansas hens , ducks , turkeys - keys and geese In the ) car named. "It was a sum sufllelent to pay all the state and city taxes of the p.ecudlng year and leave on hand the comfo table neatcgg of X175.000 Its value wa ncarlj twice ( or 9. > per ccU ) greater than the same ) ear's output of lead c , d zinc from our mlnci , con ceded to bo of great rlchncw , M d within 3 per ecnt of the value of all the coal mined during the preceding > car. It was 23 per cent greater than the total paid In the state for teachers' wageo and school supervision ; moro than three tlmc ail much ts the totil combined amounts paid for school sites , buildings furniture , rent , repairs district llbrarj , and school apparatus , fuel , Iiclleii- tals and all other school purposes except salarle . In fact , the poultr ) came within about 1-1 per cent of pa > Ing the- entire ccat of the public schools " The poultry and eggs In 1S97 brought $250 - 000 rrore to , the state than In 1S9G , and much of It may have been due to the foster- ! mg care of the Deportment of Agriculture Hero It Is proper lo call nttcnt cti to the work that this clopartmu t docs for the farmers of the htate- Not onlj ban It a hja- tcm of correspondence probably unmatched bj any other state In the union but it koopa constantly In touch with all sorts of farm ers , and notifies them frequently as to the results Vi Important experiments. It Issuer' Its reports quarterlj , and they arc not the cut and dried nITnirtj that such documento usual ! ) are 'Ihe ) net onlj contain information mation but entertainment The ) are prepared b ) Secretary Coburn , whct > e work Is so valuable that he is the enl > republic n otlltlal of Importraco tint the pcrml'i ' is did not ou t when they came Into full pcMscsGlon of the state government. Air Coturn Is n man of decldexl sentiment , which la mixed up " 11 a picturesque wa ) with the practical method he emplos In leioklng after the affaire of his department His reports heir In red Ink auch titles ao these "Cow Cul ture , " "The Helpful Hen , " "The Beef Steer Bind His Slstei. " THD HELPFUL , HEN. These reports contain not o-ily a "breezy IntrodilPtlcn" by Mr Cobu.n , but miscellany of nil sorts relating to the subject dealt with There are not only long tables of sa- tlstlcs In them , but excerpts from newspa pers , and also esruiys and pictures So desir able ar these reports trat on the moinlng of my visit to Mr. Ccburn he asked me to lift n basket full of letters and guess the weight. There were twenty-five pounds of letters that had Just arrived , and all were requests for copies of the "Helpful Hen " Illustrating the sentiment that lies under the surface In Mr. Coburn , ono may find printed in led Ink on the cover of this b.-ok , and ellrectly under its title , these words which being without quotation marks , and ulso be ing * ioincwhat sentimental and eloquent In a Kansas way , I take to be the output of Mr Coburn "While everything else was going to rack and ruin , she ( the 'Helpful Hen' ) Increased and multiplied , she supported herself i > nd the family , too. The very Insects that vvaulel have despoiled the farm she fattened upoi , la ) Ing her dally egg the blessed eg that took the place of beef and milk , mutton and pork and In good time , after all these serv ices , surrendered her toothbomo body to the cause of humanity " Almost the dli&t article In this report Is one clipped from the \Vo3te-n Karmer and written by A L Crot'by. ' It gives , in imita tion biblical language , the conversatlcn be tween a husband and wife as to their ex periment In raising pcultry The wife had agreed to buy all the grain needed for the poultry of her husband , and he In turn agreed to pay her the market plce : for all the eggs and chickens that were consumed In the household , and this account of their settlement is glvea "Then the lorel of the manor takcth cut his little bcok , nml shovvcth unto his wife how man ) measures of grain she had nought of him and the price thereof and that she was Indebted unto him to the amount of seventy-live dollars lawful money. Then Ills wife- ' said unto him "Give me the price of u meaniire of corn , aUo of oaM and of other grains , that I have had of thee , " and he having done so , she looketh over her parchment whereupon she had marked tlio price of the merchant for thoae grains , an 1 putting down some llgures , reduceth the amount of dollars to sixty and five , which she shovvcth to the lord of the manor , and explalncth the matter unto him , and najeth unto him 'My lorel Is a just man and would not defraud oven hln wife ; behold , this Is the prlco of the merchant who kecpeth the market at the place where the roads do cross. ' "And the lord of the manor said : 'Let It bo as thou wilt.1 (1'or he thought he was safe ) "Then the woman gathered herself up , and with a voice * of exceeding sweetness did tell unto the ) lord Of the manor how man ) score of dozens of eggs they had consumed , and how man ) do/ens of chickens they bail eaten , bath fried and roasted , und the price the merchant received for the eggs ami the chlekciu' , ami the price thereof wau for the eggs from 15 to 30 cents per dozen , and when the bllizard arete In the land the price for the space of two weeks was -10 cents. "And the prlco of the chickens was from $1 > lo $4 a dozen , and the sum of the whole was Just $125 moro than the cost of the feed "And the woman said 'Pay unto mo $120 and take thou the $5 and buy th&elf a piece of sackcloth , and I will furnish the ashes free. ' ( I"or there was nothing mean about this woman ) " Is there any wonder that the requests for such an attractive olllcla ) compllatlpn come In by the paund , and that tl.e result Is that the farmer of Kansas profits by the serious eldo ot the story It tells ? SIUG LINH3 OF I'UOSI'UHITV. There are other Interesting Items In the list of Kansas' crops and proJucts , and alto gether figures are dry , I venture to reproduce some more , bo-ause , like- pictures , they tell a story in their own way one that cannot be told so well In any other manner The value of the oatfi In the state for 1597 wat nearly $ l.000.0du ; Irish and svviet potatoes. $ . > , COO.OOO ; millet , $2,000,000 ; sorghum , Kaf fir corn and maize for fodder $0,000,000 tame grasses , $1,300.000 , horticulture , garden products , ami wine , $1,500,000 The vvlnu In thla Hat U the greatest surprise of all , for It must bo remembered that Kansas U a prohibition state In tj.eor ) . I am sorry that the Item rocaped in)1 , notice until after 1 had left the state , so thai It wai too late to ask what becomes of the wine , and how the valuation la put on U It U not sold in the state. , I find , however , b ) the report of the cerre- Ury ot tb Board ot Agriculture , iuucd early In January of thli year , that wlno was made In no less than eight-two of the 106 counties of the elate , that the vineyards number 7,121 , that the number jf gallons of wine produced was 231.3 ( > 4 , which , at 75 cents a gallon , was worth $173523 a mat little sum for euch an Industry in a prohibition state' Closet * examination of the tabled show thnt the county raising the meet wlno U Ddilidan , which has a record of 497 vineyards , produc ing 4D.S92 gallon * ot wine , worth $37,419. An cximlnatktt of the map of Kansas shows that Uonlphan county is In the very northecatern corner of the state aeljolnliiB the ntatcs of Nebraska and Missouri Nebraska neul Mla- soi.rl are not prohibition f tatesi and If th a fact 1ms any relation to Donlphan county's w'lno production other than a mere coinci dence , of course that lo another story. SIAKINO HIS 1H1UST. Pcitiaps one hint as to the consumption ot Keticaa wine may be had from an experience I had at supper In a hotel In Marjavllle , In the northern central part of the state , one evening. I noticed a drcantcr In the center of the table filled with something red end slid to the waiter girl : What Is In that decanter ? " ' 1 don't know , sir. " 'la It wine ? " 'I don't know , elr. " 'Well , It's something to drink ? " 'It looks that way. " 'Is It given avvny with the ineali here ? " 'See ( icre , mMter , 1 think ) ou hid better taste some of that , and It ) ou are the kind of man you look , ) ou won't ask any moie questions of me In this pi-ohlbltlon state. " Although I was squelched , I did follow di rections. It was a fair brand of port wine , and although It may be a style known only In Kansas to furnhh such a product at sup per , I purposely refrain Irorti mentioning the name of the hotel 1 was told that trwy had free sherry for breakfast It was In that same town that I found a big wooden sign sl'Ptrhlng cltor across the sidewalk from building to the curb , on the busiest block tn the main street wjilch icad. "Are you dr ) ' " Then a hand with a finger pointed ot the door of a saloon In full blast I went In and found tlat in no way did flic place differ from Fa- loons In other states There were clt sa loons In tint town of about 3,000 persons , and the month ! ) flues , In lieu of llccnie , went a grca. wa\s tow are ! the buppoit rf the echoo a und other Institutions Peifnps Kansas wlno goes Into many of these ralocns. NnrmASKA STATISTICS It Is not easy to get crop statistics In Nebraska , for the reason that the State Hoard of Agriculture devotes Itself chlelly to a state fair once a ) c-ar , and n t to the kind of work thnt Is done In Kansis You m ty gather facts ab-Mtt Nebraska mo-tgages easier than about Nebraska crops and prod ucts The Omaha Ucc , carl.v In October , pub- llr'ied an estimate of the quantity and value of crops In that state for 1S97 , and Governor Holcomb sent me personally what he said was the estimate of the secretary cf the i-tate Hoard of Agriculture. The figures in both cases are Identical , and 1 am unable to say whether the secretar ) got them from the Hee or the Hco got them from the secre tary , Irasmuch as neither gives the other credit. The chief fact about the Nebraska figures Is that the ) .show that corn is &till king in thnt ccmmonwcalth The value of the 33- 000,000 bushels of wheat ral&ed wss in Ne braska , $2.5,000.000 , ot the 230,000,000 bush els of corn raised , $4 ,000000 ; of the GO- 0"0,000 bushels of oats , ? 10,000ODO ; of the , " 000,000 bushels of re , $1,800000 ; of the 1,600,000 tons of hay , $14,000,000. The total value of the farm pr-ducts at local mai- kct prices was $99,000,000 , dairy products , $9,500,000 , eggs , $2,250,000 ; poultry $5,5JO- 000 ; live stock , $44,000,000 a total cf moro than $1(11,000.000 ( , against a total of $230.- 000,000 for 1S97 raised In Kansas. COST OF RAISING WMEAT. There has been so much diversity of opin ion as to the cost of raising wheat and corn bv the acre and bushel and the consequent profit In that branch of farming In the west , that I append here a statement given to me in tpewrltlng by Secretary Coburn as to wheat culture- James Glover of Harper county , Kansas , sends the State Agricultural department an estimate1 , which he tuys many gosd farmcro approve or have verified , showing the e'jst ' at which wheat can 'bo and Is raised for in that county , on lands that can be bought for $10 to $12 per acre , and give yields ranging anywhere from fifteen to forty bushels per acre. His figures are as follows- COST OP AN ACHE OF WHEAT. Interest on land ( $13 per acre ) , at S per eent $120 Taxes 13 Ploughing to Harrowing- twice 20 Drilling - . 2T , Heading- 1 00 Seed average 00 Totil $ TlS On the fore-going basis ho places the cost per 'bushel ' on different yields per acre , In cluding 6 cents rer bushel In each Instance for thrashing , thus : Per Hughe' . Fifteen bushels per ncre co ° t $ 34 nishli'Pn bushels per ncre1 cost 2'l Twenty bushels per ncrc cost 27 Twenty-live bushels per acre cost. . . 22 % H la on recjrd that In 1SS9 E F. Burch- fleld of Harper county raised an average of 42 % bushels on a twenty-acre field ; J. P. Mirkcr of Ellsworth county the same ) car raised fifty 'bushels' ' pel aero on 130 acre * ; Israel McComas of Jackson count ) , liad fifty- one bushels average on a nlneteen-aere field ; and Warren TiiUon of Pcttawatomlo county hirvested fifty-four bushels per aero from eighteen acres Secretary Coburn has no doubt later thrashing will show that these figures have In many Instances been atir- na < seil this ) ear (1SU7) ( ) In Sumner , Cow ley and other counties , but suggests It would be a mlstike for everybody to "rush Into wheat , " expecting to acquire fortune through often realizing the phenomenal yields men tioned Hank Commissioner Ilreldenthal tcl's me that In some of the places where the phe nomenal wheat ) lelds have come he has known of Instaiw-cs where the cost of rais ing It was oven as low as 10 cents a btisbol Hut these , of course , are extreme casep , and for the purposes of comput'i g genoial profits are usclesi. As to the cost of lalslng corn , perhaps the beat figures to be obtained are those furnished by J. W , Hob son of 121 Dorado , Kan. , who Is knowm na the "Corn King" of the state Mr RobUm has had an experience covering fort-seven crops In Kansas rnd Illinois , and ha& had recent ! ) nearly 3,000 acres under cultivation. . He gives as the cost a bushel of raising corn b > what Is I-noun as "eheck growing , " H'/t fonts ; by listing. 15 cents. He tclla of nonie phenomenal crops where the coot of pro- duc ug the corn up to the time It was stared 'n the cribs was enl ) 7 % cents a bushel One of these ) cars was 1889 NEHUASKA CROPS. So much a'so has been said to the effect that a Rood crop Is the exception rather than the rule In the middle west that I hero re produce a little table that was compiled for me by a plate official in Nebraska * "The largo yields of grain ta Nebraska since the settlement of the state are iiulll- clent guarantee for great crops In the ) fu ture The Nebraska crcnp report , compiled from otllclal Information , showa the following condition for each ) ear from 1SC9 to IS97 1WJ Hip crop. 1SSI . . . . Oood crop IS70 Failure. ' crop 1V71 aood crop CS od crop IS72 . . . Oooei crop 1687 Short crop 1873 Short crop. isss CSood crop. IS7I Failure' . lf > 9 HU erop. IS75 . . . . ( lood crop. ] ( ' . . . . Failure. ISTC Coed crop 1S91 Ills crop. IS77. . . . C5ood crop. . Oood crop . Go 3d crop ilS'ij. . . . Siort erop. ISTf . . . . Oood erop ll'SM Failure. IfcsQ Bhort crop UM . . . . Fair crop ISS1 Good crop W < ! Good crop ISV ! . . . . Good erop 1S&7 Hlgcrop. . ISS3 . . . .Good erop I In other wprds , there have been In twenty- nine jcars In Nebraska four big crops , six teen good crops , four short crops , ono fair crop , and only four erejp failures. The karne Mcathor conditions practically prevail In Kansas as In Nebraska , and It is safe to msuinc that the same statistics are true of the neighboring state If the law of aver- i rtti holds good In farming as In other call ings , It would fccm to be not a difficult thing to prepare for the poor ) cars In farm- log in those atatee. There bare been more | than twice cs many Rood and big jcars as short ) cars and failures The rule seems to i be that twice out of three times will be cither a good or a biff crop. I The hard times not only taught the former the need of dlvcTRlQcitlon In crops , ! but It taught him one othtr m st Important thing. That was to care tor his machinery. ' Up to 1S90 the farmer of the middle west I had no great amount ot drudgery to do In rale ng his crops , but they grew without ! much trouble. Prices were high , and It { wcs cne of the commonest s'ghts ' In the west to see cxpentCvc1 f rrh machinery ( HandIng - Ing out cxroscd to til sorts ot w rat her. I Such carelessness \ as ; almost criminal. I Splendid reapers anclMhcJ other co tl ) ma- chlncr ) of modern farming were treated as though they were of qhnorc value than the ordinary wheelbarrow. You see the simo carelessness 'o eomo extent nowa- dajs. In my recent trip-through the eastern end of the state front' north to south I saw perhaps fifty farmsj where farm ma chinery was left exposed the weather , but It was the rnro exception and not the rule. ECONOMY IN LITTLE THINGS. Another thine that the hard times taught was economy In little tilings. The farmers of Kansas are now saving manures and making use of them. They are Improving their breeds of cattle and poultry. They are studying markets and prices One of the rncst successful farmers In Nebraska , who haa made moro than $100,000 , starting with rothinp , told me that ino of the secrets of his success was to take "sure winnings , " and not hold on for fabulous prices with the ruin that often follows' in their trail. The farmer has also learned to plow deep and to keep on giving the soil on which his crops are raised the benefits of air and sunshine. Ho has learned that a small bunch ot cat tle or sheep Is a desirable thing to raise , In addition to corn and wheat , and that hogn are the best paying scavengers a farm can have. In other words , ho has become convinced that farmlnc'ls not only n busi ness , calling for the exeielso of busi ness principles , but that It Is a science , and to some extent an art-.requiring a delicate adjustment of natureVlgiftg to sound eco nomic principles , . Ono man put it In another way that Is Hunter- and pcrhapa moro expresalvc when he said to me. "You will sec very little more fool farming In this date hereafter " After ono studies what has been ac complished In Kansas In about thirty-five ) car.j , all practically through the farming Industry , ho will be Inclined to think that there has been after all very little "fool farming" Agriculture hia developed theio logically and along simple lines , the lines of least resistance. What It has accom plished In those ) cars has been summed up 'beat , I think , In an address given by ex-Gov ernor Felt nt Topekalrecently , before the State Hoard of Agriculture. Ho said- "Karsas i ; > not poor ; she Is rich. A state whope population his gone finm 107- 000 In I860 to I.t31.734 In 1895 Is not poor , and cannot be made poor save by her own people Of thnt population 1,000,000 dwell outuido of the nlnet-flve towns and cities having over 1,000 population Our Increases In population since 1SS7 Is 45 per cent ; In- cicaco tn acreage of winter wheat , over 200 per cent ; Increase in acreage of corn. 50 per cent ; Increase In acreage of tame grass , 120 per cent. Increase In acreage of all flolel cropy , over 100 per cent. "Kansca cannot be poor when In thlrty- five ) ears she haa built 5000 churches at a cost of $6,000,000. Kansas \ not r-'Jor ; she pays less than $120,000 a ) car to support paupen , ; but she has built In thirty-five years 8,000 public school houses , and owns $9,000,000 worth of public school property No people can bo poverty-stricken vvhnie homes have $2,000,000 In private Ijbraries , and whore more magazines and newspapers , are read at the farraeris fireside than under nny other rky. * * The prosperity of Kaiibas Is In the growth of her farms and the abiding success of the 'brave men and pitlent women who have made the farm a home , and from the homes have bulldcd a itatc. Only the secret archives of God'a recording angel ean reveal the secret , pa tient , long-suffering , hfrolc struggle of the brave , loyal wives ami mothera who have presided as ministering angels at the homes and firesides on the plains of Kan- say " What Governor Felt'says Is true. I can bear personal testimony as to the reading the farmers do. I stopped In one of thrco book stores In n town of 8,000 people , am apked the proprietor how large n nale ol monthly magazines and weekly periodicals he had. Ho told me that he sold more than 500 copies of the various rnaKiylncs a month and that his sale of weeklies was also large. He mentioned that he sold seventy-five copies each week of Harper's We-ekly , and at the time he gave mo the Information ho hud no knowledge that I was more than an ordlr.iry visitor to the town from New York. This was the record In only one of three stores , and. of course , wat. In addition to what came to town by subscription through the mails. ' One of the foremost editors In Chicago said to me , when I started for Kansas anil Nebraska : "A great public rnnn said to me twenty- five years ago : An American race of giants Is to come out of tho/mlddle / west' I think you'll find Indication-of It , They are the most Intelligent people on earth. Tlio na tive-born population numDer 90 per cent of the whole. They have had hard times anil have been In ellstresr , but whatever may bo said of them and their vagaries , they are already beginning to produce giants In In tellect , " mi'iiovixf ! TIII : com IT iiousn. IMnim for 'MjiUliiKtlir PII * More * Kit , t'llile-r CiiiiHlilri-.ltlini. The members of thei Board of County Com missioners are seriously considering the ad visability of making some extenblvo Improve ments about the court house and county Jail this spring , the IJoJ being to have them completed during summer. Superintendent Houck and nil of the com missioners have come to tlio conclusion that the ppwerago and ventilation of the county building Is absolutely worthless , and Instead of the foul air being carried from the build ing it Is release 1 and sent through the rooms , ut times making their condition very offensive. This condition they say Is duo to the fact that when the building wan con structed no attention was given to the principles governing sewerage and ventila tion. Moreover , tney say that there nro no plans In txlstencq showing that any sys tem was followed In. placing pipes and nlr shafts. If the Ideas of the officials are carried Into effect , the county building will be * completely overhauled and a new sstem will be put Into the building , making It modern in every re spect , at the same time making the ven tilation perfect. Ap.yct no figures have ; been made of the cost of the changes con templated , though it Is known that It will require an expenditure of several hundred dolllUH I In addition to rearranging the sewerage and ventilation sjateD of the court house the cornmu > tihtiers are looking Into the ad visability of fitting up some jury rooms In the upper story of the building. The upper ttorj at this time Is unoccupied , except for ptorago purposes. The felllnss ore high , and by cutting some wlidoWH ; In the roof , the commlssloncre contend .that they can thus sc.-uie , another floor and have a number of comfortable rooms that eari bo used for of fices If it should be neeo/sary I.i-nl at Trlfill ) Cntlivilrnl. Ann Wednesday wrviei-s will bo conducted by Dean Campbell h' 'r ' at E 20 to 8:40 : a. m , 10.30 to noon 4:15 : | o B p m , nml 8 to 9 p.m Offerings ! lire to be received ut all services. Kyery day during Lent there will lie tervlce-s In thei catlieelial at SL'0 : n rn and 4J5 p. in. , the former for twent ) minutes , the latter forty minutes. Tiiendiiyn und Thursdays are to have an additional service S p. m. llev. George II Walk preuche-H Thursday evening. The confirma tion class meets every Thursday ut r and 9 p. m. ; the bible class holds Its sessions TuurseJayB at 2:30 : p. tn , RATE WAR SEEMS INEVITABLE Out on Klondike Eusinnss Assumes a test Curious Pornii WESTERN PASSENGIR MEN APPREHENSIVE TIIIII-NIII'N | Vte-e-lliiK- nt liookeet 1'eiriMinl tn UN Ill < l ) te > Indicate \Vhiil Piiriii llein- tlllllfN Will TieUe. The general passenger agents of the lines entering Omaha will attend the meetlng of westeri lines In Chicago on Thursday of this week , which has been palled In the hope of clearing- away the storm clouds that now hang over the northwestern rate situation. The general passengers agents of all Inter- estoel lines have been Invited to attend , but It's dollars to pan-cakes that the Canadian Pacific will not cnd any representative to the meeting. If the Canadian rate-cutter Is represented several Omaha general passenger agents will drop dead from surprise. The results of the deep cuts Into north western rales are now In evidence on the south of Omaha as well as on the north. The demoralization Is evidently not con- I'cned to the Twin Cities on the north , for reliable reports from Kansas City Indicate that the Chicago Great Western road U eell- Irv ; tickets from there to St. Paul over Un own line , and from there to Seattle , Tncoma and even Portland , over either the Canadian Pacific or the Great Northern for Gomcthlng like $25 per capita , or about halt the re-gular tariff rate With the situation so far from standard ai points all about Omaha , it will bo strsengo Indeed If the rates out of here to the northern Pacific coast polios arc maintained. Hut as ) ct there Is no ooen bieak on the part of nny of the Omaha lines to e > ; art the trouble by slicing off n few dollars from the regular rates. At least that's what the passenger officials eolemnlj maintain The object of the meeting on Thursday Is for each of the Amci'Ican transcontinental lines to learn what the other American lines preiKisc | to do to meet the competition of the Canadian line that Is causing such havoc As General Passenger Agent Francis of the U K. M. Mid to The Hee : "If the meeting dees nothing more , It will cnible us to work In the light. At present wo are all working in the dark , one line not knowing wt.at the other Is doing. The meeting on Thursday will pcobably result In some actlcei whercb ) the American lines will Mand together and meet the competition from the noith as a unit We will then know jiibt whnt the other lines arn doing toward meeting this cut-.atc competition It Is hardl ) probable that the Canadian Pacific will be represented at the , meeting , though It will be Invited to be piesent " roi.oitno u vnno > MIIN TO\VV Ke | > r < * Meiiliitl * , ON < > f ( lie I'liNienicrr " ' - IMirliiiriilM Connllli lloeiiucrN. W. II. Firth , general agent ot the Hock Island's pasbcnger department at Denver , Is a member of the visiting exposition commis sion from Colorado Mr. Firth Is ono of the best known as well as popular railroad ers In the weet. For seventeen ) cars he was connected with the passenger depart ment of the Chicago , Jlurllngton & Qulnoy road and for a long term ot yearn represented the Burlington's lines In New York elate TlVeh he "waft with the Great Western road bf Canada and latcd returned with the Burlington fora short period. . He has been connected with the Uock Island nt Denver HS general agent of the passenger depart ment since 1S90 , and duriiit : the last sovcn ) cars has come to occupy a high place In the official family of General Passenger Agent John Sebastian. William F. Bailey , general passenger agent of the Colorado Midland railway , IP In the city with the Colorado Exposition commis sion. Ho reports western passenger business very good , despite the demoralized rates to the north , and eas that the Colorado Mid land has secured its share of the Klondike travel so fai , and expects to get more .Mr. Hailey la well known here and Is as much thought of as his predecessor , Charles S Lee , who left the Midland to go to Philadel phia to become general passenger and ticket agent ot the Lehlgh Valley ralroad Mr Hailey Is enthusiastic regarding the exposi tion , and promises to do his best to Induce the people of his state to numerously attend It. "Governor Jco Mllner" Is one of the promi nent railroaders who accompanies ! the Colorado rado expo ltion commission to Omaha. He is the city ticket agent of the Burlington sys tem In Denver , and has represented the road In that capacity ever fclnce the line was ex tended Into Denver , fifteen .vears ago He I' ) a prominent figure In all matters pertain ing to church , state and society In Colorado , and Is ono of the landmarks In railway clr cles In the Rocky Mountains , it is said he belongs to more clubs , secret societies , danc ing organisations and political alliances than any man In Denver , and IB well equipped to head a state delegation to the TransiiilaslH- slppi Exposition. unvjit.sis ; v i MON \Vino o\su. nuiiiiiKi * Suit frinii Illnli MIIN ! HiTricil OUT. ST. LOUIS. Feb. 22. In the case of Marls George against S. H. H. Clark , Oliver W Mink , R. Cilery Anderson , John W. Donne and Fiederle II , Coudert , receivers of the Union Pacific , the decision of the district couit of Utah was reversed and the case remanded for another trial. Mrs Grorgo's eon , Frederick , was killed In Salt Lake City In 1S9C while engaged b ) the Union Pacific In thei capacity of switch man. The Jury In the cape was given peremptory instructions to find for the defendants fendants on the claim that George was guilty of culpable nogllgcnce. Urn 111 of "l.'l. " No claps of men are rnoro thoroughly con vinced of the extent of superstition among Americans than are the railroaders. The ) have many opportunities to observe the extent - tent of superstition among travelers. It In a well known fpct that many people will not travel on Friday at all , and many moro decline to start on any trip on Friday Tha- In why the ticket sales at any city office nrc always light en I'rldoys. There Is also some opjKqltlon to traveling on any train that Is nunVbo-ed 13 , or Is drawn by a locomotjve bearing the number 13. Hut a case that beats all previous , records has just come to the attention of the Bur lington's general passenger department In this rlty A passenger bought a ticket at a point In Nebraska , and when he looked at It after boarding the train he found that It bore the * number 0.241 , which figured added together made 13. Ho got off thy train and sent the ticket In to General Pas- Fenger Agent Francis with the following let ter : Deur Sir : Would you Just OH soon change the ticket to gome other number , IIH my dealings with No 13 Imvo been DO very unstitlHfaetory I do not want to run up nf.ilrist It any more * than I ean possibly help , nml this G-2-4-1 combination la Just about aa hot IIM 13 Itself , Tle-Ui-l Thle-ve-x CHICAGO , Feb. 22 The inyitury sur rounding the robbery of the Texas & Southern ra Irosd ticket office 6t I'hocnlx , Ariz , ub.ut a month ago , at which time $8.000 worth of tickets and $700 In man ? ) were taken , un solved today by the arrest and confession of Charles Cell i Collins Implicated J a info Watermen who was also under arrest , The robbery was a peculiarly daring ono. The ticket office , which U In the heart of ( be : lty , wan entered before ) mlctiilght and the iafe and strong box of the railroad company ivero blown up by dynamite , So great WAN the force of the explosion that one elele of the building was completely wrecked , but I before the police arrived the robbcrw had es caped. The > were traced to Kl Paso , thence finally to Chicago , where they were arrested today. V I ) . T , Ou-n nit Oimitin Olllee. The National Despatch Transportation company has recently placed on agency In Omaha. An olllce has been ope-ncil In the First National Kink building , and Is In I charge of Janice ' 11 .Hodges , who has hcre- j tofore been connectesl with the general offices - ' fices of the company In Chicago Mr. Hodges will make his headquarters In this city , but will spend considerable time In ! traveling through this territory , Kansas City nml Ploux City being Included within his field. The National Despatch Transportation company operates a differential freight line lover the Grand Trunk railway , and the now agency In Omaha has been created for the purpose of soliciting westbound shipments. The eastboutul shipments will continue to bo looked after by Charles F Hogcrs , represent ing the Great Eastern Fast Freight Hue. It n 11 roil il \ol * N ami 1'eTxoiinln. ! W W Hdcr , super.ntcndcnt of the tele- j graph department of the Chicago. Burlington 1 & Qulncy railroad , was In the city yesterday. I George W. Loomln , EKslsteint to Gencreil Manager Holdicge of the B & M , ha returned - turned from a pleasant sojourn through the south , The various railroad headquarters In Omaha observed Washington's birthday by closing at noon. The city offices were kept open throughout the day. Dr. Fergusan , surgeon ot the Burlington ] rallroid voluntur ) tellef department , with headquarters In Hannlbil , has received no tice of his tralifcfer to St Joseph , Mo. < o take effect March 1 He will be succeeded at Hannibal b ) J J. Blown of Wymoro , Neb i Gross earnings of the ChKigo-Grcat W .s t- cin for the Unit week In January were- , $ ! > r > , ( ill. an Increase ot $10. . For Hie second week In Jaciuar ) giev , ? earnings of this road were $102,00 , : . an tncreaso of $1,91.1. Fiom Jul > 1 to Februar ) 11 grcts earnings nhow an increase ot $511,93 ! ) . G. W. Broskl one of the ollist engineers on the Iowa dlvlslcn or the Hock lslit'1 Is In the city visiting h i < eonlilav , v/llder Harding , npotaUit rlty ra engur and II ket agent of the Missouri Pacific. Mr. BioskI pulled one of the Hist tialns ever run Into Council Bluffs over the Hock Island line , and ah soon as ho recovers from n slight Illness will return to his post In the cab , It Is teported thnt a new fast tialn will be put on the Huiliiigton between St. Loum and Denver , via St. Joseph , -Mo The ti.'lti will connect at Lincoln with the fast triln Irom Chlcigo The ptoposed fat tra'n ' Is scheduled to leave St Loula at noon every day. It Is , lisa rcpartol tlat the Durllngto-i IMS purchased a number cf mow engines foi toil vvoilc which will bo utlllreJ In the pJB- senger service. W. D Cornish of St. Paul , appolntcl npe- cal ! master to conduct ( tie Union Pacific and Kansas Pacific talcs bj Judge Walter Sa i born of St Paul , is In the city. Ho spe-nt ) cstcrda ) moinlng conferring with Gcne.al John C Cow In , special counsel tr the gov- eminent , cii 1 later with Horace G Bint president of thu rnorganl/cd Union Pacific | Railroad comiiiii ) Master li Chancec-y Cor nish thinks the Kan on Pacific will be foi-- nnlly tran&furicd to UH new owners abou' April 1. A number of agents of Mllway biippl ) houses ) CBtcrd.iy called on President Bint of tliu Union Pacific regarding Ino ordei for fiOO new box cars that vv 111 roon bo placed b ) the now management of the "Ove.-land Koutc " Among thoni were Messrs Pent of the Standard Coupler company. Cox of the Tcrre Haute Car company , Halllday of the Picketing Spring company of Phllidclphla Plumb of the Michigan Peninsular Car com pany of Detroit and Ferry of the Chicago Tire and Spiing company. General Traffic Minagcr Hird announces the following changes In the freight depart ment of the Milwaukee & St Paul The Jurisdiction of.D W. Kues. fir"t aaslstint gencial freight agent at Milwaukee , is ev ) tended to Include the Superior division , t'lc ' office of UMlstant general freight agent Superior division. Is abolished , W. 13. T > lci Is appointed division freight agent and pis- stnge.- agent of the Superior division , with ofllco at Milwaukee. R D Sewall has been appointed geneiul northwestern agent of the Milwaukee , with olllco at Minneapolis. The Union Pacific made u 'abt run with the Chicago Special on Momla ) night from Julefburg , Cole , to Omaha The tialn Is scheduled on ttie tlnu * card to run about fort-eight miles an hour with the regular train of five cars On account of tlio prcnener of the numerous part ) from Colorado the train on M mil ) night carried eleven hcav ) -nrs The train was dellverel to the Union Pacific at Julc. burg b ) the Union Pacific- Denver fc Gulf road forty-Mix minutes lat but pulled Into Omaha exactly at the scheduled tinn7 -I in ci'Tj ' , err IIISIMSS OF IIHOKKHS. Iliniril ol KiliK'ildon OnliTM Will llm . - ii Illn-ft I : < < I The action of the Heard of ndueyitlon Mm- ela ) night 1n Instructing tlio secrelaiy not to receive any more assignments of warrants I a knock-down blow to the warrant brokers who have been accustomed to do a profitable business with school board employes. The practice of shaving warrants with the brok ers has become ) ho general that the board has come to regard It as u nuisance. Fully two- thirds of the men employed In the building department , an well nt' a large number of Janitors are said to bo regular customers of the brokers The ) hawk their pay as fast as It Is due , and when pa ) day tomes the brokers have their money and they repeat the borrowing process. Members of the board declare that In this way a considerable amount of money Is transferred every month from the families of employes to the' pockotn of the brokers The practice also Involves o vast amount of additional work In the oilier of the serrcUr ) , anil It is contended that It has a tendency to promote shlftlc.ss habits on the part of emplocs. siiourr\s TIII : sruoiu , vivn. : Si-lmnl lloiiril 11)1 ) } Ciini'Iiiil ) . thill Mac llmitliH IN Knoiiitli , The proposition thnt Is now pending to dene all the public uchooVj except the High school on Maj 17 ! , or at the end of riM' montlm of school , will be * curried out unless thcro is a ruilloil cdangei of sentiment on the part of members of the board. There are two tcosorn urged wh > the resolution should be adopted One Is the desirability of saving u dean $15,000 and the other Is that cri accfiunl of the > opening of the expjaltlon thei addi tional twn weeks of hihool would ciot result In an ) benefit to tliu puplla It U brlluve'i ' tlat the stirring Incidents that will aicom 1'iny the opening of the exposition vvouli' make the children M restless that their at tuition could not bii kept to their bjoks and that tlio moncv expended for the additional half nnnth would bo practical ! ) wasted Thli view Is very generally held by members or the board and In all probability thu bchoolr will not attempt to comicto with the expcsl tion for the attention of the children HOI VTV AM > Till ? K.YI'OSITIOV I'riieiM'ilx of tin * Unmix Will Mi- ! ) < - \nli-il tn OrlKlnnl I'lirpeiM- . At the meeting of the Board of fount ) ComrnlMloncre to bo held next Monday , It Is likely that the revolution providing for c transfer of $25,000 , a portion of the Icilane- of the proceeds of the exposition honda , will bo turned ovrt to tliu exposition manage mcnt Several of the commUslnncni have dlocuEiscd the matter and all agree that the exposition people should be allowed to ex pend this money , they knowing bei > t what Is needed In the premltufl The sum of $22.000 , originally retained b ) the commlaslonciH for thu purjuoo of making a Douglas county exhibit at the exposition will bo expended under Iho dlrcitlui of the rcinmUiloncrs They will appoint men to gattcr the fruits , grains , gvaisca and woo'li of the county and will make an exhibit that they say will not bo equaled by any county in ( bo trauitululfialpel couatrjr. DENVER MEN ON THEIR CITY Oharms of the Queen Oily Hold Them Steadfast. FORMER CMAIIANS LOYAL TO NEW LOVE Mil ) or Mi'Miirrio Tnlk * Vliout Mini a Mnitleliiiil MailcTM Culniie-l lljcrn' llciulitlMeciK-e-.H .luil lii-uili mill I'll * Mu * IIM HIMIIIIOI-N , The party of prominent cltlrens mid good . fcllovvA that came In from Denver jcstcr- i ilay lo take n preliminary eurrrv of tlio mar vels In architectural anil landscape adorn * mcnt that the Traiismlsslsslppl Exposition will spread before lt visitor * Include * a number of Individuals who are not unknown to Omaha people. The record of T II. Me- .Murraj as mayor of Denver has made his name famlUir to ovorjemo who Is Interested In nuinlclival affair * . Then Itiero Li William N. It ) era , who was a cltlrim n < ul city oniclul of Omaha when the town was but a knot ot cabins In a vast wlldeinens of forest and ragged bluffo Jlo made tlu > original nurvoy of the greater part of the territory that I now comprised In th. < limits of Omnlia and old residents will remember the Popplcton & 11) era map aa the Hist accurate sketch ot the topograph ) uf tlihl Inl ) Lieutenant Governor Jnd Brtiflh was one of the early pioneers who proceed the Missouri wtien 't swl"led through n stretch of bluff nod pralilo tlvit no white font hud ever nroMicd The part ) a too Includes .1 HUM MrFirih ) , better Known b ) his llteiarj title of Flu Mac , un der which ho has been a roiuilbulor to mag- nrlne and newspapti litei'ilmc for tuaily a quarter ot a ccnttirj. and i.evernl others who have been pioml-irntl ) Identified with the eommorclnl and Industrial piogufi of the CLHAN'ING PKNVRH'S STUKETS. In connection with the problem In street cleaning tint Is before thr lo"iil authorities f'ls jear Mnor Mc-Murta's Ideas un the subject are of nmiliid Interest In Denver the street cleaning IR under tlie direct sti- pcrvUlon of 11 e \ceutlvo and Mavor MeMur- rn ) Is thorough ! ) faiulll.n with Its ope > r.i- tl n. As there nrc mil ) about foui teen miles of paved sticcts In Denver as co'itpirod with nra'l ) eighty mllis In O'mln , the task Is comcwliat less complex than the one which confronts the O.nahn nllle 'als ' Major Me- Mii'ray si > s that lie l.i's found tl.at the ma- clil'irt .lie more rlli-clUe than hand clean ing for general purposes i.lo has a small cans of men win are kept at woiK In the ceitr.il business dlstr ct but their thno U largely occupied In picking up piles to icf- ust that accumulate during the dr/ . and this tcnltor > Is swept everv night as well ns the other PIMM ! ilb-trl ti Mavor MeMuiray Is uul 't ; one of the "pick up" IIM eft I PCM similar In principle to these which the Hoard of Public'Vo ks prop BCS to In on the Omar a htuvto Ho S.I > H that fie work of the machine Isery aitls'aetory on the eonter of the rtrert. but of coin tea a gutter m.ichlne Is ne-isiny to tin roughly eliai' the guttois Ills rxpeilenie has shown that the dust ess miehlre U par ti illv a tlctlo.i. The pick-up .rachlno makes compa-ntlvcly littio dust , but ho finds It ncccssarj to sprinkle ahrad. as Is dune with the o'el-fn'hlo'ied ' swi-perj The dincrc'iiee- the cost of street clean ing In Denver and In Omnhi Is somewhat 't'lkl'R v.lion the eomparati\o extent or pivrd s'rccts Is coisldind Mjer MoMur- ray sa\s that the appropriation for that pur pose this jear is about X.'fi.fl ' 0 , and that la insullicie nt to < lu the \ \ il as It R'lo.ild ' bo done. Omaha has four times as many mllci of pavements as Ui.ii er and the u\erago width of the streets Is confide-ably greater. but notwithstanding flip fict tint the city Ins an expcaltlo.i to entertain tills > ear tliu appropii.iMon for sticot cleanlm ; Is about $21.000 The npproprlaii us toihe lire and police departments aie a's ' riatcrlill ) larger In Ic ) nve- than In thli rl-y Denver has app-oprlatel $111,000 fen I s fire department and S124.000 for I s pollie department The app.opilallonK for th" HI me departments In Omaha aio ? l-3CflO and tliojoo respectively. CHAT WITH A PIUNKnil Dining 11 o n or. 'n < ] Uitc a number of the eel ! icsldentii of Omal i vis led the hotel to chat with Mr Ljers , whom thrj had known In the early duyi , but the latter courteously d'fcongaged ' hlnoelf I i g enough to talk trlcll ) of 111 : ) recollections of Omaha us It was in the > 'Eta "I came to Omaha in 1S"4 , ' said Mr. 13) era , between handshak- Ingij. "and when I first jaw the teriltory that IH tiow tovciej b , \our magnltlcent city It was broken im > > l ) > a Hlnglo frarno houcc. which fflooder > near where the comer of Fitted th and Ilarnej streets la now At that tine It was owned b > a man named Peterson , ami It was occuplc'd as a hoarding liouco by the men who weio mak ing the brick [ or the flivt ti-rrltorl.il cap tel , I remained In Omalin for live ) cars , aul during that lime I eened us u member of tha city council and of the territorial aa- scmbly. For Omrha had a city governmdit o\eTi In tho.su da > n and I assisted very largely In laying out tne original clt > . The Iliflt survey was made bj A IJ Jones , who laid out a plat which Include j about 200 acrc In what IH now occupied by the cen tral part of the city. Soon after I surveyed chef additional territory which brought the platted terrltorj up to n'rul filO acres and then I made the plat * of a number of squatter claims v.lile-h w.re afterward added to the city I also made the llrat Kovern- mcnt suricjs In ear'U'n Nehrnska and run the township line * from the- Kansas line to the Ilae.kblrd , atoi , ' } at u point \cry nearly opposite the prt4-i nt site of Sioux City " Mr IljcrH nUdcil that he had ictalncd pioperty Interests In Omaha until about ten yeais rgo , anil he had watched ( he growth of the city w lib prl 'e SIILO | ho went to Uuiu < * r In 1850 lie haj freepiently parsed Vieik and foith th-oiigh the city and on CMch uccaflDii he.is pleased to cu the In- ( llcatlont ) of udvii eemctit Ho sliiccre-ly hoped that the exposlt'nn ' would Inaiignrato an era of renewed pros erlty I.Ieu em nt rovir.ur I null said ho retained a lively rccolloetlon of ( Jnmlia us lie saw It v\hon ho crosiied the Mlmniirl from Council IlluiTM In 18.17 It W.R then mcroly a group of unpreiteritlous bnlleJIn H , and gave llttlo promlsu of HH futii'e development Ho Htlll ontcndcd tl'nt IJenver was tliei greatest town on earth , but was not unwilling to concudo Omaha a title to t > ccond placet , WHOOPS IT up FOII nnxvnii Fit/ Mac , Ilko the > rest of the Denver ex cursionists , U a boomer. In fact , no ono could get within n couple of miles of the rowel without bcliiK struck by the unanimity with yhlch they whoop 'or up for their city. Hut In n bumt of onTidpneehe > came very near admitting tint Omaha wait almost eipial to Denver. Ho was especially struck by the tie'inendons Investment that Omaha had muila In milo after mllu or pavements and wan fiirloiH to know wl h whnt dcgrcx ) of EIIC- CKI asphalt had been IIBCM ! Hu sulel that liaving WUH comparatively u iievv tliliifr In IH'iivcr. The peculiar nature of the soil maiio dirt roads altogether delightful except dur ing the periods whi-n an Infant tornado learn down from the mo.mt.ilii canyons and whirls tlin dust In choking gyrations The soil IH HO sandy that the water BOO H away almost OK rapid ! ) ax U falls , arid mud U almost unknown The furfaui pacl.s Into a rubhur-llko road , whleh IH particularly favorable for driving anil with this natural advantage , the bulk of the paving has so far been eonflncd to the b nl icis district Mr Mtt'drtfij declares that Colorado , lll > 3 N'oljuiHka Is eixperlcmlng a de-cldcd eevlval of etitcrprlse < The hard times hud affo tiel Dunvor Ilko all othi'i western title's , but , t Is recovurlng with rapid strides 'I ho worut i fault of the hard times In his opinion , Wdu thpir effect an the spirit ot the puoplo. A few ye < irB ago when nnythliiK was uggcatcd that promised to help the city everyone was at the front with enthusiastic co-operation and a handful of money Ttio tendency (4 hard times was to damicn this spirit In Den ver a well as cliewhcre With the return of prosperity courdgo Is revived and the people ple ere again ready to help push a good tiling ulonji.
