USA > Kansas > Wyandotte County > History of Wyandotte County, Kansas, and its people, Vol. I > Part 22
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This was defeated by a vote of twenty-three veas to thirty-one nays, a greater number of the yeas being those who opposed the admission of Kansas under any circumstances. In support of this proposition Sena- tor Green said : "It will be observed by an examination of the constitu- tion adopted at Wyandotte, now pending before the senate, that about one-third of the territory of Kansas is cut off from the west. That in- cludes the Pike's Peak region, where the first gold discovery was made, including the Gregory mines, and so on, cutting off that space of terri- tory, which none of the other constitutions ever did. Owing to the character of the country, that is too small a compass to constitute a good state. The gross area is about eighty thousand square miles; but the portion susceptible of settlement and of habitation will not exceed forty thousand; and the best authority I have reduces it to thirty thousand out of eighty thousand square miles. After we pass west of the Mis- souri river, except upon a few streams, there is no territory fit for settlement or habitation. It is unproductive. It is like a barren waste. It will not even support cattle, or sheep, or anything pertaining to the grazing business. There are no mineral resources in the state to sup- ply any want of agricultural resources. Hence. I propose to enlarge the boundary, not upon the west, but to take the present western boundary and prolong it northerly up to the Platte river, and then follow the
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line of the river to its junction with the Missouri line, and follow the Missouri line down. It will add to the territory about thirty thousand square miles, about two-thirds of which will be susceptible of settlement. It will then make a good, strong, substantial state. I have the privi- lege to state, in this connection, that nine-tenths of the people south of the Platte, in what is now called Nebraska, desire this annexation to Kansas."
STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS' SPEECH.
In the further discussion of the bill for admission, Stephen A. Douglas, January 19th, summed up the trouble as follows : "There is no necessity for delaying this bill, as it would be delayed by the adoption of the amendment. The senator from Missouri well knows that this Kansas question has been here for years, and no consideration on earth could suffice to stop it in this body three years ago, when it came under the Lecompton constitution. It was not stopped then to be amended for the want of judiciary or any other clauses; but it was forced through. We are told, first, that Kansas must be kept out because her northern boundary is not right, when it is the same now as it was then ; next, that she must be kept ont because the southern boundary is not right, though it is the same now as it was then ; again, she must be kept out because of the Indian treaties, though the same objection existed then as now ; again she must be kept out because she has not population enough, though she has three times as many people as were there then; and, finally, this bill must be delayed now because it does not contain a judiciary clause. I do not understand why these constant objections are being interposed to the admission of Kansas now, when none of them were presented in regard to the Lecompton constitution, three years ago, nor in regard to the admission of Oregon, which has since taken place. It seems to me that the fate of Kansas is a hard one ; and it is necessary for these senators to explain why they make the distinction in their action between Kansas and Oregon, instead of my explaining why I do not make the distinction between them."
BEN SIMPSON'S DEFENSE OF THE BOUNDARIES.
On July 22, 1882, a reunion of the members of the constitutional convention was held at Wyandotte. £ Benjamin F. Simpson and John A. Martin made speeches. Martin was secretary of the convention, and afterwards served as colonel of the Eighth Kansas and two terms as governor. He said in his address that two influences induced the decision against the South Platte, "one political and the other local and material. Many Republicans feared that the South Platte country was, or would be likely to become, Democratic. Lawrence and Topeka both aspired to be the state capital, and their influence was against annexa-
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tion, because they feared it would throw the center of population far north of the Kaw." We quote: "Each party, I think, was guilty of one blunder it afterwards seriously regretted-the Republicans in re- fusing to include the South Platte country within the boundaries of Kansas; the Democrats in refusing to sign the constitution they had labored diligently to perfeet. I speak of what I consider the great mis- take of the Republicans with all the more frankness, because I was at the time in hearty sympathy with their action; but I feel confident that no Republican member is living to-day who does not deplore that de- cision. And I am equally confident that within a brief time after the convention adjourned there were few Democratie members who did not seriously regret their refusal to sign the constitution."
THE CONVENTION DID RIGHT.
"I think the judgment of the people today would be that the con- vention did very well; that for homogeneousness of people and interests, the boundary lines of Kansas encompass, eneirele, surround and hold more contentment and happiness than any other equal extent of terri- tory. Imagine a northern boundary line as erooked as the Platte river, and a southern boundary as crooked as the Kansas and Smoky Hill. Imagine what an unwieldly and incongruous lot of people and territory there would be from the Platte to the south line of Kansas, and from the Missouri river to the summit of the Rocky mountains. Fifty years of development and history show that the convention made the state just right. Furthermore, we have never heard of any unsatisfactory results from the shape of Nebraska, nor of any failure on the part of Nebraska people to manage the Platte river. I think that the Wyandotte conven- tion, after fifty years, is entitled to the plandit. 'Well done, good and faithful servants.' When we recall that Kansas is one of hut twelve states in the Union that has lived under one constitution fifty years, the Wyandotte convention surely has this approbation."
KANSAS CITY LOST ITS OPPORTUNITY.
In 1855 the territorial legislature of Kansas was in session at Shaw- nee Mission, only six miles from the now center of Kansas City, Mis- souri, and the Missouri legislature was in session at Jefferson City. In a sketch of Kansas City, Missouri, published by Judge H. C. MeDougall in 1898, he says: "As one of the many evidenees of the fatherly interest which the citizens of Missouri then had in the young territory of Kansas, it may be noted in passing that IIon. Mobillion W. McGee, a citizen of this state, who then resided where Dr. J. Feld now lives, out at Westport, was a distinguished and no doubt useful member of that territorial legislature at Shawnee Mission. It would have been greatly to the in-
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terest of the Pro-Slavery party in Kansas to get Kansas City into that territory. The Missouri statesmen were then anxious to further the ends of their Pro-Slavery brethren in Kansas, and Colonel Robert T. Van 1Iorn, and a then distinguished citizen of the territory of Kansas (whose name I cannot mention because for thirty years he and his family have been warm personal friends of mine), agreed that it would be a good thing all around to detach Kansas City from Missouri and attach it to Kansas territory. Ilence, after visiting and conferring with the legis- latures of Missouri and Kansas territory, and being thoroughly satis- fied that the Kansas territorial legislature would ask and the Missouri legislature grant a cession upon the part of the latter to the former of all that territory lying west and north of the Big Blue river from the point at which it crosses the Kansas line out near Old Santa Fe to its mouth Colonel Van Horn was left to look after the legislatures and my other venerable friend was posted off to Washington to get the consent of congress to the eession. Congress was also at that time intensely pro-slavery, and through Senator David R. Atchison, General B. F. Stringfellow and others, the congressional eonsent to the desired change could easily have been obtained. While agreeing upon everything else as to the rise and fall of this scheme, yet Colonel Van Horn says, that, upon arriving at Washington, onr Kansas friend met and fell in love with a lady with whom he took a trip to Europe, and was not heard from in these parts for over two years." And that is how Kansas missed having one of the greatest cities to be on the continent. But there was then no ten-thousand dollar front-foot land in those hills of timber.
In 1879 there was again great interest in a movement on the part of Kansas City, Missouri, for annexation. The Kansas legislature passed a concurrent resolution declaring that the citizens of Kansas were not opposed to such a movement, and authorized the appointment of a committee of eight, three from the senate and five from the house, to investigate the subject. Senate concurrent resolution No. 6, introdueed by T. B. Murdock, passed the senate January 21st, and was concurred in by the house the next day, and the original manuseript is now in the files of the secretary of state.
NEWSPAPERS FAVORED ANNEXATION.
The Kansas City Times suggested the annexation movement in its issue of December 14, 1878, and Jannary 1, 1879, gave a full front page to the subject, with a map of the territory proposed to be annexed and interviews with prominent citizens; on January 5th the Times printed Kansas and Missouri newspaper comments, and the issues of March 6th, 7th and Sth devoted considerable space to the visit of the Kansas City delegation to Topeka, and the reception and proceedings of the legis- lature.
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A memorial was presented to the legislature, signed by George M. Shelley, mayor of Kansas City, and three councilmen, and a committee of five citizens, in which it was said :
"We assure your honorable body that our people are earnest and sincere in their desire for annexation, and should the question be sub- mitted to the electors of the territory proposed to be annexed, it would be ratified by a virtually unanimous vote. Already a memorial to the Missouri legislature praying for such a submission of the question has been circulated and largely signed by our people, and will be duly pre- sented by our representatives for the action of that honorable body."
On the 7th of March a delegation of 125 representatives of the busi- ness and commercial interests of Kansas City visited Topeka. A great reception was held and speeches were made by Governor St. John, Speaker Sidney Clark, Lieutenant Governor L. U. Humphry and Colonel D. S. Twitchell. The Kansas City guests further resolved: "That we are more than ever convinced of the great and mutual advantages that would acerue to Kansas City and Kansas from a more intimate union with the young Empire state." The Kansas City Times of March 7th published a map showing the change in the line desired by the people of that city. The proposed line followed the course of the Big Blue from a point on the state line near the southeast corner of Johnson county, running slightly east of north to the Missouri river, at this last point being about six miles east, comprising about sixty square miles of territory. It is highly probable the movement never reached Jefferson City. The Kansas legislature asked congress to order a resurvey of this east line, and John R. Goodin introduced a bill, but nothing ever eame of it.
KANSAS THE "MIDDLE SPOT OF NORTH AMERICA."
Verily "There's a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will," as Mr. Shakespeare said. Charles Sumner thus deseribed our situation : "The middle spot of North America, calculated to nurture a powerful and generous people, worthy to be a central pivot of Ameri- can institutions." William H. Seward said : "Kansas is the Cinderella of the American family." Surely we were enffed about like a house- hold drudge, and now we are feeding and leading the world. Again, Seward said in Lawrence, September 26, 1860: "Men will come up to Kansas as they go up to Jerusalem. This shall be a sacred eity." Henry Ward Beecher, whose Bibles and rifles are a part of our history, said : "There is no monument under heaven on which I would rather have my name inscribed than on this goodly state of Kansas." Abra- ham Lineol, at Springfield, Illinois, June 27, 1857, said : "Look, Doug- las, and see yonder people fleeing-see the full eolumms of brave men stopped-see the press and the type flying into the river-and tell me
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what does this ! It is your squatter sovereignty ! Let slavery spread over the territories and God will sweep ns with a bush of fire from this solid globe." At our quarter centennial celebration, held in 1879, John Forney said : "If I had been commanded to choose one spot on the globe upon which to illustrate human development under the influence of abso- lute liberty, I could have chosen no part of God's footstool so interesting as Kansas. Yesterday an infant, to-day a giant, to-morrow-who can tell ?"
These excerpts will show the inspiration under which Kansas was born. The character of the proposed state, her institutions, a high idea of public policy and morality, gave tone to all the disenssion, marred only by a suspicion on the part of some, whether she could, in a material sense, maintain it all.
And so the only trouble we have ever had about the boundary lines of Kansas has been from the people on the outside endeavoring to get in.
CHAPTER XVII.
SURVEYING A STATE LINE.
RAN OUT OF PROVISIONS-THREATENED BY PAWNEE INDIANS-A LONG TRAMP-WORKING IN A BLIZZARD-THE JOURNEY TO WYANDOTTE- BORDER RUFFIANS AT WORK.
Hardships and dangers were encountered by the men who went out for the United States government to survey the boundary line of the territories in the Indian country. But there was an odd fascination about it all. The story of how the line between Kansas and Nebraska was surveyed is told by Thomas J. Barker, who is still a resident of Kan- sas City, Kansas, to which he came in the winter of 1855 after the survey was finished.
"I was employed as a cook by Colonel Charles Manners at Leaven- worth City, April 29, 1855, and continued with him until December 27th of that year. IIe had the contract to establish the line between Kansas and Nebraska territories at forty degrees north latitude from the Mississippi river to a point sixty miles west, from which point he was to run a guide meridian line to where it would intersect with the Missouri river, above and near Sioux City, and from this meridian line he was to run parallel lines east to the Missouri river every twenty-four miles. He was camped on Three-Mile creek in Leavenworth City when I engaged myself to him and, with a party composed of John Stout, Wm. Manners, his brother, R. L. Ream, Jr., Norman Diefendorf, Wiley, Gar- land, Hoyt, Cunningham, Ed. Keller and myself, left Leavenworth about the 4th of May.
"Colonel Manners had two mule teams and wagons, in one of which there was a east-iron monument to be placed at the point which had been loeated by the government at the fortieth degree near the west bank of the Missouri river, some parties elaiming that Robert E. Lee had loeated the place. We crossed the Missouri river at Weston on May 10th, passed through St. Joseph and Oregon and recrossed the river in a flat boat near where White Cloud now is and two miles above where we placed the monument. Colonel Manners spent two days and nights taking the sun and the north star, and adjusting his instruments so as to be sure that he had the right course. He had been a sea captain, took great pains and wanted to know that he was right.
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RAN OUT OF PROVISIONS.
"We made about three miles a day and reached the sixty mile point on the 2nd of June. Having run out of provisions we went to Mar- shall's ferry across the Blue river about fifteen miles southwest. Not finding the necessary supplies we took the military road to Leavenworth. When we arrived there several of the crew quit and the Colonel filled their places with Samuel Forsythe, J. W. Wright and others. After getting supplies we started back and arrived at the point where we left off on the 17th of June, when the Colonel commenced his work running twenty-four miles north, then east to the river, then going back to the guide meridian, again north twenty-four miles, then east reaching the river at a point one and a half miles north of Nebraska City, where Forsythe and others quit, and their places were filled with new men.
"My health was so poor I laid off and took Osgood's 'Collagogue' for malaria fever. I was, if able, to join the party where the next parallel came in near the mouth of the Platte river. After I had re- enperated I went up to Plattsmouth on the stage and, while waiting there, heard that the Indians had killed about half of the party and that the others had gone back to Nebraska City. I immediately returned to that place where I met several of the party, who stated that when some of the men were on the line surveying they were surrounded by the Paw- nee Indians and were supposed to have been killed. We organized a party at once and went out to where they had last seen their friends and Indians, and happily found them unharmed. This was about the 10th of September. The Colonel then finished the third parallel, which reached the river at the expected point right at the mouth of Platte river. We then returned to and ran the meridian line twenty-four miles north, crossing the Platte river at a point only a few hundred feet before we reached where the fourth parallel line was started.
THREATENED BY PAWNEE INDIANS.
"While in eamp there, in the morning, just before the Colonel sent out a flagman east, we were visited by twenty-seven Pawnee Indians, ten of whom were chiefs, who ordered that the Colonel stop surveying, saying that it was their land and that they would not allow him to steal it. The Colonel palavered with them, thought he would go ahead with the work. So he set his eompass and started out a flagman when, to our surprise, about five hundred Pawnees came up like magic out of the willows; the chiefs said, through their interpreter, that if we did not leave at once they could not prevent their young men from killing us. The young Indians showed such insolence and, to us, apparent desire to shoot, that we were more than glad to get away. We arrived at Omaha that evening, the 3rd of October; it had snowed nearly all day.
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"When we arrived at Omaha, Colonel Manners called on the agent of the Pawnees. The agent loaded two wagons with provisions, lead and powder, and with his missionary, the Colonel and his men, hurried out to the Pawnee village; the chiefs received the two wagon loads and held a council with the agent. The agent said to them that the Great Father had been talking about buying their land and had sent Colonel Manners to measure and look it over and see what it was worth, etc. They then promised not to further disturb us.
"The Colonel then run the fourth parallel which reached the river about eight miles above Omaha, where more men quit and he was delayed a day or two filling their places. As to myself I was so ill I could not go out, but had an understanding that I was to join the party as soon as I was able. I was suffering so severely I had to have a physician, but in about two weeks my health was mneh improved and I engaged dig- ging potatoes for a Mr. Byers, whose place was about a half a mile northwest of the Donglas House, Omaha. Mr. Byers was a surveyor and expected to sub-divide for the government. I was treated with great kindness by him.
A LONG TRAMP.
"Thinking it was time to start to meet Colonel Manners at the east end of the sixth parallel I left Mr. Byers late in the day. I only traveled five or six miles and, night was coming on, I stayed with a man from Berea, Ohio. I started before breakfast next morning and in six, seven or eight miles I reached a place called Calhoun. I went into the only building of any size to learn if I could get breakfast. They had just got through eating, but there was sufficient left on the table for two or three hungry persons as myself. I asked the lady, Mrs. Moore, if I could have breakfast and she said I could. I said before I sat down to the table I wanted her to know that the least money I had was a two and a half dollar gold piece. She seemed to be a little slow in saying anything. I asked her how far it was to Tekama. She then said she could not change the two and a half dollar piece and that she had been imposed on so often by the Tekama people that she hardly knew what to do. I said all right, that I did not live at Tekama, but belonged to the United States surveying party. She then said : 'If you belong to the United States sit down and eat all you want.' I asked the lady what she charged for breakfast, and she said twenty-five eents, but to never mind that ; I bade her good-bye and hurried on. I soon passed through Tekama, a village of five small cabins, intending to reach Cummings City that day. Seeing no habitations or wayfarers, I began to feel lonesome. Finally about 1 P. M. I saw a man on horseback coming. He seemed pleased and I know I was, for I wanted to make some inquiries. I learned the man's name was Cooper and he was
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formerly of Montgomery county, Virginia, which joined Giles county where I was from. He was now living in Cumming's City and as soon as he learned who I was and where I was going, informed me that he was a candidate for the territorial council and wanted me, if I was any place where they were voting on election day, to do him a favor, etc. I asked him about a place to stay all night and learned there wasn't any hotel at Cummings City, but he wanted me to say to his wife to take care of me for the night.
"I continued on my way and reached Cummings City at 6 o'clock- it was a place of four small houses, Mr. Cooper's being the largest. I was kindly greeted by what appeared to be all the inhabitants-three or four women and a few children. The men, except Mr. Cooper, had crossed the river to Iowa and the wind was so strong that they were unable to return. The Omaha Indians were camped near there and the bucks were galloping around on their ponies in their red blankets, which caused the ladies to be a little nervous-so they were glad to have one white man with them, though he was a stranger.
"The next morning I ate breakfast, got my gold piece changed, made the children each a present and, to the seeming regret of the ladies, bid them good-bye. I continued on my journey to Decatur, not meet- ing or seeing any one till I reached that place.
WORKING IN A BLIZZARD.
"When I arrived at Decatur, to my great joy Colonel Manners and all his party were in camp. It was in November and freezing weather, and the Colonel had yet between thirty and forty miles of line to run before completing his job. All hands were anxious to get through with the work. The ground was frozen and the flagman had trouble in placing his rod. The men building the mounds to mark the corners had to use pieks and axes to cut the sod. The north and south meridian line soon reached the Missouri river bottom. We were short of rations and the Colonel sent two men to Sioux City for supplies; the river was so full of running ice that they were delayed two days, during which time we lived on rice and dried apples. When the men returned we had a good, square meal of corn bread, bacon and coffee. In four days, on the 30th of November, the Colonel had set the last corner where he placed a United States flag.
"Early the next morning we started south, hurrying along until we reached Council Bluffs. As we passed by Calhoun I called on Mrs. Moore, the lady I had breakfasted with, and paid her the twenty-five cents. She seemed pleased-said she did not care for the money and, as for herself, was not surprised at getting it; but her husband would be, for when she was telling him about letting me have breakfast he said she would never hear from me again. I thanked her and went on.
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"All the Colonel's men, except J. W. Wright, Edward Keller and myself, were to be paid off at Council Bluffs, but we were detained there some eight or ten days waiting for the money which was finally received by express. After paying the men, we continued on our journey and on the second day we reached a point opposite Nebraska City, where we struck camp.
THE JOURNEY TO WYANDOTTE,
"The Colonel, with Wright, crossed to Nebraska City, where they met with some politicians. One of whom was J. Sterling Morton, who was afterwards secretary of agriculture under President Cleveland. They did not return until late in the afternoon, so we did not break camp until early the next morning. The next night we stayed with a Mr. Walkup on the Nisehabottamy. Walkup was from Howard county, Missouri. It rained and sleeted that night so that the earth was covered with ice and this detained us another day. The following morning we started, although it was dangerous for the mules and the next night camped near South Point, Holt county, Missouri. The next day we passed through Savanna and reached St. Joseph. The following night, after traveling that day thirty-seven miles, we eamped opposite Fort Leavenworth, and there Colonel and Mr. Wright left Keller and myself in charge of the teams with instructions to remain there until their return.
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