USA > Kansas > Kansas; a cyclopedia of state history, embracing events, institutions, industries, counties, cities, towns, prominent persons, etc. with a supplementary volume devoted to selected personal history and reminiscence, Volume II > Part 17
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An organization of workmen known as the American Railway Union inaugurated a strike on nearly all the leading railroads of the country in the summer of 1894. The strike began in Chicago, but soon extended all over the western states, many of the men employed by the railroad companies in Kansas losing their positions. Added to these misfortunes, the corn crop in Kansas suffered severely from drought, except in the valley of the Arkansas river, though the loss to the state was offset to some extent by the discovery of oil and natural gas (q. v.).
In Feb., 1894, the Farmers' Alliance held a convention in Topeka and adopted resolutions favoring the sub-treasury plan of government -that of loaning money direct to the people at two per cent; the free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 to I; a national cur- rency "safe, sound and flexible," to be increased in volume to $50 per capita ; postal savings banks ; a graduated income tax, and governmental ownership of all means of transportation and communication.
When the Populist state convention met on June 12, these resolutions became the basis of the party's declaration of principles. The conven- tion also declared in favor of national and state boards of arbitration; shorter hours of labor without any reduction in wages; the establish- ment of a state irrigation department; the initiative and referendum.
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and the constitutional amendment extending the right of suffrage to women. Gov. Lewelling was renominated, as were also the auditor, treasurer, attorney-general, superintendent of public instruction, and Congressman at large. The state ticket was then completed by the selection of D. I. Furbeck for lieutenant-governor; J. W. Amis, for secretary of state; and George W. Clark, for associate justice.
The Republican state convention met at Topeka on June 6 and nomi- nated the following candidates: For governor, Edmund N. Morrill ; lieutenant-governor, James A. Troutman; secretary of state, W. C. Edwards; auditor, George E. Cole; treasurer, Otis L. Atherton; attor- ney-general, F. B. Davis; superintendent of public instruction. Edwin Stanley ; associate justice, William A. Johnston; Congressman at large, Richard W. Blue. The platform declared in favor of the use of both gold and silver as standard money, and for legislation for the promo- tion of irrigation. The administration of Gov. Lewelling was denounced "for its violation of the laws and contempt of the courts, the corruption and incompetency of its officials, its gross mismanagement of the state institutions, and for the discredit it has brought upon the good name of the state."
On June 12, the same day as the Populist state convention, the Pro- hibitionists met at Olathe and nominated the following state ticket : For governor, I. O. Pickering; lieutenant-governor, H. F. Douthart; secretary of state, J. N. Howard ; auditor, J. P. Perkins ; treasurer, James Murray; attorney-general, M. V. B. Bennett; superintendent of public instruction, Mrs. A. Allison ; associate justice, J. R. Silver ; Congressman at large, Frank Holsinger.
The Democrats held their state convention at Topeka on July 3. David Overmyer was nominated for governor ; Sidney J. Cooke, for lieu- tenant-governor; E. J. Herning, for secretary of state; W. E. Banks, for auditor ; Barney Lantry, for treasurer; James Mckinstry, for attor- ney-general; M. H. Wyckoff, for superintendent of public instruction ; J. D. McCleverty, for associate justice, and J. G. Lowe, for Congressman at large. The platform indorsed the administration of President Cleve- land ; denounced the protective tariff as fraud and robbery ; declared in favor of both silver and gold as standard money; affirmed the "natural and legal right" of wage-earners to organize for their protection; con- gratulated the people of Kansas upon the election of John Martin to the United States senate; demanded the resubmission of the prohibitory amendment, and opposed the constitutional amendment for woman suffrage.
At the election on Nov. 6, the Republicans elected all their candidates for state offices, the Congressman at large, and all the district Congress- men except in the Sixth district, where William Baker, the Populist candidate, was elected by a plurality of 194. The vote for governor was as follows: Morrill, 148,697; Lewelling, 118,329; Overmyer, 26,709; Pickering, 5,496. The vote on the suffrage amendment was 95,302 for. and 130,139 against, hence it was defeated by a majority of nearly 35,000.
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Following the precedent established by Gov. Anthony in 1879, Gov. Lewelling submitted a "retiring" message to the legislature which assem- bled in Jan., 1895. In this farewell message there was something in the nature of a wail at the treatment he had received from the people. "The experience of the retiring executive," said he, "has been not different from what it might have been had he been sent here by some alien power to govern the state as a conquered province. He was elected by a majority of the sovereign people, yet not for a single hour has he had the loyal support of all the citizens as the governor of the state. Proceedings in quo warranto had to be resorted to in order to install appointees to the board of railroad commissioners.
"Every attempt by the executive to disband a company of the national guard, as companies had hitherto been disbanded, and as the supreme court afterwards declared he had the full right to disband 'them, was met by mutiny, instigated by a published letter of the ex-adjutant-gen- eral. In one instance, a probate judge assumed, by injunction, to stay the arm of the supreme executive of the state in the exercise of his power as commander in chief of the militia.
"In another case, at Topeka, an injunction was applied for, but refused, only after full argument, however; while through a local newspaper, the captain of the company to be disbanded mutinously declared his intention of resisting at the point of the bayonet the muster-out order of the commander in chief.
"In taking leave of the office, the executive expresses the hope that his successor may find that the people by whose votes the retiring chief magistrate was elected know how to be citizens as well as partisans, and are patriotic enough to be loyal to any man chosen by the people to be their governor, no matter what his or their political faith may be "
Lewis, an incorporated town in Edwards county, is located in Wayne- township on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe R. R., 9 miles east of Kinsley, the county seat. It is a new town, founded since 1890, and presents a neat and prosperous appearance with all its buildings new and substantial. It has 2 banks, a newspaper (the Lewis Press), tele- graph and express offices, and an international money order postoffice with three rural routes. The population according to the census of 1910 was 557.
Lewis, Meriwether, soldier and explorer, was born near Charlottes- ville, Va., Aug. 18, 1774, a son of Capt. William and Lucy ( Meriwether) Lewis, and a great nephew of Fielding Lewis. He inherited a fortune from his father, but being fond of adventure he left school at the age of eighteen years to begin a career for himself. In 1794 he was one of the volunteers to quell the Whisky Insurrection in western Pennsylvania. The next year he joined the regular army, and in 1800 was commissioned captain. From 1801 to 1803 he was President Jefferson's private secre- lary. After the treaty of Paris, by which the province of Louisiana passed into the hands of the United States, Mr. Jefferson recommended Capt. Lewis to Congress as the right man to place at the head of an
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expedition to explore the new purchase (see Lewis & Clark Expe- dition.) After his return from the Pacific coast in 1806, he was appointed governor of Upper Louisiana. The principal settlements in that terri- tory were in what is now the State of Missouri. Owing to conflicting interests, due in a great measure to the recent transfer of Louisiana to the United States government, the new governor found his territory torn by dissensions. All his life he had been subject to fits of depres- sion, and the conditions in which he now found himself caused him to become more than usually despondent. While in this frame of mind he was called to Washington, and at the residence of a Mr. Gruider, near Nashville, Tenn., he committed suicide on Oct. 8, 1809. In 1900 the name of Capt. Lewis was selected as one of those entitled to recognition in the Hall of Fame in the New York University.
Lewis and Clark Expedition .- The object of this expedition, as recited in the instructions, was "to explore the Missouri river, and such princi- pal streams of it as, by its course and communication with the waters of the Pacific ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregon, Colorado, or any other river, may offer the most direct and practicable water communica- tion across the continent, for the purpose of commerce." It was deter- mined by President Jefferson to associate two commanders of the expe- dition, and accordingly William Clark was chosen, and given coordinate powers with Capt. Meriwether Lewis. Every citizen of the United States became at once intensely interested in the results, and awaited anxiously for the return of the expedition. Capt. Clark joined the party at Louisville, and all arrived at St. Louis in Dec., 1803.
The start was made on May 14, 1804, the expedition consisting of 9 Kentuckians, 2 experienced French boatmen, 14 soldiers, I interpreter, I hunter and a colored servant; and in addition a corporal, 6 soldiers and 9 boatmen, who were instructed to assist the expedition as far as the Mandan country. They embarked in three boats-one a keel-boat 55 feet long, bearing one large sail and arranged for 22 oarsmen. It also had a deck provided with cabin and forecastle, and was protected amid- ships by lockers and by a breastwork that could be raised in case of attack. In addition there were two pirogues of 6 and 7 oars respectively. Two horses were ridden along the bank, designed to bring in the game killed, upon which it was planned the expedition would largely subsist. Full provision was made for a complete record of all noteworthy dis- coveries and occurrences. All the vast territory of the unknown western country was now at last to be opened to the enterprise of the Americans. Lewis and Clark reached the town of St. Charles on May 15, passed Osage Woman river on May 23, and on June I reached the month of the Osage river. On the night of June 26 they encamped at the upper point of the mouth of the Kansas river, on the site of the present city of Kansas City, Kan.
Here the Missouri river runs northwesterly, forming the boundary line between Kansas and Missouri. The Kansas counties ascending are Leavenworth, Atchison and Doniphan, and of the journey along their
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shores the following is a succinct and circumstantial narrative: "Here [at the mouth of the Kansas river] we remained two days, during which we made the necessary observations, recruited the party, and repaired the boat. On the banks of the Kansas reside the Indians of the same name, consisting of two villages, one at about 20, the other 40 leagues from its mouth, and amounting to about 300 men. They once lived 24 leagues higher than the Kansas, on the south bank of the Missouri, and were then more numerous; but they have been reduced and banished by the Sauks and Ayauways, who, being better supplied with arms, have an advantage over the Kansas, though the latter are not less fierce or warlike than themselves. This nation is now hunting on the plains for buffalo, which our hunters have seen for the first time."
According to the journal, on June 30, the expedition "reached the mouth of a river coming in from the north, and called by the French Petite Riviere Platte, or Little Shallow river; it is about 60 yards wide at its mouth. . . . One mile beyond this is a small creek on the south, at 5 miles from which we camped on the same side, opposite the lower point of an island called Diamond island. The land on the north between the Little Shallow river and the Missouri is not good, and subject to overflow; on the south it is higher and better timbered."
On July I, "We proceeded along the north side of Diamond island, where a small creek called Biscuit creek empties. . . . Here we observed great quantities of grapes and raspberries. Between one and two miles further are three islands, and a creek on the south known by the French name of Remore. The main current, which is now on the south side of the largest of the three islands, ran three years ago, as we were told, on the north, and there was then no appearance of the two smaller islands. . . . Paccaun trees were this day seen, and large quantities of deer and turkey on the banks. We had advanced 12 miles."
On July 2, "We left camp, opposite to which is a high and beautiful prairie on the southern side, and passed up the south of the islands, which are high meadows, and a creek on the north called Parc creek. Here for half an hour the river became covered with drift-wood, which rendered navigation dangerous, and was probably caused by the giving way of some sand-bar, which had detained the wood. After making 5 miles we passed a stream on the south called Turkey creek, near a sand-bar, where we could scarcely stem the current with 20 oars and all the poles we had. On the north at about two miles further is a large island called by the Indians Wau-car-da-war-card-da, or the Bear-medi- cine island. Here we landed and replaced our mast, which had been broken three days ago, by running against a tree overhanging the river."
The island here mentioned is Kickapoo island, a short distance above Fort Leavenworth, in the immediate vicinity of Kickapoo City. By July 4 they had ascended the Missouri to a point not far from the present city of Atchison. They were able to celebrate the occasion "only by an evening gun, and an additional gill of whisky to the men," but in honor of the day they named Fourth of July and Independence creeks, the
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latter of which is still so called. It empties into the Missouri in Atchison county. The next day they camped in what is now Doniphan county, and on July II they passed the 40th parallel of latitude, which is the northern boundary line of Kansas. The expedition was continued to the Pacific ocean, and the duration of the journey was from May, 1804, to Sept., 1806.
Lewis and Clark's description of the region through which they passed revealed to the citizens of the United States the marvelous value of their new possession, but recently purchased from France. It was the first governmental exploration of the "Great West," and it was now only a question of time until the whole tract would be peopled by millions and enriched and beautified by a progressive Anglo-Saxon civilization.
Lexington, a rural postoffice of Clark county, is situated on Bluff creek in the township of the same name, about 12 miles northeast of Ashland, the county seat, and 9 miles northwest of Protection, which is the nearest railroad station.
Liberal, the judicial seat of Seward county, is located about 4 miles from Oklahoma, on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R. R. It has 2 banks with a combined capitalization of $50,000 and deposits of nearly $350,000, a weekly newspaper (the Independent), a large number of substantial business houses, telegraph and express offices and an inter- national money order postoffice with four rural routes. The population in 1910 was 1,716. The town was founded in 1888. In 1900 the popu- lation was 426. Its growth in the last ten years has been the normal result of the increasing prosperity of that section of the state, and not the result of a temporary boom. It is an important shipping point for grain, live-stock and produce. It is the greatest broom-corn market in the United States. Over 800 cars of the product is shipped annually, most of it in the month of August.
Liberty, the former county seat of Montgomery county, is located in Liberty township on the Atchison. Topeka & Santa Fe R. R., 10 miles east of Independence, the county seat. It has a bank and a weekly news- paper (the Liberty Sentinel). It is an incorporated city of 385 inhab- itants, according to the census of 1910, has telegraph and express offices and a money order postoffice with three rural routes. Liberty was established by the citizens of the towns of Verdigris and Montgomery in 1869, the original site being 6 miles south of Independence. It was made the county seat in the same year, but retained the honors only a few months. When the railroad was built in 1870. the town was removed several miles to its present site. One of the early important industries was the flour mill of John McTaggart, which was built in 1875 at a cost of $14,000, and had a cotton gin in connection with it.
Libraries .- The library was almost the first yearning of the Kansas immigrant, if the records indicate truly. for on July 21, 1855. the terri- torial legislature passed an act incorporating the Tecumseh Lyceum and Library Association. On Aug. 15, 1855, it granted incorporation papers to the Historical and Philosophical Society of Kansas, one object of
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which was to collect and preserve a library. In 1857 nine colleges with plans for libraries were incorporated. This same year the Leavenworth Lyceum was given permission to organize a library. In Feb., 1858, the territorial library was founded. In 1860 the Law Institute and Library of Leavenworth, the Kansas Institute, the Leavenworth Law Library Association, and the Paola Mercantile Library and Lyceum Association were incorporated. Only a few of these organizations lived to have the books they hoped to possess.
The State Library-One library that developed with the state was the territorial, which later became the state library. The act signed by the acting-governor on Feb. 9, 1858, provided for a state librarian to be appointed by the governor, and a board of commissioners to direct its management. These were, the governor, the secretary of state, the librarian, the president of the council and speaker of the house of repre- sentatives. On Feb. II, 1859, the legislature passed a law for the reorganization of the library of the territory. It arranged for the appointment of a librarian and his salary, it made rules for government, maintenance and use of books. In 1861 the library was defined, "The books, pamphlets, maps and charts, belonging to the state, now in the state library, or which shall hereafter be added to same, shall compose the state library and be left in the office of the auditor of the state, who shall be ex-officio librarian."
The act in its following sections provides rules and regulations rela- tive to the use of said library and its control. The legislature of 1870 passed a new law for the government of the library. The governor and judges of the supreme court were named as directors, the librarian's salary was increased, an annual appropriation was made, a catalogue planned, and the librarian instructed to label each book with the words, "Kansas State Library." David Dickinson was appointed librarian and in Dec., 1870, reported 6,306 volumes in the library. Mr. Dickinson died in 1879, and the following persons have succeeded him : S. A. Kingman, H. J. Dennis, James L. King, Annie L. Diggs, James L. King. The board of trustees consists of the seven justices of the ยท supreme court. The library is free to the public and is purely a reference library. being especially strong in law and medicine. It is supported by the appro- priations from the legislature; the statistics of 1910 show this library to have an income of $10,200 and 75,000 volumes, which are classified by the Dewey system. It occupies a wing of the state house.
Traveling Libraries-The movement for traveling libraries was started by the club women of the state, through the influence of Lucy B. Johnston of Topeka. The matter was taken up by the State Federa- tion in May, 1897, while Mrs. Willis Lord Moore was president. In May, 1898, active work commenced under the supervision of the Kansas Social Science Federation, the Topeka branch of which pledged 500 books and $20 in money. Thus encouraged, the federation determined to accumulate 3,000 books as a nucleus of a permanent library system. When this was accomplished the legislature was asked to assume further
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care of the books, and the future development of the work, thus making it a department of the state library.
At the legislative session of 1899, a law was passed establishing the Kansas Traveling Libraries Commission, making an appropriation of $1,000 a year for support, and providing that certain books of the state library be made available for the use of the traveling library department. In compliance with this law, the trustees of the state library appointed the following persons to be members of the commission: Mrs. Annie L. Diggs, chairman; Mrs. Mary V. Humphrey, Mrs. Lucy B. Johnston, Edward T. Wilder and H. G. Larimer. The commission organized July I, 1899, and elected James L. King as secretary. The 3,000 books and 34 shipping cases collected by the Social Science Federation were trans- ferred to the commission. All of these books were acquired by dona- tions from clubs, and individuals, either in single volumes, fractional libraries, or sets of 50 books each. The traveling library which in 1899 consisted of 3,000 volumes and 35 shipping cases, in 1908 had 30,000 books, with 450 cases, and had visited 103 counties and 517 towns in Kansas. This library is housed in the state house and has an annual appropriation of $6,000. The traveling libraries commission of 1908 con- sisted of James L. King, Mrs. Eustace Brown, Lucy B. Johnston, Julia E. Brown and Harry G. Larimer, with Mrs. Adrian L. Greene as secretary.
Municipal Libraries-The legislature of 1886 enacted a law autlior- izing cities to establish and maintain free public libraries and reading rooms. Section I provided that, "upon the written petition of 50 tax- payers of any city presented to the mayor and city council thereof, such mayor and council shall cause to be submitted to the legal voters of such city at the first city election thereafter, or if the petition so requests, at a special election to be called for that purpose, the question of the estab- lishment and maintenance of a free public library and reading room by such city."
This act also provided that the mayor and council could levy a library tax, not to exceed one mill on the dollar in cities of first and second class and not to exceed one and one-half mills in cities of the third class. In 1901 this levy was changed to one mill in cities of the first class and two and one-half mills in cities of the third class. The law made full pro- vision for the organization of free public libraries and many libraries that had been founded and maintained by women's clubs became the property of the municipality. The following list of public libraries, with date of organization and number of volumes, was compiled from 1910 statistics :
Abilene, 1903, 4,002 volumes; Arkansas City, 1908, 3,328 volumes; Atchison, subscription library established in 1879, supported by fees, 9,000 volumes; Baxter Springs, Johnson public library, 1907, 2,964 volumes ; Blue Rapids, 1874, by ladies' library association, supported by fees, 4,005 volumes; Burlington, 1884, 12,119 volumes; Caney, subscrip- tion library organized by ladies' library association 1892, supported by
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fees, 774 volumes; Cawker City, 1873, 1,800 volumes; Chanute, 1901, 6,207 volumes ; Clay Center, 1901, 2,874 volumes ; Coffeyville, 1907, sup- ported by fees, 1,927 volumes ; Concordia, 1890, 3,510 volumes ; Delphos, 1888, supported by fees, 600 volumes ; Douglas, 1908, supported by fees, 910 volumes; Downs, Carnegie library, 1905, 1,424 volumes; Eldorado, 1909, 3,000 volumes ; Emporia, 1884, 9,000 volumes ; Everest, Barnes pub- lic library, organized in 1910, supported by endowment, 400 volumes; Fort Scott, 1891, 6,301 volumes; Galena, library association organized in 1899, 1,000 volumes; Garden City, ladies' library association, 1898, sup- ported by fees, 1,000 volumes; Girard, 1901, 2,814 volumes; Goodland, subscription library, 1908, 785 volumes ; Great Bend, 1908, 3,500 volumes ; Halstead, 1894, 800 volumes; Hiawatha, Morrill free public library, founded in 1882 by E. N. Morrill, 13,500 volumes; Horton, public high school library organized in 1898, 1,800 volumes; Hutchinson, 1896, 6,343 volumes ; Independence, 1907, 4,568 volumes ; Iola, 1905, 4,555 volumes; Jamestown, Pomeroy free library supported by gifts, 800 volumes; Junction City, George Smith public library, 1908, supported by endow- ment, 7,713 volumes; Kansas City, 1891, 17,500 volumes; Kensington, subscription library, 1905, supported by fees, 500 volumes; Kingman, 1900, 2,907 volumes; Lawrence, 1865, 10,100 volumes; Lebanon, ladies" library club, organized 1900, subscription library, 875 volumes; Lyons, 1910; Leavenworth, 1910, 17,479 volumes; McPherson, 1905, 2,110 volumes ; Manhattan, Carnegie public library, 1904, 4,875 volumes ; Mar- quette, subscription library, 1909, supported by fees, 600 volumes ; Medicine Lodge, Lincoln library, 1895, supported by fees, 2,000 volumes ; Newton, 1885, 7,735 volumes; Oakland, 1909, supported by gifts, 1,003 volumes; Oberlin, subscription library, 1903, supported by fees, 1,134 volumes; Osawatomie, 1891, 2,200 volumes; Oswego, 1909, 1,000 volumes; Ottawa, Carnegie library, 1876, 7,586 volumes; Paola, 1881, 7,200 volumes; Parsons, 1905, 4,800 volumes; Peabody, 1875, 8,390 volumes; Pittsburg, 1902, 12,000 volumes; Plainville, subscription library, 1902, supported by fees, 860 volumes ; Pratt, 1910, 1,495 volumes ; Russell, 1901, 2,623 volumes; Salina, 1894, 6,500 volumes ; Stafford, Nora E. Larabee free public memorial library, 1908, 1,100 volumes; Topeka, 1870, 24,493 volumes; Vinland, library association organized in 1859, subscription library, 1,570 volumes; Washington, 1910, 1,700 volumes ; Weir, subscription library, 1896, 1,029 volumes; Wichita, 1891, 16,000 volumes. These libraries are supported by tax, unless otherwise indi- cated.
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