Forty years of Nebraska at home and in Congress

Book i H~S3

T. W. TIPTON.

FORTY YEARS OF NEBRASKA

At Home and in Congress

BY

THOMAS WESTON TIPTON

United States Senator for Nebraska, 1867-1875

A SPECIAL PUBLICATION

OF

THE NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

• LINCOLN, NEBR.:

STATE JOURNAL COMPANY, PRINTERS 1902

OFFICERS : CONSTITUTING BOARD OF MANAGERS. President— * J . Sterling Morton, Nebraska City. First Vice-President— Robert W. Furnas, Brownville. Second Vice-President — Charles Sumner LobiNGIER, Omaha. Treasurer — C. H. Gere, Lincoln.

* Died April 27, 1902.

OFFICE STAFF.

Jay Amos Barrett, Librarian and Assistant Secretary. A. E. Sheldon, Director of Field Work.

E. E. Blackman, Archeologist.

COMMITTEES FOR 1902-1903.

Publication — H. W. Caldwell, S. L. Geisthardt, Charles S. Dundey. Obituaries— E. W. Furnas, Geo. L. Miller, A. L. Bixby. Program — H. W. Caldwell, A. E. Sheldon, A. T. Richardson. Library — Jay Amos Barrett, Miss Edith Tobitt, Albert Watkins. Museum and Collections — Jay Amos Barrett, C. S. Paine, H. T. Clarke.

STATED MEETINGS.

Annual^meeting of the Society, second Tuesday in January. MeUln^of/fJxucijtiyjxlJoarjl, firs^ JFy^dsJsr after secomd Monday in January, JXj'fiC, J*uly*j .0<ft(*b<5r.

p

Author.

CHAPTER IV. State Senators 211-385 Preliminary Historical Sketch 211-215

Thomas W. Tipton 216-266

John M. Thayer 267-278

Phineas W. Hitchcock 279-2S6

Algernon S. Paddock 287-304

Alvin Saunders 305-313

Charles H. Van Wyck 314-332

Charles F. Manderson 333-361

William V. Allen ,, 362-385

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IV CONTENTS.

PAGE

CHAPTER V. Representatives 386-556

T. M. Marquett 386-389

John Taffe 390-394

Lorenzo Crounse 395-409

Thomas J. Majors 414

Edward K. Valentine 415-420

Archibald J. Weaver 421-425

James Laird 426-438

Gilbert L. Laws 439-442

William J. Connell 443-448

George W. E. Dorsey 449-454

John A. McShane 455-461

William J. Bryan 462-500

William A. McKeighan 501-516

Omer M. Kern 517-528

Eugene J. Kainer 529-537

David H. Mercer 538-549

Georg-e D. Meikle John 550-556

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Thomas Weston Tipton. Frontispiece.

FACE PAGE

David Butler 104

R. W. Furnas 120

J. E. Boyd 176

Lorenzo Crounse 202

Silas A. Holcomb 208

Charles F. Manderson 336

\\ i 1 1 i;i in V. Allen 368

William Jennings Bryan 464

Preface

After a continuous residence of thirty-three years in Nemaha County, four of which were with the celebrated First Nebraska Regiment, and eight in the United States Senate, having suffered a sudden loss of health, I found a very pleasant pastime and most genial employment in recalling the early days of Nebraska pioneering.

My first impulse was to utter opinions of men and measures. But remembering how liable we all are to make mistakes, and being fearful of doing injustice, by omission or prejudice, to some of my associates, I determined, as far as possible, to become only the re. corder of their public works and compiler of their sentiments and oratorical gems.

My theme, Forty Years of Nebraska at Home and in Congress, brought into review fifty officials, — eight territorial governors, six delegates in congress, ten state governors, eight United States senators, and eighteen members of the house of representatives. The number required brevity. The one million new-comers and young generation were to be instructed, and the considerate and merciful criticism invoked of the remaining fifty-eight thousand old settlers.

I acknowledge my indebtedness to ex-governor Furnas for the use of his invaluable library, to the Illustrated History of Nebraska, and to the Congressional Globe and Record.

THE AUTHOR.

607 Florida Avenue, N. W., Washington, D. C. May 30, 1894.

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ERRATA.

Page 21, Note. For Joseph D. Morton read Julius Dewey Morton.

Page 55, Note. For III. read I.

Page 57, line 18. For Nebr., Territory read Nebraska Territory.

(viii)

Chapter I. The Territorial Governors

GOVERNOR FRANCIS BURT.

The sad history of Governor Burt 1 of South Carolina, the first governor of Nebraska, is soon written. He was appointed by President Pierce and reached the Territory at the Mission House at Bellevue, now of Sarpy county, on the 7th day of October, 1854, just four months and seven days subsequent to the passage of the act organizing the Territory. Coming there much indisposed, he died on the 18th of the same month of his arrival, having taken the oath of office on the 16th of October, 1854, and closing a two days' term of official life. He has been spoken of as "a man of stern integrity and unblemished character, greatly beloved by those who knew him," and in the peculiar terms of that day, as "an accomplished southern gentleman."

1 Governor Francis Burt: Xebr. State Hist. Soc. Pnb., sec. series, I., 25-38; first series, I., 93 (biog. from X. Y. Times, Xov. 9, 1854); II., 19. Savage and Bell, Hist of Omaha, 50. The following genealogy of the Burt family is furnished by Miss Katharine Burt, daughter of Gov. Francis Burt:

Matthew Burt [b. before 1732, Mecklinburg, Va. : m., Harwood; after Revolution, moved to Edgefield, S. C; d., ] had 14 children: Harwood, Matthew,

Philip, Edward, John, Francis, William, Robert, Garland, Moody, Susan, Martha, Mary. Ann. Francis Burt [b. about 1774; m. Katharine Miles (dau. of Aquila Miles, and

Harritt Giroud who was dau. of Jourdan, dau. of French Huguenot, and who

had 8 children: Susan, Rebecca, Katharine. Pamilia, Amelia, Jack, Lois, Aquila); d.,

] had 10 children: Louis, Matthew, Oswald, Armistead, Francis, Erasmus, Harriet,

Eliza, Katharine, Pamilia. Francis Burt [b. Jan. 13, 1807; m., 1831, Georgiana Hall, dau. George Abbott Hall of Charleston (son of Geo. A. Hall and Lois Matthews, sister of Mrs. Thomas Hayward whose husband was signer of Declaration of Independence ) and Anne Dawson (b. Oct. 9, 1774; dau. John Dawson and Joanna Mouck; descendant Dr. Henry Woodward; m., 1806)] had six children: Frank (d. 1850), Georgiana (in. William H. Dawson, 1854; d. 1882), Harriet (m. D. M. Young, 1868), Armistead (m. Laura Rippeton, 1887), Joanna (m. George Robert, now deceased, 1879), Katharine (b. 1842, lives Macon, Ga. ), Mary (m. William A. Johnston, 1871: d. 1879), George Abbott « •"Frank"; m. Minnie Nutting, 1881).

2 (1)

The Secretary of the Territory, T. B. Cuming, of Iowa, immediately assumed .the duties of acting-governor, and his proclamation, announcing the sorrowful death, draping the national flags, and appointing an escort, was the first executive utterance.

TERRITORIAL GOVERNORS.

ACTING-GOVERNOR THOMAS B. CUMING.

The first Territorial Legislature of Nebraska convened January 16, 1855, Acting-Governor Thomas B. Cuming delivering the message. In that document he said:

The first official act within our Territory has been indeed a mournful one, the transmission to a bereaved wife and orphaned children in South Carolina of all that was mortal of your late lamented governor, Francis Burt. In his death you have suffered a severe loss — the loss of a man peculiarly qualified by his public experience and capacity, his private virtues, and his energy and firmness, for the satisfactory and courageous discharge of his official duties. He spent but a few weeks of suffering among us, and his grave in a far off State is only another tie of union between communities widely severed, who will revert to his memory with fraternal pride, and to his untimely decease with i sympathetic sorrow.

There were no unpleasant discriminations to subtract from the universal esteem in which his manly and amiable traits were held by an enliglitened people; and the fact that South Carolina has given us one of her distinguished sons, is accompanied upon your record by the expression of your undivided respect and affection. i

The Territory being without a system of civil or criminal law, or corporations, financial institutions, or public works, as railroads, bridges or highways, the foundations were to be laid, and superstructures erected. In the absence of financial resources, appeals were made for congressional aid. in behalf of the Pacific railroad, telegraph and mail facilities, a chain of military posts for emigrant protection, and land donations for all conceivable purposes,

Having hoped for the arrival of Governor Burt's successor up to the meeting of the legislature, and not wishing to pledge

1 Council Journal, 1st session, pp. 8-9.

hini to any specific policy, the acting-governor dealt in brief and general allusions and closed as follows:

I could not forbear, gentlemen, in transferring- to another the trust reposed in me, from expressing- a pride that, our Territory being- thus speedily built up as another arch in the national fabric, your public acts and counsels will contribute to defend and perpetuate the Union and the Constitution of the United States as the only sure foundation of our civil liberties. I trust that your deliberations, by the blessing of Divine Providence, may be conducted with efficiency and prudence, and that the most ardent hopes of each one of you who have confronted the hardships and trials of pioneer life, may be realized in the promotion of the lasting good of our vast and promising young Territory. i

When the 4th Legislative Assembly convened December 8th y 1857, Secretary Cuming, being again acting-governor, delivered a message congratulatory and instructive:

"We are assembled today under the most favorable auspices. The Territory of Nebraska has, thus far, achieved all that her friends could ask. Her early organization and rapid progress have signally illustrated the safety and expansive force of the principles of the Federal compact, from which naturally sprang her organic act.

On account of Nebraska's close proximity to the Anti-Slavery strife in Kansas, where the slave power was determined to ♦enthrone the "peculiar institution," and the resident citizens were equally devoted to the free soil and free men, the governor made the following allusions:

Although lamentable dissensions have given to our sister territory a wider notoriety, we may well congratulate each other upon the verification of the political truth, "Happy is that people whose annals are tranquil." Safe, thus far, from the interference of reckless agitators and the mad efforts of intolerant fanatics, we can furnish to the world an enviable proof of the legitimate effect of the genius and spirit of our republican institutions.

Among his recommendations he mentioned the fact that the

1 Council Journal. 1st session, 12.

TERRITORIAL GOVERNORS. D

citizens of Omaha had contributed $50,000 to aid in completing the Capitol building for which Congress should reimburse them; and that the government should give the territory a surveyor general; distribute troops along the emigrant line of travel; make appropriations for railroad construction and for bridging the rivers and streams on the United States mail routes. He drew a very true picture of the evils of unrestricted and negligent banking and demanded all the safeguards that prudence could dictate.

The few days allowed for a session of the legislature had demonstrated the fact that legal enactments were limited, confused and contradictory, and needed constant amendments and comparisons with the legislation of older communities.

The thoughtful reader will understand that the laws, regulations and customs of a new and formative society will be constantly superseded by the progress of intellectual and physical development.

This final message of Governor Cuming closed as follows:

I have thus presented to you, gentlemen, plainly and hurriedly, such considerations as have occurred to me, uncertain, until the eve of your assembling-, whether in my incidental position, such a communication would be required. Once before we have met under similar circumstances. Since that initial period, the bitterness of sectional strife has been measurably allayed. Strange faces and new interests have taken their places upon the stage and many of the actors in our early history have passed away, or been lost in the throng' of events. Men, out of repair politically and morally, will continue to be prostrated, one by one, and their names expire with the forgotten influences of the past; but our powerful young Territory will move on with augmented and prevailing force and realize, in its future fortunes, all that human hope or ambition can anticipate or wish. Acting" for that Territory in a coordinate capacity, and in view of the mutations of public affairs, and in the vicissitudes of life, permit me to_ assure you, each and all, that I cherish a sincere desire for your success, individually, as well as in your endeavors to promote the public good. May no personal resentment or local alienations hereafter mar the harmony which should inspire the intercourse of the representatives of the government and of our people. May no t> NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

boundary — natural or artificial — prevent the union of all our energies, in building- up an eminent, honored and thriving State. May you be prospered in all your laudable aims, and after performing the high duty of legislating for a patriotic and confiding people, return in health to the comforts and friendships of your respective homes.

Within three months from the date of this official document, its author had passed from earth, and at the meeting of the next legislature, Governor Richardson said: "The Territory has lost one of her brightest intellects, one whose genius and attainments had inspired his many friends with high hopes and marked out for him a brilliant and useful future. T. B. Cuming, Secretary of the Territory, has" been called away forever." 1

The legislature having referred this message to a committee, the following report 2 was inade by its chairman, Hon. R. W. Furnas, subsequently governor:

Thomas B. Cuming was appointed secretary of the Territorjr of Nebraska by Franklin Pierce, President of the United States, upon the organization of the Territory, and entering at once upon the discharge of the duties of his office, he arrived here in the month of September, 1854. By the untimely decease of Governor Burt, he succeeded to the supreme executive and became ex-officio Governor of Nebraska. How ably he filled that office, those living can testify. In the organization of the first legislature, surrounded as he was by conflicting elements, threatened by fierce contending factions, standing in imminent danger of personal violence, he wavered not once in his fealty to the general government, nor in his fidelity to the trust reposed in him. Throughout the whole duration of those troublesome times he pursued a policy, the sagacity of which was proved by its success, and the wisdom of which is evidenced by the present prosperous position of the Territory which he governed. Upon the resignation of Governor Izard, he again assumed the executive office and from that time till near liis death maintained it. He has been identified with the Territory ever since its organization, as one of its highest officers. He died with the mantle of authority still alionl him. in the land which he had chosen for his own; in the country which he had ruled so well, lie was buried willi his honors fresh upon him; from the halls where he was

1 Council Journal, r>th session. 15.

Council Journal, r>ili session. 30-31.

wont to tread among- a people that delighted to do him reverence. He was followed to his grave by those who were his friends, and the soil for which he had lived and labored received his remains. His requiem was tolled by the silence of those who knew what they had lost, and 'if you seek his monument look around you.' Besides being- for a long- time the first executive officer of the Territory, he was in many respects the first man of Nebraska. And hereafter when the roll of the great men of the Territory is called, and the name of Thomas B. Cuming is pronounced the first upon the list, let the answer be as it was with the surviving comrades of La Tour, D'Auverne, first grenadier of the army of France, "Died on the field of honor." The closing moments of an existence, checkered as his has been by worldly contests, cannot but attract attention. His life was no holiday; but almost every moment of it had been passed in the busy thoroughfares of the world, and when finally prostrated by disease, the closing acts of his public life were characterized with the same energy and decision which made his character what it was. Your committee have in this hurried manner discharged the duty imposed upon them. They are conscious of their inability to present a report for your consideration commensurate with their estimation of the man. and their appreciation of Thomas B. Cuming* as an executive officer. Your committee would close their report by expressing their earnest hope that here in the shadow of the Capitol, about whose arches the spirit of the deceased may linger; that here the memory of those sectional disputes among which the latter part of his life was unavoidably passed, will cause this legislature to avoid them, and unite for the furtherance of such measures as shall be for the good of the whole country.

Never was the pathway of a young politician beset with greater perplexities and temptations than those surrounding the first temporary executive of the Territory of Nebraska. To be unexpectedly called upon to assume the duties of another, and expected to evolve a government from a state of elementary chaos, in the absence of precedents, would have required all that age, experience and human sagacity could have furnished. While it became his duty to designate the place for the assembling of the first session of the legislature, the final question of Capitol location was left to the representatives of the people; but inasmuch as the place of the first meeting would have the prestige of an incipient Capitol, his decision was sought in the spirit of desperation. What there was of settlement, was divided by the Platte Elver into North and South, while in the two antagonistic sections, three rival towns in each were ready to destroy their local competitors to gain a permanent advantage. These were Bellevue, Omaha and Florence to the north, and Plattsmouth, Nebraska City and Brownville to the south.

Bellevue, having been the place where the first governor landed and**died, and whence his acting successor issued the first official proclamation, and possessing the most beautiful location, had many reasons to anticipate becoming the permanent seat of government.

When, therefore, Mr. Cuming, having ordered the taking of a census, in 1854, and the election of members of a legislature and of a delegate to Congress, appointed the assembling of the first session for Omaha, the clans were mustered for war. In the absence of courts to issue the quo icarranto or mandamus, appeal was occasionally made to the knife and revolver, and under mental conditions affected by the use of money or whiskey. Accordingly, in 1858, when the location question was again revived, and Secretary Cuming was once more 'acting-governor, after Governor Izard's resignation, a majority of the legislature removed to Florence, eight miles up the river, and called upon him for the records in possession of the minority at Omaha.

Before a solution of this complication was secured Gov. Richardson of Illinois arrived and, assuming control, released the young official once more to his original duty of secretary of the Territory, which place he filled until early in the spring of 1858, when he was stricken by death, in his 28th .year.

TERRITORIAL GOVERNORS.

GOVERNOR MARK W. IZARD.

In the illustrated history of Nebraska, a writer quoting from the Omaha Herald, proceeds as follows: "Mark W. Izard, who came into the Territory as United States marshal, was appointed successor to Governor Burt, and the ball was given in honor of his excellency." It might be here parenthetically stated that when the governor was to read his inaugural message he arranged it so that a negro was to announce his approach to the legislative chamber, by saying, "Mr. Speaker, the Governor is now approaching"; but forgetting his text he electrified the assembled wisdom with, "Mr. Speaker, de Gub'ner hab done come." The following is from the Herald:

Izard was a stately character physically; mentally, rather weak, and felt a lively sense of the dignity with which the appointment clothed him. He had never known such an honor before, and it bore upon him heavily. To the few persons who then constituted the population of the city, the governor was careful to intimate a desire to have his gubernatorial advent suitably celebrated. The factious and wary Cuming- suggested the idea of giving Izard an executive ball. The larger of the two rooms, which then constituted the building, was the theatre of a scene perhaps the most ludicrous that was ever witnessed in the history of public receptions. The room had a single coat of what was called plastering, composed of a frozen mixture of mud and ice, and a very thin coating' at that. The floor was rough and unplaned, and not altogether safe for those who preferred the upright position. It had been energetically scrubbed for the occasion. The night being' dreadfully cold and the heating apparatus failing to warm the room, the water froze upon the floor and could not be melted by any then known process. Rough cottonwood boards on either side of the room were substituted for chairs. The hour of seven having arrived, the grand company began to assemble. Long before the appointed hour his Arkansas excellency appeared in the dancing hall. He and Jim Orton and "the band" of Council Bluffs reached the scene about the same moment.

The governor was very polite to Jim, and Jim was just "tight" enough to be correspondingly polite to the governor, while Izard was the guest of nine ladies, who were all that could be mustered, even for a state occasion in Omaha. They were Mrs. G. L. Miller, Mrs. T. R. Cuming, Mrs. Fenner Ferguson, Mrs. J. Sterling Morton, Mrs. C. B. Smith, Mrs. Fleming Davidson, Mrs. A. J. Hanscom, Mrs. A. D. Jones, and Mrs. S. E. Rogers. Two of the ladies could not dance, and their places were supplied by the same number of gentlemen. The governor had a son by the name of James. He was his excellency's private secretary, and wishing to present a high example of style, he came in at a late hour escorting Mrs. Davidson. His bearing was fearfully stately and dignified. He wore a white vest and white kids, as any gentleman would do, but these were in rather discordant contrast with the surroundings. Paddock, Poppleton, Cuming, Smith, Morton, Ferguson, Goodwill, Clancy, Folsom, and Dr. Miller, besides a large assembly of legislators, attended. Jim Orton was the solitary fiddler, occupying a corner of the room. The dance was opened and it was a gay and festive occasion. During the dance several accidents happened. One lady, now well known in Omaha, fell flat; others did likewise. The supper came off about midnight, and consisted of coffee with brown sugar, but no milk, sandwiches of a peculiar size, very thick, and made up of a singular mixture of bread of radical complexion, and bacon. The menu was supplemented with dried apple pie, and there being no tables in those days, was passed around. The governor having long lived in a hot climate, stood around shivering with the cold, but bore himself with amiable fortitude, buoyed up with the honors thus showered upon him, and at the proper time, under a deep sense of his own consequence, made a speech returning thanks for the high honor done him.

On the 20th day of February, 1855, the successor of Governor Burt having arrived, Secretary Cuming introduced him to the legislature in a most complimentary speech, which was replied to in a manner indicating that "honors were easy,'' and eulo- <jhims ;il par.

Mr. Cuming: We congratulate you and ourselves, Sir, that the blessing of prosperity and harmony, and the glory of greal hopes for the t'nl ure are lighting up your path, which the vigorous arm of popular sovereignty has carved on! and upon which we have entered. " * * We feel assured. Sir. thai a glorious destiny will result from that manifesta-

.

tion of the popular will which has already fixed the westward "march of empire"; and we rejoice in the assurance that you will hereafter occupy a prominent place among the benefactors of commerce, the promoters of patriotism and the friends of mankind. 1

To which the governor replied:

I return niy sincere thanks to you for the kind and complimentary manner in which you have received me. In the difficulties through which you have passed, and the embarrassments which you have unavoidably encountered in the organization of this now prosperous and growing Territory, I am conscious you had at heart the welfare of the whole Territory. I return to you my sincere thanks for the cordial welcome and friendly feeling- with which you have received me. * * * I feel that there is wisdom and integrity enough here to lay the foundation for a government, the blessings of which are soon to be enjoyed by a population unparalleled in the settlement of any country, a population which will vie in point of morals and intelligence with any country, new or old. 2

These few complimentary extracts may suffice as introductory to an official acquaintance and a prelude to the governor's first message 3 of February 27, 1855, which ran as follows:

The circumstances under which I make this, my first official communication to your honorable body, are somewhat peculiar, my arrival in the Territory having been delayed by causes entirely beyond my control, until a late clay of the session. I cannot flatter myself that I am officially familiar with the progress already made, to indicate a course of policy for the government of your future actions, with as much clearness and precision as I could desire, but finding- the session fast drawing to a close, and the more important matters of legislation which are of vital interest to the people of the Territory, yet in their incipient state, or wholly untouched. I feel it my duty to call your attention to the subject, and recommend to your favorable consideration such measures as I deem important for the speedy organization of the Territory, and future peace and harmony of our young- and growing- community.

1 Council Journal; 1st session, 78. 2 Council Journal, 1st session, 78, 79. "Council Journal, 1st session, 97-99.

12 t NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

The length of the session being limited to forty days by the organic act, he recommended that the code of Iowa for civil and criminal practice be adopted, and that a general election law be framed, and a system of territorial revenue be established, and rules and regulations prescribed for denning the rights of settlers under the act of Congress. There was a most pressing necessity for the admonition against special legislation, instead of general laws, for all manner of persons were under a frenzy of excitement in order to acquire charters for banks, ferries and endless corporations, the erection of counties and location of towns, and for the permanent establishment of the capital, whereby a fictitious value should at once be attached to real estate, and vast fortunes amassed. The legislature then. in session was not responsible to any settled and well defined constituencies; and many members were citizens of other states, mere adventurers, who, being on prospecting tours, found time to take part in the first organization. On the eighth day of the session, charges were made against six members of the council for want of citizenship, and one for being a minor, leaving six to assume valid citizenship; and inasmuch as a large immigration was expected before another election, a preamble and resolutions were introduced in the council suggesting a general resignation of the members and a new election.

Closing his message, the governor said:

Having- the fullest confidence in your wisdom, integrity and patriotism, I invoke the blessing of the Divine Being upon your deliberations and look forward with lively anticipations for the result of this, the first legislative assembly of the Territory of Nebraska, to bring honor and prosperity upon her people, and invite our friends from abroad to come in and share with us the blessings of a government founded upon the eternal principles of popular sovereignty, and 1 trust that you will always find in me a faithful co-worker in seeking to effect these desirable objects.

Dining this first session a reporl was made on the subjecl of prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors, of which two paragraphs will show the drift:

That in their opinion, where the people are prepared and public sentiment sufficiently in favor of a prohibitory law to fully sustain and enforce it, such a law would be productive of the best results to the community. * * * As much, however, as we may be in favor of a prohibitory law, until the community by petition or otherwise, may fully manifest their determination to sustain such a law, it would be idle to enact it.

The house of representatives having passed a bill excluding free negroes from obtaining a settlement in the territory, it was finally indefinitely postponed in the council by a vote of 7 against 4. On the 19th day of December, 1855, Governor Izard delivered his second message 1 to the legislature, and as the facts of history were few, and the realms of fiction unbounded, he dealt in the imaginary creations of the present and the gorgeous realizations, of the future. The infant territory was prosperous, the early organization was of bold and energetic measures, the principles of "popular sovereignty'' vindicated, the people happy in a degree heretofore unexampled, while towns and cities were springing up as if by magic. The capital, for which he had projected the plans, and which were worked out in detail by the accomplished architect of St. Louis, William Kumbold, would be the most imposing of buildings, and would be copied by Kansas, and admired by all master builders visiting the Territory. The territorial road westward to Kearney would be the forerunner of the Pacific railway; and the completion of the surveys of government lands would supercede the term "squatter" and we become sovereigns of the soil. Special attention being given to the ordinary wants of the new community, and a highly colored portrait drawn of our enterprising and intelligent and patriotic neighbors of the Pacific slope, he promised hearty co-operation with the new legislature, and invoked upon them the guidance of Divine Providence.