usefulness and importance, and to attend to it properly required so much of the Superintendent's time from his other duties, that the Board last March employed Mrs. Carrie W. Judson as librarian and to perform such clerical duties at the office of the Board of Education as the Superintendent might direct. The library, is now kept open every day and its duties promptly attended to.

Already there are 3,000 volumes in the library, and large additions will be made during the year.

There are 16,981 children between six and twenty years of age in this school district, and 8,026 enrolled in the schools.

The Board remains unchanged in its organization and membership.

The public schools of this city have achieved a reputation for substantial work which places them among the foremost in the country.

CHAPTER XVIII.

KANSAS CITY-WHY SHE IS AND WHAT SHE IS.

A Summary of the Facts of Her History-The Facts that Caused Her Growth-Her Markets, Her Railroad System, and Fast Freight Lines-Steamship Agencies- The New West, and Its

Resources.

The origin and development of Kansas City were based upon certain facts inherent in the nature of things, which, in this closing chapter, it will be well to review.

It will be seen in the preceding pages that these facts relate to transportation facilities. The situation now is as advantageous as in the beginning, and will in the future, as in the past, maintain for this city a controlling position.

In the first place, it was the junction of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers at this point that induced the early French traders and trappers to locate here. Their means of transportation was by packing and by batteaux on the rivers, the latter being by far the best. The junction of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers, therefore, afforded them this facility in a much more extended area of country than any other point in the west. It practically controlled the entire north and west, from the British Possessions to the 38th degree of latitude, and west to the Rocky Mountains.

Again, it was the angle in the Missouri River, at this point, that directed the Santa Fe trade hither. Steamboat navigation on the Missouri being begun almost simultaneously with that trade, afforded cheaper transportation than by wagons; hence it was employed to this, the nearest point to Santa Fe. The character of the country between this angle in the river and Santa Fe, and its superior facilities for making wagon roads and subsisting trains, held it here against all attempts to divert it to the waters of the Red and Arkansas Rivers. Between here and Santa Fe were high divides, with plenty of grass and water, while from the Arkansas and Red Rivers there were more streams to cross, yet less water and wide stretches of sandy plains.

The same superior natural facilities for transportation made this the starting point for the expeditions to Mexico during the war. In was the nearest point to Mexico to which troops and supplies could be moved by water, and afforded the best roads.

It was the same natural facility that diverted hither the larger part of the

great California and Utah emigration. It was the most westerly point to which water transportation could be had, and the country beyond afforded the best roads water grades, and fewer streams.

WHY THE TRADE CAME TO KANSAS CITY.

These facilities, however, were equally available to Independence and Westport, and as both these places were in existence before Kansas City, and fast grew rich in the Santa Fe trade, the outfitting of Mexican expeditions, and the overland emigration to California, it was another fact that finally concentrated these interests at Kansas City. This fact was the superior natural landing for steamboats at this point. The angle in the river here threw the water against the shore at the point where the city is located, making here a rock levee, better than any improvement could make one at any other point on the river. This made this a preferred point by the river men. Again, the contiguity of prairie for holding and feeding teams made this a preferred point by the freighters and emigrants. These facts led to the concentration of these interests at the spot where the city now stands, and caused the growth of the city up to 1857, by which time it had distanced all existing rivals.

It was the same natural facilities that diverted overland freighting to Colorado, which began in 1858. It was the most westerly point to which the freight could be transported by water, and hence nearest to the destination of the freight; whether for mines or government posts, the water, grades and light ascents afford the best wagon roads. It was largely the lack of these advantages that caused Leavenworth, Atchison and St. Joe to fall behind in competition for this trade. It was no nearer to the destination of the freight to take it to those places, while it was further from the starting point and cost more as river freight. At the same time the country between them and the points of destination did not afford such good roads. This fact was iliustrated in the case of Leavenworth to a marked degree, as she, after spending two years and considerable money in attempting to open a route of her own, was at last compelled to make a road to the Kansas River and bridge that stream a few miles west of Kansas City to obtain access to Kansas City's route.

When railroads began to be extended westward from the Mississippi river, the facts above stated had already caused the development at Kansas City of so large a trade as to make it an attractive point for them, besides which the natural facilities for trade beyond Kansas City made it almost necessary for them to come here to connect with the trade of the plains and mountains. In addition to this, they could reach Kansas City on water grades, which made it cheaper and easier to build and operate the roads. No such advantages could be secured by seeking other places. These facts controlled their direction.

In the construction of roads to the westward a similar state of facts existed. In the first place, there was a trade already established, and in the second place there were water grades. Therefore, Congress, in fixing the eastern terminus and route of the great Pacific Railroad, fixed it at Kansas City, and defined its route as the existing route of trade.

Again, when Southern Kansas was settled the Kansas River was found to be a great barrier between the people and the river cities of their own State, while Kansas City, located at the mouth of that stream, was accessible to them. The same facts had previously concentrated here the trade of the Indians, after their removal to the west. This brought the trade to Kansas City, and railroads have been constructed to accommodate it. So great were these natural advantages that the disturbed condition of society during the war, and the depredations of thieves and bush whackers upon the trade of Kansas City could not entirely drive trade to other places. And so soon as this unnatural order of things passed away the trade fell naturally into its old channels.

When the stock growers of Texas began to seek a market for their cattle they soon found Kansas City the nearest point to their herding grounds at which they could avail themselves of competing rates to eastern markets.

When beef packers, attracted by the cheapness of Texas cattle, sought an adjacent point for packing purposes, they found Kansas City the nearest point to the source of supply where adequate transportation and banking facilities were available.

The location of the packers here, together with the necessity of re-shipping the cattle here, brought into existence a market for Texas cattle, which in its turn brought here the product of cattle and hogs of the adjacent country, and created the live-stock market.

The directions of the railroads, as determined by the facts above stated, existing at the time of their construction, made Kansas City the gateway through which all merchandise going into the country west of her, and for all grain products going to market, must pass. The fact that one system of railroads was projected to Kansas City and another beyond made this the terminal point for both and rendered re-shipment necessary. These facts have greatly stimulated the jobbing trade which had already grown out of the outfitting of freighters and the supplying of immigrants, and have called into existence here the grain market.

It is a well established policy with railroads to make such rates as will control, as far as possible, the shipment of freight to their termini instead of allowing it to be switched off to other roads at intermediate stations. It is also a well established policy with railroads to make rates for long distances proportionately less than short. These facts make Kansas City a preferred point by all the railroads, because it is their termini, which is a great advantage over any other place in the Missouri Valley, and secure to her such favorable rates to and from the Atlantic cities, that she is able to maintain a higher range of prices in her markets than any other place in the valley, while she can supply merchandise at lower prices. These facts have greatly stimulated her markets and her trade.

These latter are existing facts that for the future give Kansas City a controlling position, as they have done in the past, and will remain so as long as railroads continue to be managed as they are now.

But there must come a time when better regulations will be established and the present confused and arbitrary changing of rates abolished. When such a change takes place, the new system cannot but embrace a reasonable allowance of profit on their business. Then roads that can be most cheaply operated will be the cheapest roads to commerce. These will of course be the water grade roads. In that situation Kansas City will be still the possessor of superior advantages, as she has two water grade roads to the Mississippi River, two to the Rocky Mountains, two to the north to Sioux City and Omaha, and two to the south, which, owing to the topography of the country, are equal to water grade roads.

THE LESSONS OF HISTORY.

The facts narrated in this history impress two important lessons. The first of these is that, in a free country like America, commerce establishes its own capitals, and that in doing so it is governed by natural laws as fixed and immutable as the laws governing the manifestation of physical phenomena. The purpose of commerce is primarily to make profits for those engaging in it, and the profit being fixed the less the exertion and hazard of making it the better, or the exertion and hazard being fixed the greater the profit the better. The tendency of commerce, therefore, is to accomplish its purposes in the speediest and easiest way, and when left free it invariably finds and accepts that way. In other words, motion follows the line of least resistance, which is the great physical law to which commerce no less than all other kinds of movement is subservient. The second of these lessons is that, a people active and united for common purposes,

and possessing equal advantages are far more likely to succeed than a people who are divided or inactive. Nay, they may, and often do overcome even superior advantages. This is illustrated in a most marked degree in the efforts of the people of Kansas City at the close of the war of the rebellion. Prior to that time, they had great natural advantages which made her well nigh invincible by any rivalry. But at that time her trade had been dissipated and her people driven away by the facts and exigencies of war. A new era was dawning in which the railroad was to succeed the steamboat and wagon as a means of transportation and travel. The advantage was now with her rivals, except that she was situated at the junction of water grades, which were not then appreciated as they are now. At this juncture her people became united again, notwithstanding the acerbities of war from which they had so recently emerged, and by promptness, vigor and sagacity, secured the advantages others thought they had already in their hands. Kansas City has but to preserve this unity of action to acquire the trade of the whole trans-Missouri country west to Arizona and south to Mexico.

THE POSITION AND TRADE OF THE CITY.

Kansas City is the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco, having double the population of any other.

She is the undisputed metropolis of the New West, embracing western Missouri, Kansas, southwestern Iowa and southern Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico and northern Texas.

She is the financial center of that vast region, its banks keeping their deposits in her banks and drawing their exchange upon them.

Her jobbing merchants supply this entire country with merchandise.

She has the only live stock market west of St. Louis-a market that ranks as second or third in the United States, and where the hogs and cattle of the country mentioned are marketed.

She has the largest packing business west of St. Louis, and the largest cattle packing business in the world.

She is the grain market for all the country mentioned, and is the best winter wheat market in the United States, and she has the only grain market west of St. Louis where grain is sold on call.

HER RAILROAD SYSTEM.

Her railroad system is as follows:

First-The Missouri Pacific, from St. Louis to Kansas City.

Second-The Missouri Pacific to Leavenworth and Atchison, connecting with the Central Branch of the Union Pacific, for northern and northwestern Kansas, and the Atchison & Nebraska for Lincoln and Columbus, Nebraska.

Third-The Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific, for St. Louis, Toledo and Chicago. Fourth-The Hannibal & St. Joseph, from Kansas City to Chicago over the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, from Quincy.

Fifth-The Chicago & Alton Railroad, for St. Louis and Chicago.
Sixth-The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, for Chicago.

Seventh-The Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs, to Omaha, Sioux City and St. Paul.

Eighth-The Union Pacific, to Denver, Salt Lake and San Francisco. It connects with the Colorado system of railroads, which it controls, except the Denver and Rio Grande.

Ninth-The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, to Pueblo and Cañon City, Colorado, Santa Fe, New Mexico and California cities, by the Central Pacific. Tenth-The Kansas City, Lawrence & Southern Kansas to Coffeyville, Winfield and Wellington..

Eleventh-The Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf road, to Baxter Springs, Joplin and Springfield.

Twelfth-Kansas City & Eastern, to Lexington, Mo.

Thirteenth-The Missouri Pacific (M. K. & T. Branch), via Pleasant Hill for Galveston, Houston and intermediate Texas points.

FAST FREIGHT AND STEAMSHIP LINES.

The following named fast freight lines have agents located here soliciting business for them: Star Union and National, Great Western Dispatch, Erie and Pacific Dispatch, Canada Southern, Merchants' Dispatch, Continental, White Line. Blue Line, Southshore Line, Commercial Express and the Midland.

The following named steamship lines have agencies here and contract for freight to Europe at this point: National, White Star, Great Western, Guion, Cunard, Inman, Anchor, State, Wilson's, Hamburg, American Packet Company, North German Lloyd, White Cross, Netherlands, American, of New York, Montreal and New Orleans, Red Star and American, of Philadelphia.

AS A MANUFACTURING CENTER.

As a manufacturing center, Kansas City has unequaled advantages in her cheap and abundant coal, and in the cheapness and abundance of materials afforded by the contiguous country, a brief summary of which will be found further on in this chapter.

POSITION AND TRADE.

True, this city does not yet supply all the merchandise, nor market all the products of the vast region tributary to her. The country and the city, commercially speaking, are but a quarter of a century old. The people coming in from all quarters, as emigrants always do, at first look back to the point from whence they came for supplies and for markets. It takes time to establish new associations. This city, as a depot of supply, is not to exceed fifteen years old, and as a market not to exceed ten, but her development in these respects is, for rapidity, without a parallel in the history of cities. She has trade relations established throughout the domain, and now she reaches a point where all competitors must give way forever. She sends merchandise to Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, New Mexico and Texas, and though this trade has not been in existence to exceed ten years she has now nearly excluded all competitors from the markets for the cattle of Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, the Indian Territory, New Mexico and western Missouri; the hogs of western Missouri, Kansas, southeastern Iowa, southern Nebraska and northern Texas; the sheep and wool of Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico, and the wheat of western Missouri, Kansas and southern Nebraska, and partly of southwestern Iowa.

That she will in a few years market all the products of this vast area and supply it with all its merchandise, is certain. Her railway lines penetrate it, radiating from her in all directions. The railway systems of the entire area cen. ters at Kansas City, the roads that do not terminate here making their connection with those that do. The absence of navigable waters makes the railways the sole arteries of commerce, and that they will bear the products of the country to Kansas City, and bear the merchandise from Kansas City, is as certain as that they radiate from Kansas City to all parts of the country.

It is a remarkable fact that the markets of Kansas City came into existence and grew to nearly equal importance with those of St. Louis and Chicago-in some respects to a controlling position-within five years, while there was little visible growth in the city and little immigration into the country. It is a remarkable fact also that during the same period, and under the same conditions, the mercantile business of the city was quadrupled, and has continued to grow with unprecedented rapidity since. The significance of these facts is unmistakable. It simply means the rapid, intense concentration of the trade of the country at Kansas City.