Kansans At Washington

[Special Washington Coircsponíeoce.] Kansas is the Massachusetts of the West - the geographical center of the United States, as the Bay State was of Colonial America and the historie battle-ground of freedom. White men first saw its . boundlcss prairies threo hundred and forty I years ago, and sarages called them their ' hunting-giounds thirty years ago, yet in a quarter ofacentury ït has passed rom ai vcritable stato of barbarism to the ■. most stage of civilization. A more wonderful progress man has nowhere mado in all bis history. Kansas has 100 counties, 4,8SO miles of railroail, 13S.000 farms and produces 170,000,000 bushels of corn and 35,000,000 bushels of wheat annually; her population is over a m Ilion souls; 15,000 peoplo are engaged In manufacturing within her borders, aud the number doubles evcry eight years, whüo tho net value of her aggregated product more tban doubles in the samo period. But S19 Indians now live ou Kansas soil ; and (ndians Uvcnty years ago disputed possestion of over half the State with the army of Ihe United States. Kansas is rapidly seizing her opportunity to become the great. tugar State of tho West, and with secrets of rcfining discovercd within her boundaries p remises to revolutionize the sugar in-' iustry. The fact oí chief importance about Kanlas is her growth. Sho was admitted as a State in January, 1861, with a population of 107,203. In this year of grace thero ate of Kansast CongressmeD, more than Arkansas, admitted in 1836; California, ad-' Riittcd in 1850 ; Louisiana, admitted in 1812; i Maino admitted in 1820; Minnesota admitted in 1858; Oregon, admitted in 1859, or Maryland, Conneeticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island or Vermont that were original States, lo say nothing of Delaware, New Jersey, Mississippi and South Carolina hare the same number of Congressman that Kansas aas, and the present population of the State probably cntitles her to a larger delegation than cither of these States. Tho States making the largest increase of population f rom 1870 to 1SS0 wero Colorado, 154,000; California, 304,000; Ncbraska, 329,M0; Iowa, 430,000, but Kansas led them all With 631,000. John James Ingalls, the senior Kansas Senator, and tho head of tho delegation in Congress, would deceive tho most unerring guesser of age. As ho moves about the Bcnate chamber or strolls out over the country roads around Washington, he might bc supposed to be as young as thirty-five ; few would imagine he was over forty-fivo. Tho oold air-tight fact is that ho was fif ty-four on tho 29th of last December. Ho is tall, very spare, and of a highly nervous tompertmeut. He was bom in Essex County, Mass., where Caleb Cushing, RufusChoate, Judge Story and m'any othergreat men first aw light. His !?ncestors and those of Judgo En licott, Sccretary of War, founded tho city of Lynn. Ho graduated at Williams College whon he was twenty-two, one yp:nÉ beforc James A. Garfield delivered his valedictory for tho class of '56. It is an intcrestinfr fact that Rufus Ingalls, the Senator's father, and Mehitabcl Ingalls, President Garfleld's grandmother, were flrst cousins. Senator Ingalls went to Kansas In 1S58, and passing through tho exciting days of the strugglo for ireo soil in Eleeding Kansas. He becamo a " John Brown " Rcpublican, and b ■■ remained so. When S. C. Pomcroy was rctired from the Senate in 1873, tho successor feil on Mr. Ingalls, then in nis fortieth year, and looking but twent y-five. He stepped into tho front rank of wits and orators in Congress. Mrs. Ingall3 was AnnaLouisaChesebrough, daughter of a prominent merchant of New York City. E .hel, tha oldest daughter, is apretty and talented givlof nineteen, just making her debut as a bright and interesting newspaper correspondent; Ellsworth, the oldest son, is a law student in Washington.' The ollior children are carrying on their studies ucder their mother's care. Troston B. Plumb, tho junior Senator of tho "Garden of the West," is just four years yoanger than his colleague, as he is four jews his junior also in tho Senate. Hs is rplendid specimsn of self-manufac-, tuio. Ho bas been farmer, editor, type-set-. tr, l.wyer, court reporter, soldier, stockman, miaer, and is now, it is said, safely a müJJUiiairc. Fow pcoplc ever cali uiin ColOEci. but that was" his rank at tho closo of the war. Oionel Plunib was bom on a íiiiir. near Delaware, C, aDd went to Kusasin 1SW, wher j he took up a farm rcar Emporla and joined tho pioneer strugglo tor Ufe. Ia thoso days thcro were no aiiraaAi In Kusis: iu 1SG5 tbefirstvoad tmtlt was done, and out Icrxy mues were in operation tuit year. Tho future Senator hod to drtv overland with his corn and y.-he&t eighiy miles to Lawrenco to flnd a ciajkot. It was whilo driving across tho country in this way that Senator Plumb did a heroio act, of whiohhis honestand homely iaco is to-day a monument. At ono of the taverns ono night he found that a party of Ohlo emlk-rauta. la uassine. bad left ono of luelr number flying ol smali-pojc. f lumD Bwore the man "shduld bo caf ed for. He senthia toam on to Lawreuce and staid behind to attend the sick man. No one would aid hún. He impressed a team to carry tho patiënt to tho house of a man and wife who had had tho diseaso and wsro willing to take tho poor fellow in. Tho team was taken away froin ljim when he had got but a short distance away. He ünally got another and carried hi3 man through. Good care saved his live. Then Plumb went on back to Emporia afoot and was himself taken down witli the dread diseaso and nearly died. Hrs. Plumb ia an invalid and seldom appcara in society. The Senator is a " poweritd" committeo worker, and in debate he is a most impassioued, carnost aud convinciug erator. Ho was olectod first to succecd Benator in 1S77 6nd in 1883 fee wa re-elected, as he doubtless will bo in 1SS9. Tho Kansas dclegation in tho House is a noticeably fi.ic-looking body of men. All are largo, portly and athletic, speaking in this way volumes for the fatness of tho land they represent in the National Legislature. Tho oldcst member of the delegation in service is Captian Thomas Ryan, of Topeka, nn alert, stout, smooth-faced gentleman, who is one of the best-informcd workers on the Committcc on Appropriations, of which Samuel J. Kandall is chairman. Captain llyan is a New Yorker fifty-ooe years old, served through the war ia a Prnnsylvania regiment. Ho went to Kansas in 1865 and ten years later was elected (o the Forty-, flfth Qangress and re-elected couliuuali ïijs. Be is a lawyer. ' - -- FTftr.J&fc&rAnaêrsoiföf the district 1 Joining Ryan' s.has scrved in Congress sinco the beginning of the Forty-9ixth Congress ia 1879. Ha is a Pennsylvanian, now iiftythree years old, graduated at Miami University and in 1S57 was ordained a Presbyterian minister in San Francisco. He was chaplain of a California regiment in the war and was for several years un offleer of tho Sanitary Commission. From 1873 to 1879 ho was jvesident of the Kansas Agricultural College. He was new to politics wheu elocted to Congress. Mr. Anderson is a jolly, popular Congressman both at homo and in Washington. With tho exception of Mr. Turner the rest of the Kansas delegation entered the Katioual Legislatura with tho Forty-eighth Congress. Edmund N. Morrill, of tho Hiavvatha district, is a Maino man, fiftyfour years old, tall, largo and benevolentlookiug man, who now and then strongiy resembles President Garücld. ''He is a banker, and as far back as 1S57 eat in tho Kansas Territorial Legislature. Ho enlisted in 1801, and was a Major when mustcred out in 1S63. In 1879 lis was Presldnet of tho Kansas Scnato. Mr. Morrill is an effcctive speaker and an influeutial ïnember. Judgo Bishop W. Jerkins is the fat man of tho delegation. Bs wears a sinooth face and a pleasant smile. His weight is about what President Cleveland's is, but he is tall and shapely. Judge Pcrteins was bom in Ohio and educated at what is now Kuox College, Galcsburg, 111. He studied law at Ottawa, 111., and was admitted to the bar in 18C7. He was four yeara a soldier and reached the rank of Captain. Forten years he was a district judge in Kansas, and for a year or two previous had been probate judgo. Ho is an authority on Indian legislation, and one of the most influeutial committeemen and debators in Congress. Edward Funston is the heavy man from Kansas. Ho stands slx feet in his stockIngs and weihs two hundred and fifty pounds. He comes from the cuphoniouslynamed town of lola, in Eastern Kansas, a land of fat and plenty. He, like several of his colleagucs, was born in Ohio, and is now flfty-two years old. Ho was reared on a farm and educated at Marietta College. He enlisted in 1ST1. and was mustered out in IS65. In 1807 he took up lana near lola, on tho prairies, and that spot is still Home, 3weet Home to hirn. Ho was several times elected to the Kansas Legisfcture, and in 1ST3 was choson Speaker. In 1SS0 he was elected tothe State Senato and made President pro tem. When Dudley C. Haskell dicd, in l&S-i, Mr. Funston was chosen to serve out hi term in Congress. Judge Samuel R. Peters is anothcr Ohioan in tho Kansas delegatn. He was born in Pickaway County iñ' 1S42. Like lus colleagues, he eulistod in 1SG1 and foughtuntü 1863, rising from the ranks to be a Captain. For fivo ycars he was a district judge in Kansas, after serving ono terra in the State Sonate. He is used to Ketting such I ing big majoi.ties as two to onc agaiust all corners. It in Judge Peters' district that the new nrocess of makins suear was discoveruu aua is nuuuug sucn important aevelppments, ■ Erastus j, Thurner is the youngest Kansas Congressman. Ho Is a Pennsylvanian, forty-two years old, and, perhaps, the handsomest member of the delegatiou ■when Perkins and Peters are out of town. Ho attended college at Henry, 111., and, ptoing to Iowa to live, soon enlisted. He went to Adrián College after the war, was admitted to the bar in 1871, atid, after some 3-ears practico in Iowa, settled down in Kansas, For years he was secretary of the Kansas Board of Railroad Commissioners, a place he resigned to accept a nomination to Congress. He got a prominent committee assignment the first thing on the organization of the House, bcing appointed to the Public L&ndfl Committee. With these seven men to look after her interests, Kansas is well represeuted. Senator Ingalls, the "buzz-saw" of the Sonate, is the most feared man iu debate. Senator Plumb is a tremendous power in committeo legislation. The House members are distributed through all lines of public business, and have a strong grip on all legisïation that can possibly effect the thrifty, progressivo oung State.