=Kansas in the Spanish-American War.= In 1898 the long period of peace that the country had enjoyed since the Civil War was broken by the Spanish-American War. The call for soldiers was eagerly responded to in Kansas, and four regiments were raised. Our State had furnished seventeen regiments during the Civil War and two for fighting the Indians, therefore the four for the Spanish-American War were numbered the Twentieth, the Twenty-first, the Twenty-second, and the Twenty-third. The Twenty-third was composed of colored soldiers. The only one of these regiments called upon to do any fighting was the Twentieth, which was ordered to the Philippines. There, under a Kansan, Colonel Fred Funston, the men of this regiment took part in the campaigns that followed, and by their bravery and efficiency brought much credit to themselves and to their State. The Twenty-third was sent to Cuba. The other regiments were trained and kept in readiness, but the early end of the war prevented their active service. [Illustration: STATE CAPITOL, TOPEKA.] [Illustration: SENATE CHAMBER IN THE STATE CAPITOL.] =The State Capitol.= The year 1903 is an interesting one, for it marked the completion of our State Capitol. Shortly after the admission of Kansas to the Union the people selected Topeka as the seat of government. As soon as the Civil War was over and they had time to think about public improvements they began to lay plans for building a capitol. Every state has a capitol, or state house as it is often called, in which there are offices for the Governor and other state officers as well as large rooms for the meetings of the Legislature. It is for the state what a courthouse is for a county. It should, of course, be a fine building, of which the people can be proud. But back in the ’60’s Kansas people were few in number and had little money. They could not afford to build a capitol that would be large and handsome enough for the future, nor did they wish to construct a small, cheap building that would have to be set aside later. Instead they planned a fine structure to be built a little at a time as they could afford it. [Illustration: A KANSAS CATTLE RANCH.] In 1866 the Legislature provided for the erection of what is now the east wing of our state house. As the State grew in wealth and population, more money was appropriated from time to time for the construction of other wings, the great central portion, and lastly the high dome that reaches nearly three hundred feet into the air. The building was completed in 1903, having been thirty-seven years in the making. It grew as the State grew, costing altogether between three and four millions of dollars. It is fitting that the great State of Kansas should now have one of the finest capitols in the United States.