The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1873-02-27
Correspondence Of the EAGLE.
FROM CLEAR WATER.
CLEAR WArEK. Feb. I'D, 1873.

CLEAR WAyEK, Feb. I'D, 1873.
EDITOR EAGLE: The struggle which
at the present time is taking place, be-
tween those favorable and the few un-
favorable to the bridge proposition
now under discussion, would be ludi-
crous did it not show an amount Of
selfishness or ignorance perfectly ap-
paIling. Unless SO many dimes are d.
rectly put into the pockets Of some peo-
pie they can never be convinced that
an act beneficial to the public at large
is Of any benefit to them. What is
more impoi tant than good roads!
How may emigrants are turned aside
from the direction they wish to pur-
sue by the impassability of stream.
Lives are lost yearly, cattle and horses
drowned, harness broken. more oaths
ripped out than would send man to
perdition dozen times, and all in con-
sequence of the want of bridge.
The brute creation will, through that
principal of action which we name in
stinct, traverse the pc this and crossings
which are the safest, and still man, to
when has been given by his Creator
SO much superior power, that of rea-
son, will neglect the precautions
which the animal seeks; will take in
exchange for the privilege of keeping
few dollars, more or less. drowned
men and ANIMALS, Oaths. and hun
drcd minor losses and Inconvenience.
Objections have been made that the
the bridges under consideration would
merely benefit Wichita and the cattle
trade. Hardly a bridge can be built
in the country without in greater or
less degree benefitting Wichita-the
more benefit to outsiders the more
travel and the more benefit to
Wichita, the central point. And
this is rs il should be. The
city ia as necessary to the welfare of
the country as the country is to the
CITY. Neither can live without the
other, nor can either receive great
benefit without rejecting part of the
benefit on the other. As for the bridges
which it was proposed should be built
across streams at the points the cattle
trail crossed, the facts Of the trail cross
ing at these points was merely acciden-
tai, the object being to build bridges
where most needed, not only north.
east and west, but south AZ well, and
to build them as they should be built,
on or as near the state or any other
public road as possible. The state
road running south is nearly parallel,
often crossing and often for consider
able distance running over the cattle
trail, and simply for this reason is the
the cry made ''for the benefit of cattle"
To show how preposterous this idea is
it is merely necessary to state that two
petitions. signed by nearly all the farm
crs in the townships lying north and
south of the Nennescah and for several
miles up and down the river. many OF
whom are aversc to cattle coming into
the country. have been sent to the
county commissioners requesting them
to have "A bridge across the Cowskin
and Ncnucscah included in the propo-
sition. Why? For the benefit of
Wichita, for the benefit Of the cattle
tr,de2 Not mt all, but for our own
benefit. II Wichita or the county
at large is also benefited thereby SO
much the better. We are not selfish,
but we wish to receive little benefit
as well as others if we are to be taxed.
and we know if the county now builds
bridges and these are excepted that
ultimately the townships su rounding
these crossings will have to build these
bridges and thus have to pay double
tax. Some wish the Arkansas bridge to
he bought by the county and made
free. Only have little patience. The
city of Wichita will be compelled in
its own defense to buy the bridge and
the amount of money il would take to
purchase that bridge used in a proper
aud judiciOus manner for the purpose
of building bridges where there now
are none would be TO the county of
vastly greater benefit than would that
one bridge. ID.