The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1875-09-16
The metropolis Business.

Since the publication Of Senator ingalls,
GOpen Letter." there is great uprising among
aspiriug Kansas cities to become the particular
Natropolis that he speaks of. Leayenworth,
Lawrence. Atchson, and Wyandotte are each
and all looking for it. Before they are through,
they will be fighting like cats and dogs over 1t,
and Missouri will sop up the gravy, as usual.
We have received an invitation to visit Wyan-
dotte on the 23d inst which day has been ap-
pointed for persons from all parts OF the State to
look over the ground, and see what they have
IN show in the way of room for the Metropolis
Personally. we have no interest whatever in the
Metropolis business, but we have some sympathy
for Wyandotte for one reason. Congressman
Cobb published an "Open Letter." in response to
that of Ingalls,, as he had perfect right to do,
in which he presented the claims of Wyandotte,
his own home, as n Metropolis. For this act of
presumption, he has been denounced and be-
smearcd, and even told by Republican papers
that it is good he was defeated for reelection,
His offence lies in the fact that wyandotte is
close to Kansas City, which is the great object
of jealousy of those other towns, and any fayors
to Wyandotte will be virtually helping Kansas
City. A public man who lives in Wyaudotte has
no business standing up for his town, because it
is too near Kansas City.
Now, we have heard this sort of argument be-
fore, and Northern Kansas has suffered by it.
When the Henderson Amendment was before
the Legislature, AtchisOn raised the howl that if
the proposition were carried to build the road
through the Northern Tier, the eastern terminus
would be st. joe, and the trade of Kansas would
60 to build up town in Missouri. Topeka
with AtchisOn, because she was made to believe
that the road would run in that direction. Leav-
enwOrtb, although she was cutting her own
throat by so doing, was whipped in, and her dele
cation voted solidly with Atchison, her members
doing more work and blowing than Atchson
herself Wyandotte, that Atchison now wants
to strangele, went solidly the same way. Law
renee got on the fence and divided half and half
Well, they defrauded Northern Kansas out of
the road, to keep it away from st. joe Leaven-
worth has been living corpse for years; Law
renee has progressed reasonably well; Atchison
has kept up a forced prosperity, by gobbling and
blowing, and is now raising the cry of wolf
against her former ally, Wyandotte, the same as
she did against Northern Kansas. In the mean
time, st. Joe. has built road west through the
Northern Tier, and has built bridge, and is mo-
nopolizing the trade of Northern Kansas; while
the whole of Southern and Central Kansas, and
is monopolizing the trade of those sections. And
when these towns of Kansas get through with
their "Open Letters" and their Metropolis fight it
viii be found that st. Joe. and Kansas City are
still masters of the situation. And what care
Northern and Southern Kansas if they are7 1t
sounds well to talk about building up towns in
Kansas; but when the life-blood is sucked |
from the best part of the State in order to do |
it, it is not so nice to those who are called |
upon to supply the blood. The commercial in |
terests of Northern Kansas are connected with |
st. Joseph, Missouri city as she is, and all the |
blow with which she has been surfeited for years
past will not change the fact. 1t is better to
have improvements and prosperity, and send
over trade to build up st. Joe, than to remain
fe7eser out Of the world of business as o depen-
dency of Atchison, merely for the glory of the |
thing.
Then, go on with your Metropolis business, we |
say. We wish plucky Wyandotte success, and |
hope that she may never again join the strong |
and cheeky to rob the week.