The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1879-08-28

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sutocRnrIoM TWO DOLLARS N ADVANCE.
SHALL WE MANUFACTURE?
p slx Editor ef1s ESgl<:
l zee in last weeks EAGLE that some
one wants . committee to look after the
manufacturing interests of Wichita.
The communication is signed &C." Per-
haps majority Of the people do not IA
vor manufacturing. Too many are like
our wheat buyers, intent only in gath
ering in tie dollars at the present re-
gardless of the future prosperity of the
city. Probably everybody except Girls
more and his few disciples would be
glad to sec capital invested here, but
many wouldn't spend any money for it.
Such Q committee must necessarily
spend time and money, and would 1t
not be best first to learn if the people
care enough about it to do this. The
time has come when we must decide
promptly whether this is to be simply
county seat with local trade or town
whose influence will be felt in all the
country west of us. We have had every
advantage and have better prospect
now than any town in this part of the
State, but yet this is only country
town, and it may be that our continued
success has made us so Indifferent that
some other town with more enterprise
and forethought win use every means
to induce manufacturers to locate, and
we win have to buy of their wholesale
houses and manufactures. Kansas has
built and now supports one town worthy
the name of city, yet Missouri has all
the honor. LeavcnwOrth, Lawrence,
Atchison and Topeka are and always
will be but tributaries. Kansas will
soon support large population, and
there will be not only many towns as
large as Wichita, but there will be large
manufacturing towns, and railroad
centers. We of the Arkansas valley
will not always send to Kansas City for
everything we need; that ambitious
city is over two hundred miles from the
Arkansas river, and there is no reason
why we should pay freight ON hundreds
of things which we can make. In TWEEN.
ty years there will by scores of towns in
the western part of this State with fif-
teen hundred or two thousand inhabit-
ants each; the Indian Territory will
probably be open for settlement Colo
RADIO, Arizona and New Mexico will
build hundreds of miles of railroad, and
mining towns will spring up dependent
on other States for many of the neces-
saries of life. There will then be on or
near the Arkansas river city as large
as Kansas City is now. In Colorado,
New Mexico and Arizona mining is the
chief employment. In Kansas, Nebras-
ka and the Indian Territory agriculture
will be followed by the majority of the
people. We can furnish the mining
States with all kinds ofprovisions, dried
and canned fruits, flour, corn, oats, but
ter, corn, cheese and poultry, and all
kinds of farm implements and other
articles of manufactured goods that a
farmer needs. There will be in the Ar
kansas valley large railroad center,
market and distributing point for the
many and varied products of this State.
We have hardly begun our work here.
We deal mostly in cereals now, but in
the future when the beauty Of our eli
mate is discovered, hundreds Of new
industries will spring up, and we, like
New Jersey, Delaware and California,
will raise all kinds OF fruit, flowers,
poultry, bees, silk, tobacco, and many
other things which now seem insignifi-
cant to us, but which will give employ
ment to thousands and make this one of
the most prosperous and beautiful of
the States.
Shall we take measures to make Wi
chita railroad center? Shall we by
every possible means seek TO invite cap
ital here and induce manufacturers to
locate and build here metropolis for
the Arkansas valley. The counties of
Sedgwick, Butler, Cowley, Sumner,
Harper, Kingman, Reno and Harvey,
are eight of the best in the State. They
form square twice as large as Connec-
ticut, and much more productive. In
the center of this square is Wichita with
nearly as many Inhabitants as all the
other towns in these counties taken to-
gether. There is no reason why the
seventy-five thousand people in these
counties should send from two hundred
to fifteen hundred miles east for nearly
everything they use, when within few
months we shall have two of the best
competing roads i'm the west. But in
order to make this manufacturing
town and the real metropolis of this
part Of the State and place ourselves be-
yond the fear of successful rivalry of
other towns we must have the active
cooperation and determined effort not
only OF a few but of the entire commu-
nifty. Each one has different plans and
ideas and can accomplish but little indi-
1t is only by sinking personal
|ealousies and working together as har-
as possible that we can ex-
pect to accomplish the desired result.
"Therc is no excellence without great
abor."
Capital will invest where the greatest
are offered. There are
thousands of manufacturers in the East
who know nothing about Wichita
ZONE Of them are coming West looking
or new locations. We should have
'ome one to correspond with such men
n the East, or to travel and visit them
would like TO see this question dis
,ussed in our county papers as the rail-
Dad bond question was, and | suggest
hat citizens meeting be called for the
purpose of asccrtaining how much in
crest the people take in this matter.
{ is Of no use to attempt any thing now
lnless the people are enough interested
o work. 1t is better to remain in OBJ
curity than to attempt notoriety and
all for lack of energy.
What shall be done about it?