The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1880-07-08
ADDRESS.


relief from the oppressive thralldom
imposed upon us by the A., T. & S. F.
Railroad Company. The Messrs. HO-
bart, Dunn aud Davis came to US as a
good spirit Of deliverance in this hour
OF need. In their voice and declara-
ton were no uncertain sounds in pre-
scnting to us an organization of pow
crful and acute competition; it already
penetrated regions Of vast coal and
lumber adjacent TO us,which would be
landed here at about One-half their pres
cnt cost, and all our commercial foreign
and domestic transports would be eff.
fected at a reduction Of at least 25 per
cent. So specific were their emphatic
assurances, as to qualify an estimate.
based upon our statistical records. Of
the advantages and benefits we were 10
derive in this competition to be epdur
ingly established by the bonds we v ~.
asked to vote for t;sis especial pr .noso
The following extract, ftop snecch
then puhli-hed, wifi give v -, . ,uc;d nv.
hibit Of the especial nron.;sos mon
which i.ie voting 81 these bonds was
%" .scted:
NOW WIZ Il aggregate does this re-
view prcs' mt as discount attained TO
the people tributary to the Wichita
market through the construction of
this line of road? Let US soc: exports
one year on wheat alone, 1866 900; inn
ports one year ON lumber alone, $2S9, :
900; aggrcgating 81, 600 to which
your own Judgment will add for oil 9TH
or agricultural products rs hogs, cattle,
etc, "a also machicry and merchandise.
in its own discretion"
Now how far these solemn promises
arc to be realized is fully established in
the fact, now well known, that the A.
I. l. S. F. Railroad Company arc the
owners and manipulatOrs of this line,
and became SO for the especial purpose
of defeating this competition, many
months before the road reached the con-
fines of this county, and before voted
bond was asked to be delivered. They
are 30 far from being competing lines
that our merchants ship goods to Well
ingtOn and haul them bacl here by
wagon to secure living rate of trans
pOrtati0n; and wheat sells in that mar
kct for 50 cents when it only brings IS
cents here, ard all this because of the
competition Of the L., l.. Il e.. road
whilst ours combine against us.
Now how has this delusion been 50
successfully effected? Let us see:
The old st. Louis e. San Francisco
Railroad was rotten, worthless hulk,
running to a terminus in heathcn ter
ritory with none other for its refuge
for hundreds of miles, without money
or credit, hopeless bankrupt, its stock
selling for about l-2 cents on the dol
lar. This was tempting opportunity
for unscrupulous and designing railroad
money grabbers who conceived, clan
destincly, the idea Of purchasing this
worthless stock, find new outlet for
the road, which, in the spirit Of Jay
Gould, would menace some wealthy and
powerful organization TO the necessity
Of purchasing this old stock and such
franchises rs by their false representa-
tons they might secure for the con-
struction of their new line. How well
they have succeeded in this, is manifest,
in miniature, in their Vice President
Baker selling out his stock at profit Of
over $l0O, 900, and the stock rising from
/ | l., 10 SO cents on the dollar. 1t was
at that time when tho a., I. \ S. +.
road were competing for the control of
the road that the wings of rumOr
aroused suspicious ON the part Of our
people that ,ce sccre sold out, and il was
then that the mischief was accomplish
ed, although it was vchemcntly denied
by these satellites 10 tho fraud and de-
ccption, asserting that the scligmans,
who were the bold front Of this high
toned swiiullc. were incapable of such
trickcry and deception. And We be-
licve they were at that time sincere in
their convictions of the integrity of
their purpose, but subsoa,ient events
have cast the light Of truth upon their
minds and therein corrected the error.
Two Of the parties, IN the true spirit of
honest purpose, have practiscd and dis
claimed all sympathy with the demand
Of the A., L. 4 5. +. Railroad Compa-
ny for the delivery Of bonds voted in
good tajil 10 the St. Louis Il San Fran
cisco Railroad Company. alias Wichita
L. Southwestern, which were one and
the same thing. And these parties
have, for that reason, been discrcditcd
and discarded by the A., I. 4 S. +.
Railroad Company. The rea: situation
presents case that, by the code Of
low, lays tho guilty parties
ancnahle 10 criminal prosecution for an
attempt to obtain property by false
prctcnscs.
Now to successfully accomplish this
purpose, what was il essential for these
to do? Manifcstly Il was
to form a corporate organization. This
was so hastily and bunglinglv formed
rs TO have very questionable legal eX-
istcncc. As that may be, il was thus
inctlbatc,I and STROBE forth to promise
rs the construction of this huge conf
pcting line of railway. Bonds were
heir necessity. Much bonds were
wanted, even in our county, for the
of two lines Of road.
Why? Because II would tickle the vot-
RS to all have railroad to their doors. -,
md make tie A.. L. e. 5. +. road laugh !,
outright at getting SO much bonds not
hat they would ever build the road 10
'ompctc with their own two lines, but =
hat they would bond Seslgwick county 4
n escrow aud legal contest for all COM r
NJ time and disqualify them from ever
any other road TO extend IFS
inc beyond Wichita rs a competition
0 their road, and il is stroke of wise
'olicy 10 the most excellent manage