Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-06-12
THE METHODIST coLLEoE

The commissioners appointed to choose
the best point for the location of the princi-
pal school of the Southwest Methodist con-
ference met in this city night before last and
again yesterday for the purpose of consid-
cring the bids of the competing points and
finally declaring their conclusion of the
matter. The bids were all out of proper
ton TO the value of such a school, which
had no guarantees back of it in the way of
an endowment, or even an obligation upon
the part Of the conference. 1t was agreed
among some of our interested citizens that a
bid of $4,000 and the gift Of site would
be offered, but before they finally bid they
doubted the offer, making it $4,000 Fiji
teen thousand more had been arranged for,
but the unwisdom of such an offer was seen
before it was made. Something like $780,
900 in the aggregate was bid by the seven
competing points, all located within a
radius of one hundred miles and it
is yery evident that neither of the
towns would ever have dreamed
of offering one-half what their people did
but for the auction style of disposing of the
matters. Under the circumstances We opine
that many subscribers will 6raw long
breath of relief when they hear that their
town failed to get tho prize. Tie school
was locsted at Winfield, which town guar
anteed $4,000 cash, $4,000 in annuities,
stone sufficient to erect the buildings, hard
ware and lumber at cost and forty acres of
very valuable land adjoining the town, or
in all, 100000.
Winfield is a most eligible place for
school, probably the best town among all
those competing SO far as moral environ
ments are concerned. The location of
college adjoining that town will not embar-
rass the local or city administration or gov
eminent, which would have been the case
with Wichita. Winfield is quiet, peace
full, contented, law-abiding community OF
people who are taking care of what they
have already got and ready to spread only
in spiritual or educational directions. 1t
is the most radical prohibition town
probably in the state, at least that's
its reputation. But from business point
Of view the Methodists have simply left the
great field for such an enterprise unoccupied
and open to some other denomination. No
body but a body of preachers destitute OF
business ideas would have made such mis-
take. No member of that committee was
appointed from this city or even from this
county, the largest city and the most popu-
lous county in the conference. Two OF the
committee were from one county and an
other from an adjoining one. The entire
committee were from around the edges and
the institution goes down into a corner of
the conierence-within dozen or so miles
of the corner while the conference is 800
miles long by 10 miles wide. But the
Methodists located college at Baldwin
City and so we were not surprised. Outside
Of this business view of the case, which in
wolves only the future greatness of the insti-
tuition and IFS financial success, the location
made is entirely above criticism. But that
denomination pays SO little attention to col
lections, cares so little for the filthy lucre
upon which mere commercial and property
values are ali based these degenerate times,
that no doubt the committee were above
their generation.
The following bids were made by the
towns respectively:
Newton, S35,0O0OO and twenty acres of
land.
Peabody, S3l, 100000 and one hundred and
thirty acres Of land.
Hutchinson, S24,0OO.00, cabinet of miner
ais valued at 100000 and one hundred
acres of land.
Wellington, S5l 10000 and forty acres of
land.
Wichita, SS0,OOo0O and twenty acres of
land.
Ell Dorado, S35, 10000 and two quarter
sections of land and one hundred lots in
Riverside addition.
Winfield, S40,0O0.O0, twenty acres of
land and an annuity of 100000 per an
mum for ten years, and forty acres of land,
or in lieu of the twenty acres, Sl0,000.0o-