Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-03-31
THE REFORMATORY
THE GREAT SOUTHWEST
TO THE FORE.
Wichita as the Location Un-
excelled.

She SHES Her Castor Into the Ring and
will be On Hand Until the
Matter is Settled.
Wichita desires the location Of the State
Reformatory. Our people have said little
about the matter up to this time. and our
papers naihing, from the simple fact thai
We did not wish TO embarrass the governor
in the selection of the locating commission
Consequently, no COMMITTEES of Influential
citizens" have gone to the capital to bor'
Governor Martin, or anyone else. While il
is true that Senator Kelley and Represents
tives Hatfield and Lawrence left no STONE
unturned to get the bill into the shape in
which it passed. and equally true that Q
number of representatives and senators
aided in the passage of the bill for the rea
son that they knew that such an institution
was not only necessary 10 relieve the pres
ent overorowded condition of the peniten
:;ary, but arowedly because they thought i
would goto the great southwest, which il
without single state institution. And it Ii
equally certain that number would never
have voted for the measure had they thought
that there was any danger that the great city
of the southwest would not be chosen.
So the bill having become law and all the
preliminaries disposed of ana the commits.
sion appointed, Wichita gives notice thai
she is not only 2.sndidate for the homo,
but will seek in an honorable and fair way
to convince the commission that no point or
or ives: of the sixth principal meridian, where
the law draws the line, offers such induce
ments as Wichita, and th3t no place in the
state without regard to the meridian named
could said institution be SO advantageously
located for the states interests, taking into
the count the location of the other peniten-
tia.y, than of Wichita. Tho Leavenworth
penitentiary is accessible 10 the northern hal.
OF the state but not SO accessible as is
Wichita to the south half of the state.
or course the Law designatcs or names the
institution the State Reformatory to which
all criminals under twenty-six years old
shall be sent But it is well known that n
very large per cent of the states prisoners
are between the ages of Is aud PC years of
age, and the state penitentiary under War
den Hopkins for twelve or fourteen years
was 10 all inten;s and purposes conducted
under the policy and as reformstory rsth-
er than a penal institution.
As Gov Martin in his letter accompany
ing the commissions, which letter il pub
lishe6 in full elsewhere, wisely called the at
.ention Of the locating commission TO five
leading reasons which should govern them
in the choice Of location ne shall refer to
them in connection with Wichita's claim,
viz: Geographical position, accessibility by
railways, water supply and drainage, health
fulncss and eontiguity 70 markets. These in
fact cover the whole ground and in all these
Wichita and the sites which she will offer
ar, without superiors in the state. As to
markets her own are unequalled IN Kansas,
with their Independent trunk lines of rail-
way, the Santa Fe. the Missouri Pacific and
the 81. Louis and San Francisco all reach
ing her direct. As for healthfulness, the
health officer in his reports of the last two
years has shown that the death rate in
Wichita has been less than in any city in
Kansas, to which fact he called attention in
his last printed report. As for water sup
ply and drainage it would be hard to excel
either. The great Arkansas river, the larg-
est river in the state, upon the banks of
which the institution could be advantageous
ly located, furnishes not only an unlimited
supply Of water but drainage TO which
there is practically no limit. Besides this
whole valley for a width of twenty or
thirty miles is underdrained by
flowing water which can be reached
by drive-pipes FOR all uses and purposes
Coming from the melting
snows-it is always clear, pure and health
full. If contiguty TO the river bank should
be deemed undesirable, three or four miles
west of town-nesr enough for such an in
q fine elevation with gentle
.lopes. As TO accessibility one need but
take a map TO BE- convinced of Wichita's
very favorable location upon that score.
But We viii look at the matter in a gem
eral way. The state Of Kansas is four hun
dred miles long by two, hundred wide, in
territory. The settled portion is about two
hundred by three hundred miles square.
Cut the state into eight squares of ten
thousand miles each, making allowance for
the corner of the state Gu; of by the Mis-
'ouri river. and the eight public institutions
Of the state and their branches will be
found all located in the northeast eighth.
viz: The peni,entiary. at Leasenworih; the |
blind asylum, AT Wyandotte. the deaf and |
dumb asylum. ut olathe: the insane asylum, |
II ossawstontie; the state university, at !
Lawrence; the state normal school. a, En- |
poria; the state agricultural college ut Man
aat,sn; the espito!. at Topeka. There are |
,lso branch insane ayslum and house of |
or boys re.ermstory which are
,!so within the limits named Besides these |
here are three or four other institutions |
PARTIALLY supported by the state. bu, which |
Ire located all within the northeast eighth |
'f the siaie. or upon the ten thousand /
'anare miles noted and including about