Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-09-01
LETTER FROM Mr.. c. WOOD
DAVIS.
To the Editor of the Eagle:

Being one of the Two men whom
YOU have been pleased TO denomlnate
.'the especial friends" of the Beacon,
YOU will let me say that, while am
in YOUR office rs often as once month
1 have been in the Beacon Off &c just
neither special or other friend to
the Beacon man or the EAGLE man.
Again you are wrong, (and you
know III, when you say that desired
to figure in the construction of the
North and South road, 90, A. & W.,
or any other Of the EAGLES myriad Of
lines. Ii is fact that was invited
by DR.. Furley, through Mr.. Frank
Williams and S. +. ,Jocelyn, to go TO
Topeka and take part in the organiza-
ton of the Omaha, Abilene & Wichita
company, but declined as | did not
believe town meeting could be re-
solved into a harmonious and working
railway directory, and as then had in
hand 4 twO-year old project which l
did not propose TO abandon for one
which failed to commend itself to my
Judgment.
That those whom you SO kindly
designate as the especial friends of
the Beacon did not fail presumably"
or otherwise in the objects of
our trip east you know, as
expecting you, as usual. to
misrepresent those who are not ac-
lively with you, took the precaution
ON the day of my rcturn-to call al
should not contest the territory be-
tween Wichita and Marion or any
part of the line with the o., a. & w.
but that the o., a. 81 W. being in the
field with propositions our eastern as
sociates would in due time select at
other route TO Sedgwick county.
Moreover told you we had not failed.
On the contrary we had succeeded
quite rs well as we had expected and
that white the arrangements for the
building of 500 miles of railway were
not to be completed in day. or a
month, yet we hal reached a point
where we. at least, were in no doubt
that our friends would build first
class railway to some point of the Ar
kansas Valley and 10 assure YOU that
la II I--s- Shnn1I
be antagonized by our project, even
went 50 far Is TO tell you that St. Joe
would probably be the initial point
and to indicate To You, or the map.
the route that would probably be
taken to reach this valley. To all
this you responded that such line
would practically parallel and be OPP
posed by the Santa Fc but that the
Santa Fc did not oppose tue o., y. Il
w, General Manager Robinson hay
ing said that project was all right
Colonel, what w0uld n railway that
the Santa Fe did not oppose be worth
TO Wichiia!) Our eastern associates
are so strong that they are entirely
indifferent 10 Santa Fe opposition.
You desired 10 know from me ''if
in the event the o. \. & w. people
should surrender the route covered
by both charters if our friends would
adopt the .. \. Il W. route and build
to Abilene.' To which | made reply
that Omaha and Abilene are wholly
out of the question a. our people had
immense interests IN another dire
ton nccessi,ating the filing, by us, OF
another charter and the course To be
taken to the Missouri preciuded the
adoption OF any such route as that via
Abilene. Moreover, added, our
eastern friends do not believe any
railway company can afford 10 build,
much less operate, as part of a
through line. Il railway from Wichita
many miles east to Marion and thence
nearly as far west 10 Abilene when
the objective point was as far east of
Marion as is Omaha: the rule in rail |
reading, as now managed, being TO
reach the objective by the shortes,
practicable line, traffic conditions be-
ing anything like equal. Hence. even
if our people designed building to
Omaha Marion Abilene routc |
would be considered most undesirable |
and impracticable rs more direct |
route. through equally is productive |
a country could be selected and would |
be by any company but one having a
multiplicity of local directors strung |
along the line and each pulling and
hauling for his locality.
While We did not presumably" or
otherwise fail, allow me to say that
neither ourselves or our friends
have any desire TO interfere
with or attempt the construction
of any or all of the many lines which
the EAGLE claims rs IFS progeny as we
are entirely competent 10 project and
work up the very limited number of
IthNaN iSiuliC a " Jul h'outot am |
bition, or that are necessary TO our en-
tire happiness. without depriving the
EAGLE of the opportunity of making
its sonorous voice heard in the land.
further said 10 you that oar party
would not submit propositions on anv
route until the money required TO
build the entire line had been provided
or the roads which failed to get built
were such rs were first voted and
then the aid hawked about a la the |,
Denver and Mcpherson.
Experience has shown me that aid +,
not vet voted, but for the voting of
which reasonable assurance can be 1
given, is much more potent in securing
the cooperation of the capital needed T,
in railway construction than is aid
against which time is running and i
this. venture 10 say. has been the ex- ,
perieuce of all who hove been suceess-I
full in securing the building of rail- !
WAYS in Kansas. Given the capitalist
ready 10 furnish the required money d
on first mortgage bonds and the aid d
is certainty. Given all the aid voted /.