The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-16
THE WESTERN WONDER.
An Enthusiastic Description of Wichita, the
Metropolis of Southern Kansas.

/ correspondence Of the Indianapolis Journal
/ WICHITA, Kan. July 13.-By your leave, will
| give the readers of your great newspaper my i'm
pressions Of this part of Kansas, and more par
ticularly Of this busy, booming young city,
which is the Wonder Of the West" They call
it Winning Wichita" which is both alliterative
ard true. But am reminded that it is a very
dangerous business to fool with ALTERATION.
| We might have had at this moment great
President if Brother Burchard had only been
| little less reckless with his rs.
This metropolis of the Southwest is beauti-
| fully situated on the banks of the classic Ar
kansas-be careful in regard to pronunciation
which finds its source in the golden eulches of
Colorado, and whose waters finally lose them
| selves, hard by the home of the festive fiddler,
who still agitates his bow of hair. and whose
hospitable house remains roofiess to this day!
The man whose heart and feet have not vibrated
at the sound Of the soul-stirring strains of 1.-THE
Arkansas Traveller is fit for treason, stratagem
and spoils. It's author deserves a monument
This delicate hint is gently dropped to those
grateful and generous New Workers who seem
to be doing monumental business on a very
small capital
| don't believe there is better country 10 the
United States than this, and Wichita can hardly
be duplicated from Maine to California. Why,
Mr.. Editor if you could be let down from
balloon some fine evening (they are all fine
evenings in Wiehita) in front Of the Manhattan
Hotel, in the glare Of electric lights and look
our crowded cars, countless carriages, and
endless procession of brave men and beautiful
women; you would think that you had struck a
section of Chicago. 1t would make an average
Hoosier's hair stand on end" to see how bust
ness is done here.
"Do we speculatel" Well, yes, some More
real estate changes hands here in day than in
Indianapolis in a month. But it is healthy
kind of speculation. You remember how
it was in our "kiting' times in 1929
If you DON'T / do to the tune of a good
many thousands. Then we paid a sixth or a
tenth down, and the balance to run from six to
ten years. It is still running Chicago 'op-
tions" were very respectable, compared with our
methods. in those delightful days when one in
vested a few hundred dollars and
grew fat on ''east wind" Jay Cooke stuck
his finger into our bubble, and it vanished into
the thinnest kind of airi Speculation here is
more nearly on cash basis. Buyers hardly
ever pay less than one-half down." and many
sales are made for all money in hand.
Wont the Wichita bubble burstp ! think
not. How can it, when people from the East
flock this way pigeons flock to roost!
Capital is dumped" into Wichita like Goals from
the hind end of cart Houses are being erected
by the hundred, many of them massive business
blocks. More than FIVE hundred have been built
this year, at a cost of nearly million and half
of dollars. New railroads are pointing this way.
Bonds to aid in the construction of three new
ones have just been voted, and a proposition for
fourth will be submitted in few days It
will carry without doubt, and the time is at
hand when our goodly city OF Indianapolis will
have to look to her aurels a railroad
city. Institutions of learning are being To-
Gated here. It has been settled By
the Christians that the Garfield University shall
come to Wichita The Catholics have made this
place a i'see" The Presbyterians have Lewis
College under way, and other denominations are
selecting grounds on which to build. SO you see
that the Wichita boom is not all wind. Speak
ing Of ss.sesi reminds that must say a word in
regard to the climate The mercury climbs to
very ''giddy heights" in Wichita during the
months of July and August, but the heat is so
tempered by the constant and gentle zephyrs
that when your trusted thermometer indicates
100 degrees in the shade, you would think it was
only so 50 degrees. The evenings and
nights are perfectly delightful! How do
pity those poor sweItering specimens
Of humanity. back East. who lie awake of nights
probably ''spread out" over the floor; fighting
mosquitoes, and tanning themselves with a big
palm leaf, while am snugly tucked in, under
a beautiful warmth giving tack" Gentle read
er you want to go to Wichita as a summer re-
sort.
docs prohibition prohibitp Well presume
it does-iI spots. But this doesn't happen to be
one of the spots" We are in Wichita some
thing like the Maine politican-''in favor of
the law. but agin it's enforcement We have
Joints all over the city, believe that's what
they are called, and many of orr drug stores are
like the fellows gun more danger
Gus at the breech than at the muzZle. The aver
age drugstore shoots both ways at once. We
don't have open saloons They are generally
locked saloons; and we carry the keys. ProhiDi
ton, without strong public sentiment to
enforce the law, simply means free whisky"
There is no grand jury system in this State and
the execution of the law depends largely on the
whms of prosecuting attorneys Their whims
don't always lead them in the way of law and
order. But, taking the State over, the senti-
ment IN favor of prohibition is quite strong, ana
the party opposing it stands little show
for success. How about the healthP
Well, | have been here more than three
months, and | have not yet seen funeral pro
cession on the streets. / don't know how they
started their graveyard. About the only OBJ
lection can find to the people of Wichita is that
there is a little too much of 1.-The ID take the
hindmost" spirit. But this will regulate itself.
1t probably grows out of the disposition to specu-
late and get rich in few days. There is fully
as much intelligence in Kansas. on the average.
as in any other State IL the Union, and if any
one goes West with the idea that he is going
among set of ''yahoos," he will find that he is
barking up the wrong stump"
advise my friends to come and see this glori-
Gus country for themselves. It is delightful
trip to come by the "old reliable" Vandalia, the
Missouri Pacific and the Fort Scott & Wichita
roads. You leave Indianapolis at IL o'clock,
noon, and arrive in this wonder of the West"
at o'clock the next evening. On this route you
will find everything pleasant as we'll as pictur-
esque I find my old friend Chas. p Rector.
formerly Of Bedford, here division passenger
and freight agent for the Fort Scott & Wichita
road He is live Hoosier, and model railroad
man. In fact this country is so full of Indian
ians that their feet almost stick out of the win
dows.
The journal reaches here every evening, and
/ find it almost like a letter from home. For
me, it is the best paper in the world" and
believe that is the general verdict
JOHN B. GLOVER.
Anti-Cleveland Democrats.
New York Special