Wichita eagle., 1886-11-24
lines to cross the river which had so long

set the bounds to their progress.
1t is unnecessary for the better informa
ton of either DR.. Munford or the st. Loui
Pos to go further into details. Suffice
to say that in spite of all the Santa Fe ant
all its mighty influence to prevent it, th'
San Francisco and the Missouri Pacific no
only reached out into Kansas and, indie
pendcntly of Kansas City, but the Chicago
and Rock Island announced that it would
no longer depend upon the Missouri rive
as a base, but invade Kansas for herself
The first point named for such an exten
sion was Wichita Following these the
Chicago and Northwestern, the c. B. & Q
and the Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul,
all opened negotiations looking to the same
end
This was the dawning of a new day and
new hope for Kansas; but, when as
another result, the Santa Fe now an
nounces that in self protection he1
terminus must be carried or transferred
from Kansas City to Chicago the knel OF
Kansas City is not only sounded but the
hopes of a hundred Kansas towns are
frightened and strengthened and a greater
future for them assured
Denver and Pueblo, as the editor of the
Times asserts, failed as commercial cities.
True. Having nothing from which to
draw commensurate with their ambitions,
nothing beyond local trade to sustain
them, they, of course, failed; but "Wichi-
ta's spurt' has come to plague the aspira-
tions of the Missouri town-has come to
stay. Kansas will at least have one city of
her own in Wichita, city whose property
the state can tax Surrounded by an en-
pire of her own, backed by region OF in
cstimable possibilities, and which is already
supporting hundred tiourishing towns,
and all tributary, naturally, to the Arkan-
sas valley rather han to the Missouri val
ley; situated two hundred miles nearer
the mountain mining regions than even
Kansas City and right on the border of a
new country as large as the state of Mime
sofa which but waits single word to be
occupied by hundreds of thousands of peo-
pie, is planted Wichita. fourishing, grow
ing, and reaching out in power and wealth
far beyond the expectations of many Of
even her own most sanguine people.
Pueblo may have flunked and Denver
failed, but fifty great and rich counties must
not only fail, and hundred flourishing
towns go into bankruptcy before eWichita can
fail More: Kansas must fail, the Indian
Territory must fail, eastern Colorado and
No Mans Land, and the Pan Handle
country must all fail before Wichita can
even be put on the down road. Kansas
City may not see and understand this, but
Mr. Jay Gould does, as does the manage
ment of every trunk line now seeking to
build to Wichita; and not only these
but number of Kansas City's leading
capitalists who have been investing in
WichitAargely and within a fortnight.
True Mr. Gould may have a friendship
for the editor of the EAGLE because he has
found that our representations touching the
wealth of this country true, and that con
sequently that the Missouri Pacifics exten-
sions are making favorable returns from
Wichita, but Mr. Gould but expressed his
honest convictions when he told Cath
that Wichita would undoubtedly be the
greatest city west of Kansas City. That
Senator Plumb never uttered the words at
tributed to him we have the best of rea
sons for believing No less impressed is
he than Mr.. Gould with the coming inrpor
tance, the destiny of the metropolis of
Kansas, state for which he has done so
much and loved so long.
To conclude, reply which probably is
already too long for the text, the EAGLE
has but to say that while Wichita is too far
removed from Kansas City and too firmly
in its prosperity to be affected
by a city which has been inevitably shorn
Of her locks wherein lay her stength, new
we,do not propose that Wichita
shall be placed at a disadvantage through
my interview by any Kansas City man
however great without our setting forth the
facts on the other side as we know and un-
lerstand them.