Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-18
THE GREAT CITIES OF THE WEST.
Business Man Sizes Them All Up and Deer
mines that Wichita Will Lead Them All.

Mr.. Levi Hamilton, of the firm of n. T.
Neiderlander e. Co., of this city, was seen
by an EAGLE reporter yesterday. Knowing
that Mr.. Hamilton had been absent for
some time on the Pacific slope, 1t was
thought he might have something to say
that would interest the readers of the
EAGLE. He said he had in the last five
months visited Pueblo, Denver, Salt Lake
City, Ogden, Sacramento, San Francisco,
Sandiego and Los Angeles, and had taken
time at each place to look at the surround
ings and form an opinion of his own.
What do you think of the California
towns which you have visited?
Oh, California is a nice country and has
some nice towns 1t seems to me that
most people over estimate the climate OF
that state There is more change there in
the weather than ! had supposed.
/ could not see but the sudden
changes in the weather there
effected me as uncomfortably as they do in
southern Kansas. But will tell you how
people get good impression of California
that viii stick to them in spite of all they
can do. When people cross the mountains
and get used to the bleak peaks, covered
into some of those valleys with their green
fields and groves they are astounded. They
| at once feel that all the balance of the
world is barren waste and that California
is the choice garden of the tropics.
Now about the towns. There are some
pretty towns out there. SanDiego isa place
that / think will build up some. Los An
geles now is attracting more attention
than most other towns out there. 1t is a
pretty good town, but could not see what
is to keep it up. The town is scattered, here
block of buildings and there an orange
grove, and the good buildings are so
scattering that they seem to have been
built more for ornament than for business
The city, however, was full of people, but
most of them seemed to have a SIX months
railroad extension ticket in their pocket.
Which town in California do you think
offers the best inducement for investment?
San Francisco. They may talk all they
want about California towns, but San
Francisco is the town of the state and
always will be- San Francisco is Cali
fornia. l should rather invest money there
now for profit than in any other town in
the state. San Francisco does not depend
upon climate or eycursionists for her pros
perity. 1t is the great commercial gate
! way of a continent 1t has the wealth and
enterprise and brains of the state There
is not a town in California that will ever
in my opinion come near San Francisco.
Take any large section Of country and
| there may be some money in the smaller
towns, but the big money is always made
in the big town. That is the reason
| that | have more faith in San Francisco
today than all the other doomed towns in
California How is Salt Lake City?
The city is in splendid valley that is
rapidly developing, and in time when the
population is changed somewhat, Salt
Lake City will make great place. But
there is something about it that do not
like 1t lacks the life and enterprise you
see here in Wichita. The streets there are
one hundred and twenty feet wide, and
water constantly flows in the cutters on
either side This looks clearly. But tax
ing all in all the city does not look very
inviting 1t seems to be simply an over
grown village.
How are the Colorado towns that you
have visited?
| will tell you one thing that struck me
very forcibly in Colorado. That is that
they all have faith in Wichita. 1t is
common thing in these Colorado
towns to hear men speak of Wichita
as the browning great city of the Arkansas
Valley and of Kansas. They seem to feel
that they are in some way related to and
interested in Wichita. Pueblo and some
other towns in Colorado are thriving i'm
mensely and there seems to be a great
future for some of them. But what | said
about California towns applys in some re-
spects to Colorado.
Denver is over shadowing all of them.
The fact that Denver will continue in the
future to be what she now is, the one
great city of Colorado is practically settled.
All the people look upon Denver as the
city of the state. Ali or nearly all the
great enterprises of the state go there
And if Colorado man strikes it rich and
makes a fortune, he Immediately takes
his money to Denver. There is a very
large amount of capital in Denver now,
and it is said will continue to be good
town.
After being in other cities of the west for
so long, how does Wichita appear to you
now?
Oh, Wichita is considered the marvel of
the age everywhere. No other town that
have ever visited ever expects to duplicate
the wonderful works of this city. 1t seems
to me since | have come here after this
long absence that / more than ever appre-
ciate the advantages of Wichita. This
great country spread out around this city
Is not equaled by that around any other
city that ! have ever seen. So many en-
terprises are being started here, and i'm
provements for the future laid out on such
a grand scale, that | can't tell you how
hopeful | am of this city's future. If you
would travel over the country awhile you
would realize that Wichita is veritable
Young giant. This city has greater things
Just in the future than any other. town of
its size | ever saw. / used to laugh at
Murdock's talk about Wichita, but tell
YOU now that it looks to me like the fellow
was inspired. Many of the enterprises
here are on 81 larger scale than | had ever
hoped when they first talked of coming
here Yes, everybody in the west believes
in Wichita.
wAS-HIS STORY TRUE2
Yesterday afternoon a young man con-
siderably under the influence of benzine
came: into the county attorneys Office and
II Warrant S,yprn ont for Tho ,sroSt