Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-30
ssNOT BUILT THAT WAY"
The Wichita Merchants Excursion Scheme.

Arkapsas City Traveller.
ii. I. Downing was in Wichita Satur-
day, and while there learned by private
means that the board of trade of that city
has made preparations to run an excursion
train once week, free of charge, TO all
persons who would come to Wichita and
buy goods. For instance the train will be
run from Arkansas City, Winfield and
other points on the Santa Ee to wichita
free to all persons who desire to go to
that city. A purse has been raised to de-
fray the expenses, but just 0ow soon the
train will be put on Mr.. Downing could
not ascertain. While this is an exhibition
of enterprise, yet at the same it shows how
hard up the Wichita merchants are, and
if that city thinks she can build herself up
by this means and tear down the smaller
towns surrounding it will get badly left.
Wichita can get none of that trade from
Arkansas City. We are not built that way.
Well, in the first place, we guess in fact
we know that Mr. Downing is off in his
assertions touching the Wichita board Of
trade. Enquiring developes the fact that
there is an excursion scheme on the tapis.
Farther inquiring led to the further fact
that it was an arrangement gotten up by
several merchants When one of them
was approached by representative of the
EAGLE about the matter he answered sub
stantially as follows: 1.-The excursions are
not free but lower priced. We have ar
ranged for one on Thursday of each week.
The first one will be over the Wichita &
Western. The next one a week later over
some other road. The scheme was not
gotten up so much in spirit OF sDecula-
tion but came about i'll this way: A small
number of merchants one even
ing last week were incidently
discussing and laughing over the
apparently almost universal outcry against
Wichita, not only from eastern towns and
states, and not only from Kansas towns
but from towns and committees within
radius of hundred miles whose business
men and people generally ought to know
better. Drummers by the score are daily
quoting what is said of Wichita and
Wichita business being collapsed. One of
the merchants suggested that he could
suggest scheme whereby everybody
within hundred miles, who were worth
convincing, could be convinced that Wich-
tia was not only the Invest city in Kansas
but carried the greatest stocks of goods,
and that his scheme might even be made
to pay its own expenses. He then sug-
gesteG the excursion scheme, which was
Immediately taken hold of. How
far they will extend them or how
long they will run them nobody knows,
unless it is these men who propose to foot
the loses and take the chances. They
started out to give at least one excursion
over each line running into Wichita.
There are ten of them, and they will be
mighty cheap rides. But what we started
out to say is simply this: the Board of
Trade nor has Wichita in any sense as a
city anything to do with the scheme.
Wichita merchants, however, are not only
enterprising but plucky, and if from either
motive of profit or of vindication or of
retaliation, they resolve to even send out
carriages and outsiders for customers they
will do it without reference to the way
some people are built.