Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-21
AT THE RIGHT POINT.
WICHITA AT HOME AND ABROAD
TRIUMPHANT.
Thoughts and Observations Of One
Who is Looking About HIM.
CINCINNATI. O., Sept. is, 1883.

CINCINNATI. O., Sept. is, 1883.
! To the Editor of the EAGLE:
1t is only question of time when Wich-
tia will astonish the world as she has never
done before and with such magnificent un-
dertakings as no city of this country would
or could have done at her age and In the
! past and the reason that she will do it is
because she lives in an age when she can
| do it, and has the men who dare and will
do it.
| Wichita was built to live and not to die
| Wichita was located at the right point for
large city, and settled with class of
people whose every aim and move has been
to make it such.
| Every building erected, every railroad
secured, every enterprise established, and
everything eslse which has been accom-
plished has been done for that purpose.
Knowing what to do and doing it at the
proper time is why she has established
herself so far as the grandest city in the
west. At no time in her history has there
anything happened that did not result in
benefit. From the very first settlement
every town laid out in southwestern Kan
sas has been so located as to pay tribute to
| Wichita Every railroad through that
section has been built to connect those
! towns direct with Wichita and directly
| for that purpose.
Cities are formed by certain laws in
trade and commerce which are at work to-.
day esta blishiug centers as they were in
the earlier histories of our larger cities.
Each trunk line railroad now running
|
another trunk tine from large competing
city. and for the purpose of forming
great commercial center. Chicago with
her Santa Fe and Rock Island systems
comes directly to Wichita in competition
| with the Missouri Pacific and Frisco lines
from St. Louis. Galveston with her Santa
Fe road reaches to Wichita for part Of
the trade that Chicago and st. Louis are
bidding for Kansas City with her three
railway connections into Wichita is watch
ing the great revolution being inaugu-
rated by Chicago and st. Louis in the
southwestern trade and will not let go the
business, even if they are forced to estab-
lish branch houses at Wichita to control
the trade.
Omaha realizing that great center is
forming at Wichita and that for years
she has lost trade which right
fully belongs to her and eager
to extend to new fields is
contemplating a line to Wichita to come
in competition with these great cities.
Not only this, but to secure an outlet to
the gulf independent of Kansas City, is
her chiefest motive. The establishing OF
manufacturing enterprises, packing houses,
grain markets, ETC., go to form centers and
distributing points when direct rail COM
munication is had with other large centers
but not otherwise. There is no town in
southwestern Kansas today which has laid
the foundation for large city, and, not
having laid that foundation, cannot ex-
pect to become one Take every town
within a radius of one hundred miles and
not one on the map shows the location
that Wichita holds with her ten railway
lines branching out. The fact cannot be
denied.
No matter how much work is done or
enterprise shown by town to grow and
improve when aspiring to be large city,
they must first lay the foundation for such
a city or there will be limit to their as
pirations.
Wichita having laid that foundation
and passed to that period when every move
is towards a great market center, there is
nothing to prevent her from becoming the
greatest city west of the Missouri river,
and there is no undertaking she cannot
carry through successfully if the same
push is shown as in the past.
Wichita having increased to three times
the size of any other place, is entitled to
the position she holds and certainly stands
before the world as the typical city of the
state.
As / said before there never was any
thing happened to Wichita that did not
result in good.
The grasshoppers in 1874 came and went
at the right time.
We beat the world on wheat shipments
in 1873 at the right time.
The Santa Fe road went south in 1880 at
the right time.
The thirty -one cars of corn was sent
from Wichita to the Ohio food sufferers
in 1884 at the right time.
The boom came in 1887 at the right time.
A halt was called at the right time.
The universities and other buildings were
built at the right time.
And Wichita is represented in Cincinnati
at the right time. and now is the time to
in to pile up record which will discount
any previous one. Where is there town
west of Wichita being formed for great
center as Wichita is being formed today by
st. Louis, Kansas City, Chicago and Oma-
ha? Not one 1t would take fifteen years
for such place to be as large as Wichita
now is if it was already forming. And
think what Wichita will become in ten
years with the magnificent start she has.
Wichita is certainly the city OF destiny.
My observations here bring out these
thoughts and the day is not far distant
when your prediction as to its future viii