Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-07-31
A BUSINESS VIEW.
THE OPINION OF A CONSERVATIVE
BUSINESS MAN FROM
PHILADELPHIA
Concerning Wichita and Kansas, of
the Most Flattering Charac-
ter---Bound to Continue
to Enhance---POlit-
ical Outlook.

Since last Friday evening, Mr.. VIM. Nc
George a prominent attorney of Phila-
delphia, who is out here, out his fourth
animal trip looking after the character of
certain securities in which his clients
have invested. has been a guest at the
Carey Grand. Among his clients are the
trustees of the funds Of several charitable
and other institutions of his city who on
his solicitations and advice have bought
quite heavily of western farm and Wichita
first mortgages.
Mr. McGeorgc was met yesterday at his
hotel by an EAGLE representative to wi om
he stated, that he had been pleased with
what he saw upon each former trip, but
this time he was perfectly delighted. In
explanation of this, be said ''why do you
know, Sir, that out of the hundreds of
thousands of dollars worth of Kansas
farm and Wichita securities, we have
handled for our friends, there has not
been one foreclosure?" In speaking of the
way III which these securities have grown
in favor of late years he said. "You can
have no idea of how utterly obnoxious to
our eastern investors few
years ago, were the names of Kansas
and more so, the name of Wichita,
when used in connection with investments.
Some of those who are now investors in
the same, then spoke of Wichita only to
say that its name should be pronounced
''We-cheat-a. But since they have found
the stable and prom, t character of these
securities they have entirely changed their
aspect toward Wichita and the country
Immediately surrounding her. As an evil
dence of this confidence | may mention the
TACT that within the thirty days preceding
my departure for the west disposed, with
no difficulty whatever, of five hundred
thousand dollars worth of those same Sc
curitiesn
Without frightening or detracting from
the interest of the interview with Mr.. Nc
George, by quoting the few questions put
by the EAGLE man, the following are the
expressions ma lie by him yesterday:
Il am wonderfully impressed with the
continued Improvement of this CITY, This
is my fourth annual visit. When / first
came to examine this place l was a skep-
tic. | was afraid the growth was of the
mushroom character. But one need only
to ride along Lawrence avenue or over to
Riverside-in fact over any half dozen Of
your beautiful residence streets to have
this idea forever dispelled. The people
who have built the elegant, substantial
and altogether comfortable and home-like
residences to be found here. are not
of the fitting kind. They have
evidently come to stay, and, moreover, it
is at once manifest that the occupants OF
these beautiful homes must be in the re-
ceipt of good incomes from their business.
or they could not be kept up as they are.
l have brought with me this year one of
our old retired Philadelphia merchants
one who is intimately connected with our
most prominent charitable institutions
and who was formerly equally well known
in all financial circles He is quite as
much impressed as / am. He thinks as
do that the solid and substantial growth
and prosperity of your city is quite as
clearly evidenced by the many comfortable
and luxurious homes that we have
been looking at as by the the palatial
business houses, conveniently arranged
office buildings and improved hotels, now
to be generally found. Your great pack
ing house must tend greatly to the growth
of your city, by providing work for many
men, who will move in here with their
families. But those who will probably
reap the most direct benefit from it will be
the farmers and stock raisers. The saying
in the cost of transportation will increase
first the price of their cattle, and second,
their broad acres upon which they are fat
tened. 1t will not be long before other in
situations of the same character must set
tie here to secure their share of the great
business that must necessarily grow up.
l have tried to determine what it is, that
has made your city the marvel of this
remarkable age and have concluded that
its growth is due, first, to the location in
the midst of one of the finest agricultural
districts in the world, but second and
mainly, to the enlightened public spirit of
its citizens. This is an ideal and repre-
sentative American city. It's citizens,
while guarding their own interests care
fully, meyer seem to forget the public
veal. There are few localities IN these
great United States, north, south, east or
west, that l am not familiar with, and l
have never seen place where this spirit
has been so remarkably shown. The broad
and liberal ideas of those who have charge
of your papers here, and especially the in
huence of your widely known and re-
spected Mr.. Murdoch, have had much to do
with this, but it should never be forgotten
that they have had magnificent material
in the original settlers of this place. with
which to work
l have also been greatly impressed with
the immense benefit which has resulted to
this whole western country by the con-
slant influx Of eastern capital. 1t has lit
oil do Il ba
At first l greatly doubted the propriety of
letting the money come west, but now 1
feel that what is being wisely done in this
way. is one of the most beneficial things
of which l have any knowledge. You
know money is very often compared to the
lite blood OF the body, and when that
sta gnates or goes too freely to any part, as
the head, TO the deprivation of the other
members, disease speedily ensues and if
free circulation is restored death follows.
1t is just SO with money; when it &C
cumulates in few large cities the whole
body polite suffers. The portions of the
deprived of it languish, ana the
many thousands in those very money
ccnters-a few bankers and brokers ex-
equally. These latter find
that their money is practically worthless
and does not bring any adequate return.
The bankers and brokers like this condi-
tion of things, because the money glut
makes 1t easy for them to float
their questionable schemes, TO. their great
advantage, but TO the ruin OF their
dupes. The diyerting of many millions of
this money from the east TO the west has
probably been a greater blessing than any
OF her one thing of which l can think. 1t