Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-16
WICHITA'S SURROUNDINGS.
HER POSITION AS THE METR0POL Is
OF THE SOUTHWEST AC-
KNOW LEDGED.
Her Vast Resources and Positive As
suranceS of Extending Her Great
TerritOry---4 Great City
Certain.

vi last s-utOdE morning. tue Jtl inst;
the EAGLE under the title, "A New Era,
! gave some very pertinent facts and gave
some reasons which should satisfy any one
/ that Wichita Is indeed only beginning TO
/ feel that she Is really a city. In other
/ words, she has only entered upon that
stage Of j city's life when tie transition
! occurs. which elevates her above the char
( aCteristics, tle methods. the resources OF \
/ large town Of reasonably extensive local
/ Importance and es abiishes beyond a qaes-
/ ton that she Is q city in size, in appear
ance, in business. wholesale and retail and
/ in every other means by which such
transition IS evidenced.
/ There are a number OF different ways BY
which the fact that city has, without
doubt, taken that step and become
+ the recognized city or center
for any large particular locality
III the strict meaning OF the word
( city. One Of these IS that the residents Of
/ the city itself realize the event and make
/ free to proclaim It. This IS not OF itself,
/ prima facia evidence, strong enough to
Z put at rest contradictions against such
/ claim, but it has its Influence. Another
way l. the recognition given the city, as a
( city, by the establishment OF institutions
; which are only erected on d metropolitan
scale in cities that have passed the period
which transforms a big town into city
I This feature Is only j sure Indication OF
such a change, when the institutions IN
dictated are erected and operated on
scale equal 70 the one upon which similar
institutions are operate! IN the larger
cities Of the country. The concentration,
or the Inauguration IN a city, Of numerous
auxiliary lines of business and manu-
facture which are instituted only in cities,
forms but another means by which this
change i MADE apparent The street
fakirs in certain lines even, unimportauu
as the business may appear to
the general public. are straws which
Indicate the direction Of the wind.
When q stranger. whose home IS in
large city OF the east where everything IS
IF a strictly city character, comes to q new
Pledged city aud says, without hesitation,
that there he finds about place, the ar
chitecture. the business characteristics,
the manufacturing nucleus, the establish
ment Of great markets for the products Of
a vast territory and the general elements,
which distinguish 2 city, there i found
another recognition Of the claim a place
makes TO being city in an unrestricted
sense. When railroad begins TO seek
entrance into given place, that i5 may
have a share Of the general business and
through the medium Of that influence
Obtain proportion Of the business Of q
certain territory. Of greater or less extent,
the fact of It's building to that place Is but
an Indication Of the growing Importance
of such point. Again, when railway sys-
tens begin TO radIaJe in several directions
from any city that city's Importance as a
concentrating or controlling point for the
business Of the territory so reached, Is be-
ginning to be recognized in a substantial
way by a class Of men whose positions and .
whose influence have been attained b. the
force Of their good judgments.
THE STRONGEST PROOFS.
There is, however. no stronger proof to /
be offered in convincing tie world at
large that any city Is q city OF the real /
type than the fact that the territory sur
rounding her the neighboring cities aud
towns. themselves good local cencers. be /
gin 10 realize and to take advantage of the +
proximity Ot common central point. :
which supplies a number of wants that (
can be supplied by no other place than a
city of such considerable Importance. +
These supplied wants may be Of one kind .
or another They may consist of the e.
Enlistment Of q stock market by the
erection of packing houses OF d size and .
cb iracter, and by their operation. il a .
manner, that at once places this same .
market upon a sure and q growing footing, (
and thus creates q distributing
point to the markets for their
products. These wants, too, may
consist of the aggregation of scores OF 4
manufactures to supply the demands of
large territory and n some instances the
entire country. They may consist in con-
Quoting colleges Of sectarian or non-sec-
tsrlan character. But these form a COM
mon center Tor the moulding Of ideas and
the distribution Of knowledge. They may
consist of the recognition Of a central X
fuence by the establishment there OF the
ruling power, for considerable territory,
OF great rel giouS organization. IN
short these supplied wants may be OF one
character OF another. They may be found
in an hundred different institutions, which,
by either their distinctive characteristics or
their superior magnitude, indicate tGaC
they are djaGcts which only attend cities
in reality.
No city can lay claim TO the pane until
80 recognized by her ueiEhbors. Wich-
tia can now, with no fear of contradiction.
claim to be such When city
can maintain not only wholesale esrab-
lishments but also retail establishments,
which carry stocks of such variety. char
acter and extent. that 10 mercantile estab-
lishmentS of other Geighboriug towns can
afford 10 carry, she i entitled 10 be called
the city of her tributary territory, The
recent excursions into Wichita f-om al
directions inaUCurated by her enterprIsing
business men. have done more than any
other events TO convince the people OF the
territory. from which tee * -urss oDS came.
that Wichita ! their city. IS the word
city should be understood She affords
hem an ample opportunity % transact
uch business Is they could uor tup - 4
: cent date t-8usact at ali liess. hey ve
10 Kansas city OF -. Louis and thus take
heir money eatireIy out of the state The
'act that people from adjoining towns
,ome to Wichita 10 transact business Of
-er-ain kinds. : no diSparagemenr 70 the
l4ay veTy good towns on railways leading
nco Wichita Neither does Wichita wish
20 inquire the business o. these towns. Tor
lpoa thej- success VIII depend her own
,-Iece>s.
NECESS7TT FOE \ LARGE CITY.
The time has come when the most
and productive portion OF Kan :
4s 40 longer = dependent upon cities
outside this states borders for couven- :
ercss OF market or trade that can be
Quad q her many good local towns, but ,
here Is already vel established. a city