Wichita eagle., 1889-10-10
A DRUMMER TALKS.
Partner in a Big New York House Sizes CT
the Cities OF the West and Shows
Wichita the Greatest.


Wichita the Greatest.
MEXICO, Tex, Oct. 5. 1889.
To Colonel Marsh Murdock, editor Of Wichita
My Dear Sir, inclose the following
| clipping from the Dallas News. which ex-
plains itself, and to which l desire to ap-
pead my own observations and conclu-
Sions:
WICHITA PEOPLE
THEY SAY TEAT THEIR TOWN Is MOVING TO
DALLAS
s. B, Rollebaugh of wichita Kan. who recently
arrived in Dallas says; Lots OF Wichita people are
house ten Of them are registered Many say that
the boom at " .chisa is b9rsted. Within eighteen
nearly -1,o0i. There are now s,0n empty buildings
IN the town 4 house Of SIX rooms opposite !. the
month and four room house close by is renting for
aAother Wichita man says: "wichlta has suffer-
&c from oeiAg close TO Dallas and it Is disease
with wichita was that il was founded without ref
erence TO It's material advantages. North of it is a
country in which praie dogs encounter famines Pc
toqlcay AM the country east OF It IS preoccupled
OF Wichita Is coming TO Dallas"
As do not like to see a deserter traduce
the home that formerly sheltered him 1
would like you to please make use of such
facts as herein scribe and to inform the
public that this report in the Dallas News
Is off. | am only drummer, who by hard
work has saved up a few thousand, and
wishing TO invest the same where it would
be safest and most profitable / began to
examine into the prospects of the different
town in my territory (all states west Of the
MississippD. After travelling over this
territory for some years, covering same
twice year, and becoming pretty we'll ac-
quainted with the cities of st. Paul, Min
neapolis, Omaha, Kansas City, Wichita,
Dallas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los
Angeles, Seattle, Tacoma and the territory
surrounding them, and the advantage
each had for becoming large trade centers,
| questioned IN my own mind which Of
tered the best inducements for per-
manent investment and decided Wichita
was the city. Having seen Kansas City
built from the development of Kansas,
concluded Wichita would stand the
same chance from the development of the
territory, southwest Kansas, and the Pan
Handle of Texas. Before, however. invest
ing anything I decided to again take a
look at Dallas, spent several days in and
around Dallas. After carefully comparing
-
the same size and age, decided in Wichi-
ia for several reasons: Wichita has no
competitor within 2OO miles of her. Dali
las has three: Ft. Worth, young giant
g miles west of her who seems to be get
ting most of the trade west; Waco, a
thriving jobbing centre about 5 miles to
the south and Sherman not over 65 miles
to the north, who will not let any trade
pass her doors. So. as a jobbing center
Wichita has decided advantage. As to
packing interests, Wichita has two fine
large packing houses and talk of another.
and Dallas none, In regard to manufac
tories, Wichita's car works and plow
works alone eclipsed all the manufacture
ing interests in Dallas, without consider
ing Wichitas many other in
dustries. As to hotels, well
Dallas has no first class hotels but she is
now building one. Wichita has four or
five first class hotels. and good hotel goes
long way. with drummer at least. As
to fine buildings Wichita has many fine
business buildings and many fine, costly
residence. Dallas has few and is still
improving, but she will have to continue
long way and several years before she riv-
ais Wichita. Then as to live, energetic
citizens, both have their share, but of the
same comparison the north has with the
south generally. While in Tacoma last
year former citizen OF Wichita said to
me: eff we only had Murdoch and few
of Wichita's rustlers we would have city
of $4,000 in little or no time" Dallas is
now figuring with the st. Louis Republic
to start branch in their city They GER
taiuly are awakening to the fact that there
is no lever like good newspaper to make
a town grow. Still the News is good or
gan for the Democracy. Why not submit
a proposition to the EAGLE and get your
paper TO establish 4 branch of q paper that
is known from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
which confines itself strictly to
the interests of its town and has
done so much to spread Wichita's fame
more than all other forces combined. The
EAGLE is certainly big enough to put one
claw on Dallas on the south and still hold
Wichita in the other claw and thus take
in the whole of this territory under its
wing.
Well, have drifted from my subject. l
thought Wichita had the best climate and
so after considering all points still decided
on Wichita. The boys told around the
the country that the boom was busted. l
determined it was pretty good time to
buy. in the past year and half l put
s26 600 in Wichita real estate, $50, 900 of
that amount 1 have put in since January
20, 1889. am one of those fellows that
don't go much on what real estate man
says but use my own judgment l have
seen Kansas City grow from 10000 to her
present size and l simply say this: be-
lieve Wichita viii do likewise. Wichita
today is on irmer basis than she ever
was before, and know it. | show nay
faith by my works. If Kansas has another
crop as big as she has had this year prop
erty in Wichita will go up like rocket.
Wichita today is still the iveliest town
of its size in the west and IS improving
more rapidly. a drummer don't know
much but he knows enough to buy when
anything is cheap Cordially yours.
\ DRUMMER.
FARM PROFITS.
". X. Mccoy on the Mathewsou farm
south OF Wichita, has twenty-three and
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