Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-11-15
WICHITA FALLING INTO DECAY.
More of the Fruits Of Warming That
Hutchinson Viper.
From the Leayenworth Times.

| From the Leavenworth Times
| No better answer is needed to these fool
ish claims of the resubmissionists, that
prohibition ruins city, than is found in
contrasting the city of Hutchinson and
Wichita In Hutchinson the prohibitory
law has been rigidly enforced from the be-
ginning. In Wichita the enforcement of
| the law has been bitterly fought from the
| beginning What is the result? Three
years ago it appeared that Wichita was GER
tain to be the metropolis of the southwest,
and the people of that city laughed at the
presumption of the little town of Hutch
inson in claiming that she would, in the
end, outstrip her big neighbor.
How is it now! Wichita IS rapidly fall
ing into decay, while Hutchinson is as
rapidly increasing in population and
wealth.
Hutchinson, it is true. is the center of
one of the greatest salt industries in the
United States. and in this has tremen-
dous advantage over her rival who has
nothing that pays in that country; but
very much of the prosperity of Hutchinson
may properly be attributed to her sobriety,
and industry, and strict attention to the
interests of the city. While Wichita has
been fighting and squabbling for whisky,
and has had a large number of joints, liv-
ing off the people and creating and attract
ing class that is a curse to any city,
Hutchinson has had none of these dlsad-
vantages to contend with, and has gone
right along, developing her great industry
and growing rapidly in consequence.
The EAGLE has been laughed at for
saying that every city in Kansas was
envious of Wichita's prosperity, and that
all the immense volume of liesare being
doled out against this city had their in
SEPARATION in jealousy. 1t was true, new
ertheless, and is trued tod ay, and it was
just as true that the first police commits
sion saddled upon Wichita in the face of
a Observation-Disclosures mayor but just
installed, was the act of jealousy and
envy too contemplate to have ever found
Judgment within the walls of the state
house.
1t will no doubt surprise large ma
jority of our readers when we tell them
that the Leavenworth Times from which
the above ridiculous paragraph was
clipped, is one Of the Oldest papers in the
state and that its editor is man who
has not only lived in Kansas from the
first, but been prominent at all times in
some direction. Without doubt he
knows that Hutchinson has strained and
pulled until there is naught left of her
but rotten shreds which continually
threaten to give way, that in short the
town is but an inflated despera-
ton whose only chance against
explosion is the probability of sinking
under her immense public and private
debts and burthensome taxes. And
he knows upon the other hand, we know
he knows because he sees it in the bank
clearances published in his own paper
every week-that Wichita is not only the
biggest, the strongest and the most
prosperous city in the state of Kansas,
but does the greatest volume of business
at least by double the amount of any
other city as shown by the bank clear
ings.
What then, is asked, is the reason for
such an outrageous picture as we quote
above. We can explain it on no other
theory than that first suggested, envy
and spite. Leavenworth Republicans
went by the board just as Wichita Re
publicans did at the last election
and for precisely the same reason.
with the Times making just the
same fight for the Republicans that the
EAGLE made; so it cannot be politics.
1t is more evident every day that
Wichita has got to take care of herself,
and as against the combined opposition
and i'll will of all the older cities of the
state. That she can and will take care
of herself in spite of all enemies there is
no more doubt than that she will be one
of the great cities of the west, greater
than all the towns which are fighting
her combined, dozen times over. OF
this everybody is convinced who has
brains enough to run a peanut stand
successfully.