Wichita eagle., 1889-03-15
Mr.. JOHN SHERMAN TALKS.
A Chicago Spectator Has a few Words to Say
on Wichita.

Before Mr.. John Sherman, Spectator
from Chicago, left Wichita yesterday en-
route home, he delivered himself, to
some friends he had made during his
weeks stay here, of an opinion regarding
the city which is worthy of more than a
passing notice in that it evidences his own
sense of security in the future and the
spread of belief, which is daily becom-
ing a more and more pronounced fac
tor in the up building of Wichita.
''Two years ago." said Mr.. Sherman, Il
visited Wichita for the first time, | liked
the place and the evidence of push and de-
termination to go forward seen on all
hands delighted me. l could not stop
very long at that time but before / left l
bought some lots up on Main street, lit
tie way north of the new court house. No
brick buildings to speak of were to be
seen up there then but l came
to the conclusion that when
new county building was demanded it was
bound to go on the square of ground where
it is now building and / knew that its
magnetism would be powerful to draw
business in its direction and that large
office blocks would be a necessary adjunct
business kept me there until . couple of
weeks ago when started for Wichita. OF
course during those two years Of absence
my faith in my own judgment
was shaken at times The reports of the
rotten condition of all business of Wichi-
ia, of property depreciating in value, of in
short, the busted boom ,weee daily spread
before us in the columns of the papers but
somehow l could not bring myself to be-
lieve that they were true. i used to take
a map and note the distances between the
larger trade centers, and then I would
ponder over the agricultural
and industrial statistics of the
territory surrounding them, and l would
look on the railroad facilities, and every
way turned convincing proofs of Wichi-
ta's excellent status in all these directions
would meet me. But will tell you on
what founded my greatest faith. | have
seen Chicago grow from very small things,
and have personal evidence that in two
directions at least she is losing the grip she
has held on the entire west for so many
years. While she was the only recognized
medium for the transmission of money
from New York to the west, and that was
before tue Out Va tue
railroads that has marked the last five
years, She was all-powerful and held full
control over the product of the western
prairies, but since eastern capital has
been seeking new fields and build
ing up rival cities, Chicago
has retrograded-in brief the course Of
empire is moving toward the setting sun,
and no one who has thought on the sub
jeet at all can fail to see that as Chicago
was built up in the center OF vast grain
and stock producing territory, and has
had to give way to a further western rival
Kansas City-as being nearer the base
of supplies, SO in turn must Kansas
City give way TO Wichita the
heart of the best cattle and
hog producing country the world can
show. There are no two ways about it, +"
added Mr.. Sherman, nothing can prevent
the spreading and upbuilding of Wichita.
for she is in the right location and has
men and interests backing her that cannot
fail to make her in time the great packing
center of the country