Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-29
o'erhung with clouds that threaten to
destroy the expectant harvest.
CAR rrrvsc HOPE

Kansas City has hoped to be the Chi
cago of the west. It has fondly trusted
that the centering of railroads would so
build it up that all freights would be
based at its commands and no point
west would be considered in the freight
problem"
| In short that all railroad lines would
radiate from Kansas City as a center
and all railroad feeders be built In Its
interest and that Kansas would forever
be tied to it as the supply point for the
south and southwest.
GALL CITY RAILWAY SITUATION
Kansas City, Mo. s railroad situation
is becoming worse every year.
Kansas railroad situation becoming
better every year.
Gall City is on the border of state
inimical to railway building, to which 1t
naturally looks for support, and on the
border of a boundless plain to which it
unnaturally looks for bread and butter,
which last named state Is alive to the
upbuilding of railways and industries.
Gall City being practically abandoned
by Missouri, has spent thousands OF dol
lars IN labor, paper and ink in slandering
Kansas and Kansas people, and now,
like ''cur dog" with its tail between its
legs, is whining for ''bone" which 1t
has always claimed possession Of.
Who doubts but that the fight for the
continuance Of the Missouri river freight
rate was fight for "bread and butter!
Take map and compare the railroad
situation in Kansas today with the sltua-
ton only back three years, in A. d. 1856.
The Rock Island, like a frightened
deer, broke cover at Kansas City and
built on west; west to Horton, diverged
on to the southwest four hundred miles;
on to Nebraska two hundred miles, on
to Denver, on to Pueblo, on to the In
dian territory, aggregatlng hundreds OF
miles, all, all in the interests OF through
freight from Chicago and the south and
west.
Think We that Kansas City did not
howl over this.
The Santa Fe harrassed with debt, and
filled with gloomy forebodlng, fighting
for local feeders at home, spreading like
banyan tree, putting forth lines like a
gigantic spiders web, beheld the move
ments of the Rock Island with mingled
feelings of surprise, amazement and ter
ror, and, casting prudence to the winds,
boldly built to Chicago to divide through
traffic from Chicago and sustain its local
lines and through lines in the west.
Think We that Gall City beheld all this
with pleasure? Think We that Gall city
thought that this was in the interest OF
Kansas City. Missouri?
Neither of these magnificent systems
gave thought to the centering OF rail-
roads at Kansas City, Missouri.
The conservative "Alton" has demon
strated that it pinned its faith to the de-
lusive hope of Kansas City, No., and as
Through freight ndler'' it will be at
an end unless it builds line and gets a
traffic connection" 1t is now present
ing the mournful spectacle of man
who in youth trusted to luck rather
than brains.
The Milwaukee & st. Paul, seeing the
movements of the Rock Island and Santa
Fe, built to Kansas City and is now look
ing for an outlet. The general idea is
that it is now behind a Kansas railroad,
looking southeastward.
The Frisco" is not at Kansas City. 1t
is the fostering thorn in Kansas City's
side, as it gives st. Louis free run to
the southwest practically untrammeled
by, Kansas City, Mo-, railroad interests.
Then of what has Kansas City to boast!
Of what territory can it claim to be the
owner?
To what territory can it look and say:
'.This field is mine?"
To what railway system can it turn
and say: "Build such and such feeder
for my INTEREST,"?
What rich agricultural field has no
buyer but Kansas City?
Kansas City is becoming each year
more local The trunk railroads see
points beyond it. Kansas City no longer
fills the eye of the railroad manager, or
obscures his vision beyond it. The rail
road manager sees the Indian territory,
southwestern Kansas and points beyond.
A railroad from Kansas City to any
Kansas point is now as purely local
railroad, as railroads from one Kansas
town to another.
Hence it is asserted that unless some
Franklin is behind the Lawrence q
Carbonate railroad it will never be built,
or If built it will be as "a calf raised by
hand"-a weakling nonentity.
Such railroad, unless with perma-
nent traffic arrangement with the Alton
or st. Paul, can get no freight traffic to
Kansas City bound east, or none from
Kansas City bound west, except local
traffic, which won't pay running eX-
penses, let alone fixed charges; hence 1t
is asserted confidently that there Is a
trunk line behind it and that this rail-
road is being built not in the interest OF
Kansas City but some point northeast.
How then can Kansas City become the
supply point of any portion OF Kansas
unless from cowardice on the part OF
the Kansans?
ION what meat has Cesar fed" if not
Kansas meat?
NORTHWEST KANSAS.
Northwestern Kansas has such rail-
road facilities, such an agricultural and
hog and cattle domain, such geopraph-
ical location, such an aggregate of wealth
| and people as will make it free from
Kansas City in all respects in five wears
| if it will go to work. 1t raised last year
over 400, 900 hogs, and all these hogs went
| through or to Omaha and Kansas City.
| Take the town of Concordia as an ex-
ample. 1t has the Missouri Pacific,
Union Pacific, Burlington u Missouri
| River, Santa Fe and the central branch
of the Union Pacific and has the Rock
| Island within twenty miles. Its lines OF
railroad drain thousand miles or more,
and this freight passes this town and
goes to Nebraska and Missouri. 1t is SO
situated that a packing house of 600 hogs
and 400 cattle per day could be matained
from its own railway lines, and not hog
packed would be an injury to Southwest
| kansas packing houses. Not hog that
Wichita packs is in any way an INJURY
| to Northwest Kansas.
As Kansan, believer in the growth
| oe So,,+bxrae+ Eopsas IL is urpei that
| Northwest Kansas secure packing IN