Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-17
EVERYBODY SEES IT.
A CHICAGO CAPITALIST GATHERS
IN A FEW POINTERS.
A New Road to Oklahoma-The Burton
Car Works and Wichita as
Meat and Grain Center.

Thinking there might be something of
interest transpiring in connection with the
great Burton car works in this city, and
having heard a rumor that a scheme was
on foot to build an independent railroad
from Wichita into the Oklahoma coun-
try, representative of this paper yester-
day called on j. Oak Davidson to see if
some pointers could be obtained that
would make interesting reading for the
readers of the EAGLE.
Mr.. Davidson was found in his room at
the Citizens bank. To the question as to
whether anything new was transpiring in
connection with the great Burton car
works he promptly answered mo" Turn
ing around in his Office chair he said: "You
know everything in connection with rail-
reading for the last year has been
rather show. Stocks of many
OF the leading roads have deprecated
and the general tendency affairs has been
to discourage people who own and operate
railroads. This of course has affected the
Burton car works in this city. We are
now employing large force of workmen
Notwithstanding all these discourage
ments to the railroads, and this week we
received an order for one hundred new
crops this year, we expect to bnild great
many cars on order from railroads and
will run the plant to its full capacity"
In answer to the question as to whether
they kept material on hand to promptly
fill orders, the banker said: eve have
material coming all the time and have
constantly on hand from 100000 to s12O,-
900 worth. There are a great many rail-
roads wanting our cars, and do not ex
pect we will be able to fill all the orders
after harvest.
When asked if there was anything in
the report that a new or additional rail
road was to be built from Wichita into
the Oklahoma country, Mr.. Davidson
said. 'Now, do not want to make public
what is actually being done; that is, the
parties who are interested in that scheme.
You may say, however, that | expect in
the very near future to see a road built
from this city into Oklahoma, and eventu-
ally on to the gulf. In fact the capitalists
back Of this movement confidently ex-
pected to have been throwing dirt before
this time bnt they have been delayed by
an unforeseen event. Wichita already has
pretty good railroad facilities, touching
that termini, in fact, at several points,
but we will have more"
At this point the talk was
by u Chicago capitalist who
come in and asked the banker what he
thought of the future prospects of Wich-
ita and added that in his opinion there
har or in ha
that might possibly cut into the trade and
of the Peerless Princess in her
strides for commercial suprem-
acy. Now what are youf reasons for
that" said Mr.. Davidson. Have you
been investing money somewhere else; is
that your reason for thinking some other
place might pass us in the racer" The
Chicago man said he had invested some
money and said he would like for Mr.
Davidson to give his reasons for thinking
that Wichita is bound to be the great
commercial center of the southwest. The
banker got up and walked across the
room to his Chicago friend and
said: "Why, what are you
alking about? Don't you know that we
ire already four times larger than any
,ther town in in the southwest, and that |
10 town anywhere is surrounded by a bet |
er country than that around this city. |
And dont't you know that our manufac- |
5ured products are greater than that of
my other three towns in the state of Kan !
'as. We have better railroad facilities |
han any other town in the state. We are
already a distributing point and have
more jobbing houses than any town in the |
state. We have one of the best meat pack
ng plants in the west, and we will have |
greater one in operation inside of sixty |
lays. Our connections with Oklahoma |
Ire more numerous and more direct than |
hose of any city in the west. east or
outh. Besides we are in the very center |
If the cry best grain vproduc-
ng section of the west. And |
10 you not know that all |
sreat cities in the west are grain and meat
enters" Eyes; but" said the Chicago
nan, Il know of other Chicago capitalists
Who are investing in other Kansas towns"
You name all the Chicago capitalists who
re investing in any other town or in all
he towns between the Missouri river and
he mountains, and if l do not name two
astern capitalists who are investing in
Wichita and are worth more than all your
,hicago capitalists. But what does that
II amount to? Eastern capitalists do not
uild western cities; they invest their
noney in order to speculate off somebody
lse's pluck and energy. We are not wait
ng for eastern men to build Wichita. The
eople who live in this city are making
er great. Yes, we are going to have a
reat commercial and manufacturing CEN
er here and we are not going to depend
n eastern people to make it. They, of
curse, or at least some of the shrewd cap
.alists of the east will invest here and
lake money, but they will not make
Wichita. The Chicago capitalist said: 81
ow see what is making The Peerless
Princess. Her own people are made of
be, right material to make cities" And
e got up and grasped the bankers hand
nd began himself to prophesy of Wichi-
rs greatness.