Wichita eagle., 1889-06-09
CONFRONTING WICHITA.
A Question Which Property Holders
Must Now Meet and Speedily
Determine.

an immediate expansion of her whole
sale trade and of her packing interests;
and. while she undeniably enjoys many
distinctive features of the real metrop-
oils, in the way of electric and other
street railways, the most extensive
sewerage system of any city in Kansas,
and the best, purest and greatest water
supply, together with other public
services of like characters, it is, never
| theless, true, that so far as her streets
and great business thoroughfares are
concerned, she is but country
town Owing to the immense traffic
of her business streets it Is lmpoS-
sible to keep them in shape
or even respectable. A thousand teams
and vehicles for every business hour OF
every day renders smooth streets or even
decent streets during much of the year
an impossibility. Wichita will never
present the appearance of real city to
the visiting capitalist, to the stranger
hunting investment, or to the business
man seeking a location, until her princi-
pal streets are thoroughly and substan-
TALLY paved. The EAGLE has shown no
haste in this matter, even holding back
at time when considerable feverish-
ness and enterprise was manifested
touching this subject. but the time IS
full, to even a demand, for attention in
this direction. If Wichita will ever be
ready to pave within the life OF its pres
ent ownership, she is ready now.
The substantial paving of some three
or four of our business streets
and sections, including intersecting al
legs and two or three residence streets,
has become necessity, great and
overshadowing necessity. The work, to
say nothing of affording employment,
and increased money circulation, will add
millions Of dollars to property values,
first to the property directly improved
and secondly to the property Of the
entire city. The traffic over a portion
Of Water street, of a portion of Market
street, and OF Main street and Douglas
avenue, is too heavy and constant for
any mere road-making or macadam.
Nothing but the best will do. And an
energetic move for this needed improve
ment ought not to be delayed another
day. This movement must come from
the property holders known for their
enterprise. There are no doubt property
holders on each of the streets named
who viii object and protest and persuade
others to join them, but they are men
who are never ready with voice
or purse for anything which
promises to send the city speed
ing along. They never would be
ready, not in thousand years, if per-
mitted to live so long. But the live,
wide awake men who have made this
city cannot afford longer to suffer, and
the city to be retarded in its growth,
and its values, because of the unwilling,
narrow minded. misery few, who man
age to dodge every burthen and to re-
tard every enterprise. They must be
forced to add value to their own if even
unwillingly. We are prepared to give
the names of the representatives Of two
great investment companies who visited
Wichita within the past ten days and
whose only objection to advising their
principals to make permanent invest
ments in valuable properties in Wichita
was based upon the miserable condition
of our streets.
There is much, there is everything to
be urged in favor of this prompt
action in this direction upon the
part of the city. This article,
however, is not intended to set them
forth, only to call the attention of those
most interested in the matter to the end
of honest, earnest discussion. We can
cite western city possessing nor enjoy
ing one-half Of the advantages of Wich- !
ita, which city has by paving not only
added millions to her values but stimu-
lated permanent private improvements
to wonderful degree, giving renewed
life and increased values to all and
everything connected with said city.
The unanimous verdict of her property
holders is that to the paving and other
public improvements isit all attributable
The great life and fire insurance COM
panieS that are continually seeking new
places in which to erect magnificent and
lasting improvements as permanent in
vestments will not put their money into
mushrooms, but only into new cities that
are cities beyond the qUestionings of even
the casual observer.
Wichita, as city, lacks but this one |
important feature, and with its accom-
plishment, as a city, her citizens will not
only be largely benefited and profted |
directly, but indirectly in numberless |
ways and instances. The sewer mains !
and latterals will soon all be out of the |
way OF the streets named; the water |
company should be notified to substi- |
tute permanent mains on Main street |
and Douglas avenue Immediately, and |
the decks should be cleared for ener-
getic, good and rapid work; in the mean !