The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-09-06
THREE MILES OF BUSINESS HOUSES
IN WICHITA.
And More Than Twenty Miles of Good
Residences.
From the Cincinnati TImes-star.

From the Cincinnati Times-Star.
Citizens who have the pleasure of
knowing Nicholas Bird, who was at one
time a practicing attorney of this city.
will appreciate the following spirited
communication from that gentleman,
whose characteristics can be readily de-
! tected in the lines. Mr.. Bird is now
engaged at Wichita, Kan, and he is as
much in love with the western city of
his adoption as he was with Cincinnati
when his home was located here. l
| quote extracts from his letter:
"What was nothing but an Indian
trading post and hunting ground up to
| 1870 is now the greatest commercial CEN
| ter in Kansas, and without rival nearer
than Kansas City, which is $50 miles
east, and Denver, about 800 miles west,
and with much better position to COM
mand the trade of Oklahoma, the Indian
territory and northern Texas, than either
of those cities. Wichita has today
ness houses, more than twenty miles of
good residences, and some of them as
costly as any in Cincinnati"
Mr.. Bird then tells of the hotels, the
manufacturing establishments, the gov
educational and benevolent Institutes,
the religious structures and opera
houses, all built on an elaborate and
costly scale, with artistic attempts at
ornamentation as well as utility. The
electric lighting appliances, sewerage,
fine asphalted streets, the twelve or
more lines of railway running into the
place, and then he says about the prohi
bition question:
1T has no longer the responsibility of
a barren ideality. 1t is wholly incorrect
to say the word prohibition means tenn
perance in Wichita. When told Mil
waukee and Kansas City breweries have
supply depots here, that there are over
100 public drinking houses, that there is
only one of the first-class hotels without
a bar tour governor and United States
senators, when speech-making, say there
Is not one open saloon in the state, but
they would not say there are not open
joints. every fellow must judge for
himself as TO the success of the prohib-
itory law. | have met honest people
who appear 10 think II Is an advantage
TO the city, but have never yet been able
10 discover the moral or business
gain it Is TO anybody, except the dealer,
who has no license TO pay. Experience
has taught common sense people almost
everywhere that high license Is the only
mode to lessen and regulate the liquor
traffic. | think it was Governor Tom
Young who expressed himself in favor
Of enactlng all temperance laws the good
people of Ohio asked for-but against
their enforcement The same PROPOSE
ton would suit the politicians Of Kansas.
Three eminent Judges OF the state
Brewer. who is the successor OF Stanley
Matthews in the supreme court at Wash
ingtOn, Foster. United States district
judge. and Reed. who Is judge of the
district 1ststel court at Wichita, have
publicly expressed dissatisfaction with
the prohibltory law and believe 1t should
be reconsldered by vote of the people.
There are three state courts, and the
United States court, organized under an
act of the present congress VIII be held
there for the first time this month The
three jndges are handsome and very large
men-.In fair round belly and with good
capOn lined Not one Of the two weighs
les than go avoriduPols- The lawyers
would compare favoTabiy with the leg J
fraternity there-say about 10 per cent.
OF the whole number are scholarly and
skillfull in the profession
The valuation and tax rate are low-sav
/ per cent. on one-third the market val
uation-not the speculative or fancy
value-of real estate. And as 10 personal
property. a. In Cincinnati. nobody has
any OF that or any money IN hank when
the assessor is around. 80 tina; practically
taxation l. confined TO realty.
MT. Blrd then goes on 70 say that when |