The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-11-30
NOT THE PROPER SPIRIT.
As High Up in the Air as the Court House
Steeple.

/ Steepie.
A citizen property holder, writes us Z
letter on the elevator and grain storage
question which is not published because il
is too extreme in its criticism. We agree
with much that be says and concede all the
Importance of the matter that he claims
but we can't admit that anybody is t.
blame. The elevator company decided
That Wichita was the best place in the
state at which to attempt the centratior
and classification of Kansas wheat and
corn and that, sooner or later. Wichita
would become the great grain market OF
Kansas; but, if the effort was made i'm
medlately it would cost something, cost
good many number of thousand dollar
bills. to say nothing of the one hundred
aud fifty or two hundred thousand dollars
outlay IN the construction of elevators and
storage. The elevator company decided
this after carefully looking the situation
OF the grain trade of the entire state all
over. Their proposition was "A very
straightforward and simple one, based on
business principles, and as soon as made
Manager McEnnis left for his St. Louis
home, without so much as urging or even
asking our people TO accept it, The Board
OF Trade unhesitatingly endorsed the
proposition and urged the property
holders of the city to meet and
close with it. The committee appointed
10 do the work met with no schuffs or hard
words. Many regretted their inability to
do, but consented to its great Importance.
In short, the people of the city were unani-
mously of one mind, touching the whole
enterprise. Everybody conceded its i'm
portance and not few of our largest
headed and most successful business men
were enthusiastic over the benefits TO be
derived. benefits which would not only
accrue from the expenditure this winter of
such an amount Of money in our city, but
the more lasting and ever increasing bene-
fits which would commence with
the next harvest Now to have
citizen come out through
these columns rejecting on ANYBODY
would be a wrong. The failure, if it is
such, AS he says, cannot be attributed TO
either lack of disposition or want of ap-
probation of our people. The trouble lies
in the times. The benefits to be derived
have not been denied by any one, and no
one has thrown cold water on the elevator
and grain market proposition unless an
acknowledged inability should be so con-
strued. To accuse Wichita of any lack of
enterprise would be like finding fault with
the sun for the weakness of its light.
Wichita has accomplished great things in
the past, and will encompass greater ones
IN the future, because she grows stronger
and will have greater ability, but these
times are times that come TO every COM
munity when it is found too burthensome
to meet the common every day necessary
expenses.
There are other points in which we do
not agree with our correspondent, who. !
even if he knows of the vast amount of I'M
selfish labor that has been performed by |
individuals belonging to that board of |
trade, must know of one at least. who has !
not seriously expended himself, and that |
that one Is he who would criticize Others.
The great bulk of the grain of southern /
aud central Kansas, which is to find a
market through the Gulf expectation of
.he future, will be conferred. stored, classi
lied and sold at Wichita, ere it makes its
final start via Galveston, Memphis or New
Orleans. The sooner Wichita is prepared
Tor this work the sooner will its
advantages to the grain raisers of this
state be realized. All agree to this, and
ali being agreed there is only left the work
proposed by the elevator company, the sue
'ess of which the EAGLE is not dispaired
wen yet. True, as Fault Finder" saws,
There are a hundred men in this city
who could cause the walls of a grain ee-
'ator to 90 sailing away up into the air as
nigh as the court house steepIe, when
Mills would follow to make export flour"
md so on, and 50 on, but five hundred. aye
i've thousand other men will as directly
benefited, why not call on
he five hundred or the five thousand each
or a little lift.
No, the EAGLE is enlisted for the war on
he elevator and storage and grain market
question, and it cannot be discouraged
rom keeping its present over-shadowing
Importance before large property owners
nd big business men in whose interest
IS success would 50 decidedly redoun, and
will be so kept until the great interest
; secured either through the present or
ONE other proposition.