The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-08
THE RELATION WICHITA BEARS TO
THE STATE.


shipping point. Up to the present time
there has been no indications of ''dry
rot or going to seed. After the cattle
drive became impossible, owing to the
settling up of the country and rendering
it impossible for cattle to be driven here,
the grain business followed, and in three
years she became the greatest wagon
market for wheat the world has ever
known. In the year of 1873 100000
bushels OF wheat came into Wichlt> on
wagons, which was IA per cent Of the
entire crop of the state, and more than
was shipped from all the combined
stations on the Atchison, Topeka q
Santa Feroad that year. Such an enor-
NOUS grain trade gave an impetus to all
kinds of business and Wichita prospered.
In 1879 the railroad was extended and
much of our retail trade was cut off and
then the attention of our people was
turned to getting other roads. The
Frisco" management was seen and soon
arrangements were made to construct
that road from Oswego to Wichita.
That accomplished, and another road
was discerned in the eastern part of the
state extending in a westerly direction,
nothing was left undone it was secured.
The great Missouri Pacific bought the
road and extended it southwest and
northwest. The entire state, catching
the spirit from Wichita and getting
their inspiration from our move
ments, began railroad agitation, and
went wild over railroad building, and
the result was that Kansas in 1889 was
the second state in the unionin the num-
Der Of miles of road within her borders.
During all this time our people through
the press and by judicious advertising
kept Wichita before the world in a way
that not to know of Wichita was mex
cusable ignorance, and soon the most
marvellous growth and development ever
known took place. Wichita was the
talk of the world in 1887 and, at that
time at least, Wichita was sometimes
considered Kansas, as the following il
illustrates. A certain state official had
occasion to visit the city of New York
and on his return he concluded to stop
off at his old home in Ohio, little vii
Iage Of three or four hundred people.
Arriving late at night he putup at the
only hotel. In the morning he took
stroll to see how the old place looked
after twenty years absence, and to see if
he could fine any of his old acquaint-
ances. After walking for some time and
failing to recognize any one on the
street, he finally stopped an old man and
began to ply him with questions as to
what had become Of this and that one.
When he got through the old man asked
him where he was from, and he proudly
said he was from Kansas. "Oh! you are
from Wichita are your" the old man re-
piled.
The settling up of a great state, Ike
the building up of a great business
needs systematic methods. Those who
live here know that there is more here
that meets the requirements of a
contented, happy people in
the way of productive soil,
healthful climate and business oppor-
tunitieS than any state in the union.
While we know this to be fact, and
we know further that it is a fact that to
be once a Kansan is to be always a Kan
san to a greater extent than can be said
of any other state, as a state we are pay
ing too little attention to making con-
verts.
Wichita took the lead last winter in
organizing a state immigration board
and by hard work organized a little
over half the counties in the state. The
primary object of the organization was
10 get the state to advertise, immigra-
ton would follow. Other states realize
the benefit of keeping themselves before
the public and they are reaping the
benefit. The Dakotas send out their
flaming many-colored posters embel-
lished with the cut Of beautiful young
lady with low-necked dress. short
sleeves and slippered feet, lying in
hammock. when buffalo robe, sack and
gum shoes or a toboggan suit would be
more to the purpose. Yet they lure peo-
pie within their borders. and if the state
of Kansas would follow the lead of
Wichita she, too, might occasionally see
a home-seeker. Today Wichita is send
ing out more literature calculated to IN
duce people TO come to the state than all
the balance of the state combined, and
she is making a good investment by it.
In one week the Real Estate exchange
had calls for one hundred more farms
than they could furnish. and there are
more sales of real estate in Wichita.
more building being done, more public
improvements going on. more business
being done, more strangers visiting the
city. more new business interests being
located here than in any three towns in
the state.
Wichita is a leader, and vet so great is
the jealousy of many of the cities and
towns that they viii so against their own
interests rather than follow her lead or,
worse still, viii malign the city that