The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-18

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"a a nm in Wichita today
II Il n than ever before.
" Il va We are growing in
XXA N 4 commercial i'm
II II "A pOrtance every
Il E@nH day. noticed in
q ~ the EAGLE that
0HEC2=-- last week $780,
- OO000 was paid out
fR5 for live stock and
grain, and yet that is only commence
ment, beginning, the climax of which
will result in one of the largest inland
cities in the west In my opinion it is no
longer a question of Wichita; tits simply
a question of her surroundings, and to have
faith in the country surrounding Wichita
for hundred miles in every direction you
have only to go and see it right now.
think no similar area in this country equals
it, and there can be no question but Wich-
tia will keep pace with it. The same en-
ergy and good judgment shown in the past
needs only to be used and what the result
will be can be easily foretold. l can't see
anything unfavorablei in the outlook There
are some industries we ought to have and we
are going to have them, we have made no
mistakes so far and as fast as our people
become convinced that we really need any
special thing they set about getting it.
Do you believe it is possible to build a
large city here?
Well, that depends upon what you call a
large city. The best guide to an opinion
on that question is comparison. Other
western cities have grown from 100000 to
2j0, 900 people upon less that we have, and
our territory will soon, by the opening of
the territory be large enough to support
more than one large city. No, can't an
swer that question definitely, because the
possibilities are too great, situated as we
are, midway from east to west and north
to SOUTH whether we will only make a
city of two or three hundred thousand or
upon the central plan vie with Chicago.
What is the feeling Of our people? So
far as my observation goes it is good, and
it cannot well be otherwise. While our
business men have felt the stringency of
money matters in their business, they have
not felt it to the extent of other cities, as
illustrated by the few, if any, failures,
among our merchants. In fact, | believe
we have had less failures than any city of
like size in the country.
You have been here from the beginning
almost, and have seen the city in its differ
ent stages of growth, what deductions do
you draw? As you can observe by my re-
marks so far, | haven't anything unfavor-
able to say. Why, ten years ago you could
count on the fingers of your two hands the
number of men in this town who had
money enough, or were worth enough to
buy lot on Main street or
Douglas avenue at the price they
would bring today. Today there are five
hundred homes in Wichita that cost more
each than the individual fortune of either
of twenty-five of the wealthiest men who
lived here in 1850, and | want to say that
the Wichita of today in all that goes to-
wards making a solid commercial
city, is two hundred per cent
ahead of the Wichita of 1857, when
she was acknowledged by everybody TO be
the wonder of the age Remember that is
only three years ago: and some of the best
informed and most successful business
men of the east are beginning to size us up.
| have had occasion TO to talk to some Of
them in the last month and find they are
all of one mind and predict greater things
for us than we do for ourselves. What do
you know about anything new for WITCH
tia? Well there are two or three import
ant interests now that are receiving the
attention of the board of trade
but you know it's not the policy
of that body to get too previous
and go off half cooked and / viii not 20
into detail, but such matters as railroad
elevators, wholesale houses, etc, are re
ceiving due attention and il looks now as
though 1890 would be red letter year for
our city. What do you think of the public
improvements now going on2 Ibelieve we
could hardly do less. Money jndiciously
and economically eXpened in needed public
improvements is proper, and some Of our
improvements We're badly needed and the
public was behind the individual in
many; and that we were well able to carry
on these improvements is shown by our
low rate Of taxes and the good credit Of
the city shown by the sale of her bonds.
With such views as You have Of Wichita
how do you account for so little activity in
real estate9 Well. in my opinion, il can
only be accounted for on the principle that
when anything is real cheap no one wants
it, YOu know that corn sold last fall from
II TO - cents per bushel, yet no one wanted
it, and now that il has doubled in pYice a
good many fellows are bewailing a lost oD-
pOrtunity. Within year predict II VIII
be the same with Wichita real estate only
more 50, and the investor who is waiting
for Wichita dirt TO get cheaper viii set
left for It is now on the up grade. and the
feeling Is growing better every day. am
not looking for a boom, but / am expect
ing very prosperous times and q steady
and rapid growth Of our city
and rapid development OF
the surrounding country. II this por-
ton OF Kansas has a. favorable years a.
she has had for the past j. years, II IS
bound to become one Of the weal,hie-t ia
the country. Last year eleven coautiez
surrounding Wichita raised 100000
bushels OF corn, wheat and oats. This
amount Of grain at to-day's prizes, raised
on but little over one-tenth of the state.
would redeem nearly one-haf Of the farm
mortgages Of the whole state % Kansas.
and vet some mistaken beings are Darad-
ing the forlon condition Of the state Il
makes ne tired was reading n q Den
yer paper short time ago a boom article.
bcasfinz Of their wonderful wealth saving
ali they had 20 do was 70 d. il ont Of the
SIDES Of their mountains, and yet their
outDat last year for the state u Colorado
was less in dollars and cents than the
grain would bring that Vas ralsed IN The
eleven COUNTIES referred -. They 81 t.
BIZ the use a = diamond drill aud blasts
We get ours by riCEe.inz the soil
CHANGE or TIM
\ change of tine On the Missouri Pacific
a.