The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-06-14
MlfIlt 9'aTte
NJ. VI. MURDOCH, Editor.
WICHITA AS A CENTRE.

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Superior natural accessibility is the
nrime factor in the development of a
central market, the facilities of which
in turn becomes commerce which again
affords manufacturers their opportunity.
These, taken together, mean wealth,
population and municipal power; IN
other words they constitute the metro
polls. AS the elements composing such
accessibility, whether Of bay, or OF
river. or of such conformation of the
country as invites other modes and
meaos of transportation, the fact remains
that the elements mentioned fix and de-
velop commercial centers without any
reference to and in spite of any efforts or
desires of men. No conceivable adverse
circumstances, natural or imposed, can
change or alter the fact of that some
thing which determines the site for the
trade center OF every country which
embraces a community of interests, be
it great or small, or be its population
few or many.
That Wichita is such center and of
such territory, nobody, since the
nomadic tribes of all the country
lying south of the divide defining the
Kansas and Arkansas rivers found it
their natural treaty ground, has been
found to question. Wichita is just as
sure to remain the central market and
commercial metropolis Of this vast terri
tory in which she is located as it is GER
tain that each of all the surrounding
counties will have a municipal center
known as a county seat. Thata number
of these county capitals will be bright,
busy and prosperous cities there is no
question. They will have representative
establishments of all the greater
concerns of Wichita, Of manufactur-
ing interests, of grain store houses,
packing and milling interests, etc. But,
Just as these minor cities will have repre-
sentative men every day present from
every township of their respective coun-
Ties, so Wichita will, as she does today,
have every day in her midst representa-
tive men from every county and from
every principal town and city OF the
more extended area described. Not only
will the great livestock market and
packing interests be found at Wichita,
but also the grain market, the jobbing
market and the manufacturing market,
etc. Towns and stations in every
direction will have their grain
elevators and shipping yards, but
at Wichita, as today, will
be found the buyers who with their
money will constitute and maintain the
central market. No antagonistic or
rival interests, singly or combined, can
take from Wichita the prestige which is
hers per virtue of that seemingly little
understood law that plants every great
city. In the absence Of possible water
navigation, railways have in a sense
superseded the wagon road in serving
commercial centers; still railways are
the creatures and not the creators of
commercial centers. A former manage
ment Of the Santa Fe, the great Kansas
system, finding that commercial center
at Wichita would be against that roads
interests, expended vast sums in the |
construction of lines around and about |
this city, which lines were built not only |
TO divert Wichita's natural traffic but to |
concentrate it to the Missouri river; yet !
such effort could not, and did not, over |
come the natural advantages inherent |
here. While such policy, for time,
was felt keenly by this city, postponing
many enterprises, now these very lines
and branches are contributing to the
strength and traffic of Wichita, and to-
day that system and its management
constitute one of the greatest of all the
ciry's friendly factors.
The city Of Wichita was never so
strong in the elements that 20 to make
up metropolis as it is today. Besides
the city is four-fold greater now, as COM
pared to any and all would-be rivals
and competitors, than it was even in the
days when its boom overshadowed
that of all others in this section or in the
state. There is here solidity, strength
and permanency which assures our own
people and convinces outside friends and
foes alike. When in all other cities of
the west matters have come to a stand
still, Wichita is developing and growing
in every vital interest. Kansas City,
Omaha, Denver, Dallas, Salt Lake CITY
and all the prospective centers of the
Pacific coast have come to a discourage
ing halt, leaving Wichita the only center
among them which is in any wav ex-
panding. The outside world of capital.
ever awake to such matters, are seeing
this and the result is being seen and felt
every day.
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WHY WICHITA WAKES.