The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-11-01
THE WICHITA rURNrABLE.
Kansas the Barometer of the Athison
System

management means so much lOr lAl9
state, has just been held, its old board OF
directors rechosen and its present man
agment endorsed by reelection.
Kansas is the barometer of the entire
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway
system. 1t is a noticeable fact that
whenever an unusual amount of pros
perity comes over Kansas that the
stock of the company quickly responds
to that condition and advances more
surely than from any other one cause.
No state probably exerts SO marked an
influence on the stock of and railway as
Kansas does over the Santa Fe, and 1t IS
certain no state through which this
great system passes exerts even MOTTO
able influence. The mileage of this sFs-
tenn amounts to over 5000 miles, over
3, 100 of which are in this state touching
sixty-eight out of the LOG counties.
Seventeen hundred miles of its track is
within 100 miles of this city, thus prac-
tically making Wichita the only city OF
over $4,000 inhabitants or the central
distributing point of its Kansas system.
Its five lines radiating from this point
to points ontside of the state being OF
about the same length, makes Wilhlta
virtually the turntable of its system.
Chicago on the lakes and Galveston on
the gulf are both 600 miles in an air line
therefore Wichita is the pivotal city fol
the busine ss of this country when seek
ing either of these points to water trans
portation for export business.
There is only one city in Kansas Of
over 1000 population and only three out
of nineteen over 1900 population that II
does not touch.
The population of the sixty eight coun.
ties through which it passes and trans
acts the bulk of its business have popu'
lation of 1,0S5, 10.
No other western railway covers q
state so completely with network OF
tracks or has become so closely
identified with a state as tc
have its stock respond to every condition
arising from its own policy or the acts
of the people.
The soil of Kansas has made it posi-
BILE to have such system as the Santa
Fe. Unlike all other great systems that
advanced westward from eastern cities
with the march of civilization, the Santa
Fe started in Kansas and ever since 1855
has gradually extended its line on the
tribute paid to it by Kansas people, from
Kansas productions. No other line OF
railway in Kansas touches so many
counties or has as many lines extending
to as many different market points IL
other states The contributions which
Kansas has made to this railway in the
past is only circumstance to what il
will be in the future when the resources
of the state have been developed to its
fullest capacity. Take for example the
the territory surrounding the city
of Wichita and circumscribe II
within a radius of 100 miles
and we find already that over 100, 000,0 0C
bushels of oats, wheat and corn have
been raised in a single year; that the
eleven counties adjoining this city pro-
duce more than one-half of it; that Sedg-
wick county alone has raised nearly
three times the amount of grain raised
in many states twenty times and more
larger.
Wichita is the central, concentrating
and distributing point for an agricul'
tural empire, the possibilities OF which
is only limited by the amount of labor
and capital employed.
With 1888 miles of one system of rail
way and two thousand miles of two
others within a radius of 100 miles tC
concentrate the production of the great
Arkansas valley, and with the thousands
of miles more of these same systems tc
distribute the same to nearly every mar
ket. Also the distributing city fol
Southwest Kansas and the Indian Terri
tory for the imports from other states
by right of location is not only the turn.
table of the Santa Fe system of railway
but naturally of all the railways circum-
scribed by 800 mile circle around this
CITY.
Wichita holds the same position to the
Santa Fe in Kansas that Kansas does tc
the whole system. and so as the business
of Kansas is of first importance to the
Santa Fe over that of any other state, il
is reasonable to suppose, as good bust
ness proposition, that the business of this
city is of first importance in this terri
tory to that company. Probably no rail
way system in this or any other country
has so fortunate a location for so extern
sive a system, that ought to command as
large a business as the Santa Fe.
With location in an agricultural state,
second to no other, and a direct line Il
every important market center and the
prospect of receiving a large revenue
from the enormous grain crop not yet
marketed, and being fortunate in having
an economical administration, and one
which is disposed to encourage and pro-
tect its local business and patrons gener
ally, it is safe to predict that the stock
Of the Santa Fe will advance several
points beyond its present quotations and
nearer to par than many Of It's warmest
admirers have any idea of.
''Our Jerry" as the Alliance following
delight TO call him, is developing quite
a penchant for drinking not only, but
for hobnobbing with the bloated auto