The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-02-22
THE WICHITA AND Ell rAso ROAD.

The opposition to the bonds are hard
pushed for arguments TO support their
cause and resort to ali kinds of subterfuge
to carry their point An investigation Of
the tax roll in the county treasureY's Office
reveals the fact that the railroads in Sedg
wick county pay into the county a sum
largely in excess Of the interest On all the
bonds of the county, which includes the
court house and Jail bonds and all funding
and bridge bonds. Heretofore all roads
asking for bonds have asked for the limit
of the law, which was formerly 1900 per
mile and is now $4,000 The present pro-
position of $4,000 IS the most fav-
orable one ever submitted and,
strange as it may seem, IS meeting
with more opposition than any bond
question ever met with before, and still
more strange is the fact that the opposi-
ton is largely confined 70 those who pay
but little if any of the taxes. Some ad
vance the argument that the road will be
built whether the bonds are voted or not
Five Of the directory of the road are citi-
zens of Wichita and they state, positively,
that the road cannot be built unless Wich
ita decides on the Goth that she wants the
road by a majority vote for the bonds
The capitalists who have become interested
in the road have been led to believe that
Wichita wants the road and wants IL bad.
AN other position would lead them to
think that we did not need it, and if the
road was not needed they would be foolish
to invest their money.
A short time ago at a meeting of the
managers OF several western roads, a reso-
luton was offered that no more roads be
built in the west for five years. Whether
such an agreement would be kept or not,
it is safe to say that but little railroad
building will be done in the near future.
The FL Paso is a Wichita road; it never
would have been chartered but for Wich
ita. 1t could not have interested capital
but for the fact that Wichita is the town
she is-the commercial center of this sec
tion of the country, the market for all that
the road can get to transport. No other
argument was used to induce the capital
lists to take hold of the road. To defeat the
bonds would end the matter, as it would
be a convincing argument that it did not
traverse a rich territory; that it had
nothing to offer that Wichita cared
for, while such are not the facts.
Wichita does need the road. Would
need it if she was on the top vain of pros
perity, and could not afford to throw
away such an opportunity if the cost were
many times as great. The enterprise that
built Wichita, the energy, liberality and
business sagacity that has guided her
through four years Of depression will have
largely departed if on the 26th day of Feb
ruary we defeat the bonds. The following
are the conditions upon which the bonds
are voted, which are not only liberal but
which provide for everything that Wichita
could ask, in fact for everything that the
road has TO confer in any way:
Whereas, Said bonds, if voted. are to
be delivered to said company upon the fol
lowing conditions, towit: O. That said
company shall build within the corporate
limits of said city suitable passenger
depot and a suitable freight depot at some
point 10 be agreed upon by said mayor and
council. and have said road in operation
as specified in the petition of resident tax
payers: CO That the headquarters and
general offices Of said company shall be
established and forever maintained in said
city; CD That the genera! shops for said
company for the Kansas division shall,
when built, be built, and thereafter main
tanned within the corporate limits Of said
city: and
Whereas. Said bonds shall be for the
amount of 1000, due in thirty years from
their date at per cent interest per an-
num-