The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-06
MUST HAVE AN AuplToR1um

A sub committee of the board of trade
and several citizens met last evening at
the board rooms in the Sedgwick block to
consider and talk over the necessity and
the advantages of an auditorium building
for Wichita.
Colonel Bean presided and Charles E.
Potts was elected secretary. Colonel Bean
stated the object of the meeting and re-
ferred to the necessity of the result sought,
! and resolution was unanimously adopted
that we need an auditorium building and
We must and will have one"
Among the speakers were Messrs. Dick
Stewart, who is very enthusiastic rver the
proposition, J. p. Allen, Fred. Bentley.
Otto Eckstein, Charles f. Potts, w. j.
Wilson, w. S. Corbett, a. Hess and b. FL.
Campbell. Charles Carey was present,
full of enthusiasm and stated that his
father. Hon. John B. Carey, who is now in
California, is very much In favor Of the
proposition and will not only give the move
ment- his most hearty support, but
something more substantial as we'll In
fact he has made a very generous PROPOSE
ton through the EAGLE already. VARIOUS
committees were appointed to look otter
the different details before formulating a
definite plan ioT he building OF the audit
orum. A few thought it would not be
very easy TO get a sufficient amount OF
funds, but large majority thought that
when the people were made aware of the
financial benefits that would accrue to the
community at large from an auditorium,
the necessary amount could be raised In
jiffy. An EAGLE reporter sounded Il num-
Der of business men on the subject yester-
day, and every body said: 81 am in favor
of an auditorium, and will contribute
towards it." One retail merchant stated
thot he would subscribe 500 and if neces
sary he wonld add another 500 to it. An
other said, 81 will give $500 and l know
one man that will give 500. Thus it can
be seen that if three average bust
ness men will give $1,000, it will
be comparatively easy matter to build
Sc, 900 auditorium, and that much money
will build an elegant structure that will
seat at least 4, 900 people. Very few men
have a proper conception of the magni-
tude of crowd, and even good many
business men think il is necessary to put
up a structure that will accommodate
5000 persons. A review of big crowds. in
this connection, will not be out of place
here. Probably the biggest crowd ever
brought together in Wichita was on
the occasion of Senator Ingalls, visit last
fall and yet there was less than 2. 200
people in the opera house according to
conservative estimate To be sure there
were at least 700 or 500 people who could
not get in, but that would not make more
than 5000 people Add to this 1000 more
and it would make an immense crowd.
The Populist convention last year made
big crowd and yet there were less than
1890 people in the opera house. One of
the biggest conventions ever held here
was the Democratic convention of four
years ago and still less than 200 persons
were present.
''The only possible fatal weakness of the
movement is the entertainment of an idea
that the money cannot be raised, :" said one
of the gentlemen interested last night.
THE fact of the matter is that no
proposition could be made to the business
men that would receive more hearty in-
enlargement than this one and it is a
great mistake to suppose that the Wichita
business men have lost their enterprise.
On the contrary they are more willing to
put their money into an enterprise of a
beneficial character now, than ever and
predict that sum sufficient 30 build an
auditorium can be raised with rapidity
that will be astonishing.