The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-07-23
A SOUND TOWN.
WICHITA, HER BUSINESS AND
HER BANKS.
A Clearing Up Storm That in Level
ing Some Things Will Develop
the Greatness of Others.

Adversely is as truly the best test OF the
solidity of a city as 1t is of the sourdness
of individual character. The interests OF
that community which are maintained,
and whose enterprises and people rise
superior to the sings of outrageous for
| tune and the Vaccinations and unholy
combinations of powerful enemies and en-
vious rivals-the final triumph of such a
people and such city will prove more
than ordinarily conspicuous and satisfac-
tory. The late financial troubles have
punctured the inflated skins of not few
wind-bags. The unprincipled and i'll
conditioned contract entered into between
the railways and the Missouri river towns
to the end that the jobbing, that the COM
mercial and important market interests Of
the Trapsmississippi region should be
| forced to the banks of the Missouri
river, and that no point, whatever
its naturally superior advantages,
should be permitted to gain i'm
portance away from such basing
line and common intent,-the city of Dem
yer, which has been granted and protected
in low freight rates, alone excepted, lis
| bringing about its own punishment In
maintaining this reprehensible arran ge-
ment, which has been 50 openly and no.
toriousiy against the well being and best
welfare of great majority of the people
of two or three states and territories.
outrageous nor any underhanded work too
low or mean that these combined interests
of the Missouri river would not resort to
or use in belittling and iniuring Wichita,
this city which above all others in the vast
area named, has threatened through her
prosperity and Importance of loca-
ton, to break down that selfish
and narrow Missouri river deal.
In carrying out the nefarious
arrangement the railways for their part
have embarrassed our wholesalers, forcing
them TO appeal to courts and to commits
sions, fixing such rates on iron and coal
as to close our great car works and to dis
courage other smaller enterprises, and to
further embarrass the most promising
live stock market and packing interest to
be found in all the west outside of two
Missouri river points. while Denver and
Omaha and Kansas City and their satel
ties on the other hand have not only be. |
Titled every endeavor of this. the greatest |
commercial center in the state of Kansas, |
but have continuously declared Wichita |
to be a wind bubble which it was their |
duty and interest to puncture.
But as we said in the first paragraph of |
this article, these are times that are test |
ing the bottom and staying qualities of !
not only cities but OF corporate and |
individual enterprise, not only of the |
west but Of the entire country. The want |
of policy upon the part of the admins
tration, the suspense and distrust grow
ing out of the promises of the Democratic
party now in power the vaciiaton of Mr..
Cleveland. their president, and the utter
lack of any unity among his leaders and
touching the money question,
has not only Frustrated all the great in
terests of the country congesting the |
arteries of trade everywhere, but affected |
the nations credit and standing abroad.
Where is Wichita and how stand her
financial and jobbing, trading and indus I
trial interests in this testing period? At |
Kansas City, Omaha, Denver and Siou
banks have closed by the dozen, and the
stocks of those discriminating railroad |
lines maintaining the Missouri as Il termi-
cal to the disadvantage of all the balance i
of the territory served by them, and upon
which they depend for prosperity.
their stocks have gone down and /
down until ruin stares them in /
the face. The dispatches in the EAGLE |
yesterday morning showed that the clear
ances of the cities named had fallen off |
from 10 to Al per cent, respectively.
How about Wichita? How about her
bottom, and where did she stand in the
cyclone that swept over the country last
week and the week before? Where? Why
her trade was within per cent of what it
was year ago. There has not been a sol
itary assignment among her merchants
nor the suspicion of one. Her banks are
sounder today than in the most inflated
period of the boom. There being no spec
nlation of any character their business is
solely everyday commercial transactions
taking in and paying out-therefore with
,ut possible danger TO themselves or to
customers, just as safe as the town itself
y neither the soundness of Wicnita's
tonding will be noted by the world ont.
de or not may make little difference to
Nichits, but it proves beyond cavil or
question that Wichita. that her greatness,
las solid foundations, that her present and !
uture are s,.fe. and that her people are