The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-06
THE PUFFER PUFFED.
An Old Patron of the Eagle Delivers Him
Self Handsomely.

SER Handsomely.
To the Editor of the Eagle
L f1atter myself that it would be
be voicing the sentiment Of thousands
OF readers Of the Eagle to heartily
commend the enterprise and good
taste displayed in the recent changes
and Improvements in its general make
up. Since increasing your facilities
some months ago for telegraphic news,
there has seemed nothing wanting to
make 1t, in every sense, a great metro
politan daily newspaper, but since the
beginning of the new year, and the
new and convenient arrangement of
matter, II is evident that the skill of
us editor and managers were still able
TO make some improvements. While
this is complimentary to your good
taste, 1 now wish to hazard the opin-
ION that nothing remains to be done
TO make 1T what it is in fact: strictly
hrst-class daily paper.
AS pioneer reader and advertiser
1 desire further to attest my apprecia-
ton OF the Eagle as the greatest of all
agencies in the up-building of Wichita
and southwest Kansas. Other insti-
tutions have failed, some have pros
pered and many are on a self-sustian-
Ing basis, but for whatever growth or
success that may have rewarded the
efforts of any or all the Eagle can just
ly claim a liberal share of the credit.
Ever on the alert for the advance
ment of this territory your columns
have been free as any word from a
friend of Kansas, though 1 know it
requires money to run a newspaper, l
can attest from long and intimate ac-
quaintance that no man ever came
10 the Eagle with a worthy enterprise
TO be turned away. 1t has faithfully
served US in all our ups and downs as
the generous and reliable medium
through which might consider nv
means or measures looking toward
the growth of this section, as we'll as
the general prosperity of our people.
In the planting and building up Of
this civilization we have had the ad-
venturer, the sham and the fraud to
contend with, but here you have served
us no less effectively. You have
sounded the note of warning, even
when the drift of public opinion was
in an opposite direction, but the march
of events has shown the folly of our
Veering TO the right or left of CONVEX
sauve policy, and the Eagle, almost
alone at times, turns out to be the safe
counsellor when others were wont TO
brand il as "old fogy" in its policy.
That you and your paper should es-
rape the calumny Of a few who sought
pnly to build individual fortunes upon
the just rights of the public was not
to be expected. Others have had a
outlined, from which they would
brook no deviation. To all such 1 de-
sire TO point the fact that, though
policies have changed from year to
year, leaders have come and gone, but
the Eagle survives all the changes and
wrecks, whether righteously conceived
or grounded in the common quality OF
human selfishness. II is human to err,
and YOU have the common attribute
but how often have we seen you ac-
cept 1T as a privilege to concede the
right, and record the amende honor
able when retalition or an uncharit-
bic silence would have been the nat
urai course l conceive that there are
those whom no editor or minister of
the Gospel could ever please, though
every thought and every line were
dictated by the saints and martyrs.
Those reflections come with the in
nate sense OF justice which should
dictate the course and the feeling of
all fair minded, intelligent people 1t
is no bed of roses, nor fair weather
voyage to sustain or to carry the burd-
en- of public approval on questions
which concern all. 1t is a still greater
responsibility to shape and direct pub
lie opinion, yet We recognize this IS the
prime function OF the press. Yielding
to this view 1 prefer to interpret the
motive. and not always the literal
word, as the ruling influence, other
then which the Wichita Eagle would
long since have gone down in the
wreck of financial storm, with its mag
nificient array Of Geographic news, its
generous supply of local items, its
complete quotations of daily markets
and its brilliant page Of editorial mat
ter, it supplies its thousands of read
ers, not only in Wichita, but on the
very outpostS of our frontier, with a
strictly first-class daily paper before
the close of each day in the week, and
now, clothed in the latest new attire
of the times, provided with your great
perfecting press, four new type-setting
machines, and sustaining the biggest
weekly pay roll within the borders of
your district, / congratulate you and
the Eagle as the one indispensable !
a gent TO the growth of Kansas and
Oklahoma ADVERTISER.