The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-22

| the enterprise, industry ana InT4LL VI
! the people, and the other to snow their
regard of the higher and more import
ant affairs of religious life. And no--
withstanding this marked religious,
moral and business development, pro
clamation was made by those jealous or
the wonderful advancement Of the city
that the people were rebellious and law
less
1t could not be possible that a city
like this, built as this had been, could
be lacking in business enterprise, or
that it should be given over 10 vice and
lawlessnesS. The city and the sur
rounding country had been visited by
a plague of locusts, had been stricken
with drouth, had passed through great
| financial panics. But the people were
not discouraged and surnounted them
| all, with no lack of confidence in their
city and in the future.
The first great attempt to cripple the
| city and impede its progress was made
by the great railroad lines that enter
ed its limits. Either because of friend
| Illness to other cities, or because Il best
! conserved the interests of these great
corporations, they interpOsed in the way
Of the city obstacles which any people
less resolute and with less confidence
/ in the wonderful resources of the sur
/
cred insurmountable. These railroad
lines reaching Wichita transported a
tonnage larger by far than IN and from
any other city in the commonwealth,
! and no other community in the state
/ turned into the Golfers of these thorOu-
| ghfares so much as Wichita. And it
| seems strange that these great corpoT-
atoms that ought to have been the
| friends of Wichita, became the great
! obstacles to her development and
| growth. Determinations most unfair
and unblushing were made against her
! at every point, and freight going out
and coming into Wichita was not only
| made to pay extra tribute to the sys-
TEN which hindered her development.
| These Determinations were made from
the first. That Wichita should rise
| above them, and grow, thrive and pros
! per in spite of them, was the most con-
! elusive evidence Of the wonderful spirit,
genius and enterprise of her people.
| But these unjust Determinations by
| the railroads were not all-pOSsibly not
| the worst Of the misfortunes that Wich-
] tia had to bear, and the obstacles which
| she had TO surmOunt. For reasons
| never explained, and to the people of
! this city unknown, she was signaled out
! from all the cities of the state to dem
! onstrate the iniquities of the Metro
/ poIitan Police System, and to bear the
! brunt Of the malice of the state admin
! istration. Without regard to her well
! fare and in total disregard of her in
| terests and the wishes of her citizens,
an adminIstra ton was forced upon her,
| alike distasteful and humliiating. Out
/ of her citizenship were selected as her
| police commission 10 direct, shape and
| control her municipal affairs, three men
| who had no other interest in her wei
I fare or her future, except the naked
! fact Of residence. In laying her fOun
/ datfon, carrying forward her enterprises
/ bearing her burdens or shaping her des-
/ tiny, they had taken no part and had no
| concern. After a residence of some
years in the city, they were absolutely
| unknown 10 the business community
| in which they resided, and they became
! the fit instruments to carry out the wei
| faFa predetermined and inaugurated
| at the state capital Under this regime
| RFeaehars became politicians, men with
aut business standing became entrusted
with the most sacred interests of the
city, and men absolutely without prop
erty or credit became the custOdians of
the entire welfare and property Of the
city, and ii seemed their entire object
was devastation and ruin.
The men who had borne the heat OF
the burdens of the day in building up
the city, the men who stood behind its
business interests, the men who stood
behind its moral and religious concerns,
alike protested against this outrage up
on common decency. But all entreaties
and protests We're unheaded at the
| state capital
The protests, entreaties and appeals
or
| against the enforcement of law. Wich
| tia is law abiding community. 1t can
not be that a city that has built up the
moral and religious enterprises that are
! seen upon every hand in Wichita, with
| its churches, Sunday schools, Christian
associations. hospitals and its pleasant
| happy honest cannot be that such
community is lawless or bad.
| The protest was not against the en-
! forcemant Of law. 1t was in the first
place against the instruments entrust-
| ed with its enforcement, and against
! crowding upon Wichita of a condition
! of things from which the other great
! cities of the state had been exempted.
| No attempt was made to force ike
! condition Of things upon either Kansas
| City, Laavenworth or AtchisOn. There,
| the requests and protests Of business
]
nored. Had Wichita been treated as
| tn other cities of the state. or had the
| other cities of the state been treated $
/ Wichita, there would have been no
murmur no protest, no complaint II
the people Of this community could have
! believed for a moment. from all of the
surrounding circumstances, that the
! attempt to force upon il the men and
! conditions which were forced upon Il,
/ was done in good faith and was promot-
ed by an honest desire 10 enforce the
! law. there would have been no words
| OF disapproval. But the only construc-
ton which could fairly be given TO the
| acts Of the state administration. was
! that Wichita was singled out for per-
| secution through malice. or that the
! other cities were exempt from Ike
/ effort through cowardice.
The whole community became perme-
/ ated with discomfort and dissatisfac-
/ ton. It spread to the country districts
| and they became equally dissatisfied
! and disCon tented-not, mark me-not
with the attempt to enforce any law.
/ but from the fact patent upon its face,
/ that Wichita had been singled out from
/ all Of the cities Of the state % be humili-
/ ated and disgraced. And under these
} conditions il * no wonder that express
/ sons Of Indignation mounted 70 the lips
/ Of citizens Of all classes alike. L is
! no wonder that jurieS refused 70 become
J parties to this outrageous attempt 70
J disgrace and humilia,e the city. which
/ not the residents and citizens Of Wichi-
! IA alone. but which the wohie southwest
| had assisted in building.
But the broad spirit Of hospitality
/ which the early settler brought 70 the
/ valley and to the city. has not been lost:
and IN the midst Of misfortune and per-