The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-19
WICHITA AND THE FRISCO ROAD.

The st. Louis and San Francisco railwa!
and Wichita promise to be, at last, to eaci
other what was originally intended b!
both city and company they should be
when the road was first projected ant
constructed TO this valley. An oficla
announcement, with some running com
ments and reflections viii be found in the
Eagles local columns this morning that
will be read with interest by every bust
ness man of this city.
The city of Wichita as a jobbing, grain
and live stock center has been retarded
discouraged and outraged, by freight-rate
discrimina tons, forced against her through
the combined traffic interests of railways
terminating at the Missouri river, which
combine has been controlled by Kansas
City to the detriment of three-fourths Of
the state of Kansas, which have been
controlled even against tht best interests
of the more directly interested railways
| themselves. Kansas City's great leverage
has over US has been IN the Memphis and
the Katy" lines to the south, and the Al
ton and Burlington to the north. The
only Independent lever that Wichita had,
the only trunk line which was entirely
outside Of the Missouri river basing line
combine the only line which did not touch
| Kansas City, was the St Louis and San
! Francisco. which road reaches Wichita
from ST. Louis direct, with an extension
north to Ellsworth and another, a joint
line extension west to within twenty-five
miles of Dodge City. To the St Louis
and San Francisco therefore, Wichita
naturally looked for succor, looked 10 it
as an ally in maintaining her livestock
and grain markets and for making possible
the profitableness of running to their full
capacity, the great packing house inter
ests which had been built up by her.
The Santa Fe management, realizing the
power of the Frisco, and that Wichita
being the principal western city on the
line of the Frisco, and that the Frisco as
a matter of bushes and self interest would
seek to sustain the importance of Wich-
ita's business as against Missouri river
point, which it did not touch, concluded
the cheapest at least the surest way to
settle the matter in favor of the Missouri
river interest and arrangement, would be
to get control of the Frisco and incorpo-
rate it into the Santa Fe system. This
was promptly done And the transaction
marked a sad day for Wichita, for all |
that she was commercially and all that |
she hoped to be as livestock, grain, job
hing and packing center.
1t subsequently developed that the San
ia Fe had in taking in the Atlantic and |
Pacific, the Santa Fe and Gulf, the st.
Louis and San Francisco, and the CoIora-
do Midland systems had gobbled more
than they could masticate, much less
profitably assimilate. Having deserted
her Missouri river terminal and pulled into
Chicago at a fearful cost her management
found a receivership to be the only solu-
ton. The receivership was followed by
a reorganization which reorganiza ton
was possible only by consenting to disin-
tergration and unloading. The Colorado
Midland was first given up. Our dis
patches of day before yesterday announce
the segregation of the Atlantic and Pa
citic, which had proved an awful load.
This last step will undoubtedly be follow
ed by another which all along has been
the separation of the st. Louis
md San Francisco from the Santa Fe,
eaviug the Frisco and independent non
Missouri river line with Wichita as its
principal western center and practical ter
minus, leaving the Frisco at once the pet
md direct traffic line as also the cham ]
'ion Of Wichita's grain trade and packing
louise products.
st. Louis, the Frisco railway and wich- {
ia, not only, but all the country naturally
to them, are mutually interesed
n this road becoming an independent
runk line. But for the determinations !
n the way of added locals" differentials.
ebates through billings and the like, all
n the interest of the Tong haul" and the /
Iissouri river terminal combine. Wichi-
as grain trade, livestock yards, packing
oUses, great car works and various job
ing concerns would not only have held
heir own but gone on increasing. The {
'histles of the twenty-five or thirty man /
featuring concerns which formerly. in +
oncert walked the echoes of this wide 7
alley would not now for the most part be /
.lent, but Wichita with fifty or sixty c
thousand people would have been furnish :
lg a tonnage to all her lines Of road which {
-ould more than have compensated them c
or the delusive extras they have managed l
, squeeze. in the way of concessions. {
rom the combine, or realized from the !
opposed greater profits Of the long haul z
While Man proposes, God disposes" in /
le meanwhile time, not chance. evens Up :
Il things with compensations. The Q
anne advantages OF location with refer =
ice TO the eountry's conformation. the I
lme influences and interests which orig
ally with such energy built up Wichita =
nd enforced the construction of her lines
railway, exist as posently today as ever >.
"a Notwithstanding all the adverse hap g,
snings and prowarl Circumstances Win | Z