The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-25
THEY ALL
WANT THE HALL.
One of Topeka's Biggest Whole
sale Men
sAnd One of the City's Leading
Bankers
FOR THE AUDITORIUM
They Voluntarily Offer Sugges'
tiOns in the Matter.
> The Project Needs More Push
ing of This Kind.

There seems to be general idea that
If a new auditorium is built in Topeka it
must be on the part of a number of citi-
zeus who have the interests of the city
at heart and not by man or men as a
financial investment
The contemplated situation near the
corner of Eighth and jackson streets
seems to meet with universal favor
among the business men and others in
terested. The argument in favor of this
location is the proximity to the transfer
station and its being a central point in
every way possible. One of the leading
business men vino is heartily in favor of
something being done to give the city a
good large auditorium is W. H. Davis of
the Parkhurst-Davis Mercantile com :
pany. Mr. Davis said today:
Il am pleased to see the JOURNAL take
the matter up and hope it will push it
along as rapidly as possible. No one can
gainsay the assertion that Topeka should
have a better hall for convention and
other purposes than it now has.
''It would be a mistake, however, to
suppose that the hall could be built as a
paying financial Investment to the party
OF parties building it. Then again, this
is not the proper idea. If hall is built,
patriotism aud a desire to further the
welfare of the city ought to be the mo-
tive behind it and not the desire for fnan-
clal reimbursement to whoever built it J..
THAT is The reason l would like to
see 1t built by subscription. and the best
of 1opeka's citizens and business and
professional men interested in it. For
one, l would like to see the coal hole
money used toward such laudable pur-
pose, if it were possible. l am convinced
that nothing in the way of coal will be
s6rnrad fbr0nDb baf nd hV
devote it to bettering Topeka in another
aud more important manner?
The location spoken of by the jour
NAL would be an excellent one and no
better one could be found. l hope to see
the matter still further agitated and be-
lieve that we will yet get an auditorium
that will accomm odate any crowd that
should come to the city, and make To-
peka the center for all public gather
ings and conventions"
The JOURNAL wishes it understood
here that it is not advocating any partic-
uIar location. There are dozen good
ones.
One reason that is urged against one
man building the proposed auditorium is
that it would hardly be a success as a
financial Investment because the taxes
would literally eat up the profits.
J.W. Thurston, cashier of the Bank of
Topeka, makes a suggestion which
would obViate all this. Mr.. Thurston
said; "Lst the public spirited citizens of
Topeka do all they can for the erection
of the building by means of subscrip-
tions- and then let the building be do
mated to the city. This would render it
proof against enormous taxes.
Topeka is prominently a convention
city, and ! should like to see hall that
would hold more than 5000 people,
Have a large, commodinus, we'll venti-
lated and we'll planned auditorium
and the city would soon see it would be
one of the grandest things ever done"
There is little doubt that Topeka
wants the auditorium, for it is one of the
principal topics of conversation on the
street, in offices and hotels. The only
thing necessary is a unanimity of ideas
and suggestions and opinions. As it is
now, the ideas are very vague and vary
great deal Yet amongst it all there
is one general opinion-that Topeka
must have the hall.