The Topeka state journal., 1898-02-03
WE'LL. PROVIDE THE SITE

The Capital still continues its objec-
tions to the City park as the site for the
auditorium, but as yet offers no other.
and appears to have made no plans to
secure another. AS the Journal has
stated, time and again, it prefers an up
town site if it can be got without ex-
pense to the city; the Journal was orig
inally for an uptown site until it found
one couldn't be had. The Journal will
cheerfulIy agree to work for the audi
torium up town if the Capital viii pro-
vide the uptown site But it seems
nobody is rushing forward with a $4,000
or S2O, 900 piece of property for this pur-
pose. Why doesn't the Capital produce
the site if it doesn't like the one chosen
by the Auditorium association, which
by the way is doing the work of raising
the money and ought to have the most
to say about it.
The City park is nearer to the busi-
ness center of the city than Kansas
City's auditorium is going to be. Rarely
is the convention hall in the heart Of
the business district of a city. Prop
erty is always too expensive there to
put comparatively non-paying buildings
on it.
Another thing, auditoriums are not
built primarily for profit on the invest
ment They are built by public spirit
for indirect profit; to help the town,
the business interests, the social inter
ests. the city's reputation for hospital
ity and, by state capitals. to show the
capital city's concern for the welfare and
convenience of the state and national
conventions and assemblies. If there
were big direct profits in an auditorium
people with money would fall over each
other to secure the franchise and priv
ilege of building one. One big con-
vention alone brings money enough to
a city to build an auditorium, but the
money is widely diffused and the bene-
fits not all in dollars and cents. Hence
these enterprises must be fostered by
generous public spirit and subscriptions.
Topeka people who are asking to have
the auditorium placed on a prominent
business corner are like children cry
ing for the moon. They are asking for
something nobody else has. However.
if anybody is philanthropist enough to
give such a corner, the Journal together
with all the people in Topeka will well
come the gift with great rejoicing. But
unless the Capital can produce the do
nor of such a site or raise the money to
buy it, it ought not to throw obstacles
in the path of the Auditorium assOcia-
ton, which has an arduous task enough
as it is
Put up or shut up.
In brief the Journals position is ex-
actly that as shown by interviews with
citizens: we must have an auditorium
now and rather than not have it at all
build it on a site which has some op-
ponents.
The Capitals position is, let the au-
ditorium be postponed for years rather
than build it in the little park between
North and South Topeka, down by the
most beautiful bridge in the west.
The reputation of Topeka is at
stake now Topeka has no place for
a big gathering. We lose thousands Of
dollars every year and no one knows
how many conventions because we have
no assembling place Topeka just now,
this month, has the great gathering of
creamery interests and we had to beg
a generous firm to vacate it's business
room to give US even an unsuitable
place, and pay three per cent interest
on the cost of an auditorium to accom-
modate this one meeting.
Another thing; the location Of a site
up town will not create entire harmony,
nor dispel all opposition. There are
those who are as strongly in favor Of
the City park site as they are in favor
of some intangible site elsewhere.
Those who favor the City park have;
the site located; they have ten thOus-
and dollars undisputed in cash for
building thereon; they have Otto
Kuehne's promise to raise three thous-
and dollars for the building on this site.
Those who favor another site have:
absolutely nothing-except talk! talkli
TALK!!!
Again we say, put up or shut DIP.
Mrs samueig and daughter Ora. and