The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-05

able TO run them, at figure that gives
profit True, they for a spell may be DOR
mant but dormancy is not humiliation.
Every dollar put in these things will
prove to be worth it. to those who hang
on" Every dollar put in these things by
boomers would have gone in some other
''rat-hole."
Providence, destiny, nature. fate chance
or what you may name it, SO arranged
things that the impending ruin over
hanging us was not to be avoided. So
pre-ordained results that the then present
crowd of boomers should be thrashed
to straw; ground twixt the upper and
neither milestone; beaten fat as hammered
gold, and torn by rude winds, and credi-
tors to ragged and frazzed fringe be-
yond recognition and identity.
The writer is of the opinion that as
the boomer talked of great benefit to
succeeding generations by his labor
any money, he may be gratified by the
good to come out of the Burton car
Presbyterian outlook. as well as a
philosophical view of looking at things,
hence we adopt this view.
To return to the sheep: Some work had
been done looking to the donation TO
Whitaker. The outlook was not encour-
aging. There was no cash in sight. Notes
in bank represented at least $50, 900 of the
sums subscribed to the Burton car works
and Dold. The banks had pro-rated
loans (to their customers TO raise this
so. 600 These loans were, in a great part
renewed. Hence cash to any new scheme
was not to be considered. Yet no one
thought we could not in some underlined,
unknown way, raise the subsidy.
One rainy afternoon, when the whole
earth looked dismal and gloomy, and the
writer was at home with quincy, George
c. Strong and George L. Douglas came af-
ter him in a hack 10 attend a meeting and
Scott Corbett was sent for; then Colonel
Lewis. AT O'Clock a meeting was held
in Judge Sluss' office, and some rude
draughts of donations, in three or four
forms, We're submitted to Sluss and recast
by him.
These memoranda were reduced to four
sets or forms:
Firs-Subscriptions outright to the gen
eral subsidy fund. to be used to procure
any needed industry;
Second-Deeds, with and without any
conditions:
Third-Mortgages with and without
conditions;
Fourth-Conditiona location subscrip-
tons
All this was rushed to a printing office
to he ready next evening
The amount of money to he raised for
2 t,..
for any needed industry" was at least
100000. We said to ourselves: Cash, 50
cents: land 81; take your choice.
At that date we did not, could not. rea-
lie that lands and lots, appraised by fair
men. at near a half million dollars would
eventually be drug at % cents on the ST.
We now know that if we had not caught
a sucker we could not have sold the
stuff at y 1-2 cents on the 81. Allah be
praised for said suckerr In fact a great
deal Of this so-called property would have
caused a law suit some years later if a
grantor, by stealth. had caused some of
it to be put in a deed unbeknowns to the
grantee. Bnt at that date it had a value,
based on the tai end of the BOOM
We in our minds figured that "a half
million dollars of property sold at 50 cents
IN the dollar would leave at least $500 900 ,
after allowing for shrinkage in handling
exchange, transportation. counting, abra-
5 on and short weight This s200,0e0 would
buy Whitaker and get some small indus
tries The small industry crank was al
ways making profert Of himself and urg
ing the board to put out $4,000 to assist
infant Industries " but the board was as
deaf as an adder to these cranks. Having
embarked on the sea to catch packing
house whales, we did not intend to be
diverted from our catch"
In this campo gn we forgot the Board
of Trade and enlisted every man (and
some women in Wichita. This general
subsidy was a citizens subsidy, and was
not put on foot as a Board of Trade
scheme The board subsequently managed,
controlled. mortsaged and pledged the
same but this was no part OF the original
scheme The scheme, when born, had as
many god fathers as Mormon kid has
stepmothers hut 50 far as the writer
knows George Strong and George Douglass
were wet-nurses at the ACCOMPLISHMENT;
S,uss was the boss Aesculapian with l.. d.
skinner. Scott Corbett and Colonel Lewis
ct al. a. bottle holders and "spongers.'
Unlike the Dold campaign this drama
was a Chinese play and ran all day, as we'll
as at night.
Some men were becoming hollow-eyed.
sleepless. FESTIVE. The question was. shall
we stop or bet a half-million assets on the