The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-09-15
WHAT OF TUESDAY
Kos Harris Calls on the Citi-
zenS to Get Out
WHAT A VOTE WILL MEAN
Wichita'8 Experience in Past
in Gaining ASCendenCY

The Eagle is in reeeio. Of a ringing
communication on next tuesdays cleo
ton from Kos Harris. It reads:
To the Editor Of the Eagle:
The proposition to vote bonds for the
park on Tuesday should not be neglect
ed.
The bonds should be carried by a biz
majority. The same motive should in
spire voters next Tuesday that Inspired
the hamlet in 1871 to vote s2o000000 to
the Santa Fe when the total taxable
wealth Of Sedgwick county was less than
onc-half million dollars. In other words.
the people Of Sedgwick county bonded
themselves forty cents on the dollar as
an evidence of their faith in the future.
The SedgRick county pioneer believed
IN the future of the Arkansas valley, and
on TIE same principle that the wheat
gambler bets on wheat with a margin up
sedgwick county bet the county against
soc, 600 co-and won out. This first bet on
futures" in the valley put Wichita way
ahead of Newton, Hutchinson and the
main line towns and gave rise TO the
cattle trade ana made Wichita the head Of
the vast trade in the lower country, and
placed it in position TO be the great
wheat shipping point Of the Arkansas
valley.
And yet the human harpie was then in
Wichita. The croaking raven of distress
and woe. sat on the door and walled ruin
evermOre, evermoret'
Time rolled along and the Frisco want
ed bonds. Wichita voted them and in
good faith. The non-payment Of these
lsends reflects no dishonor, as the Frisco
broke its promise. The fact remains
that Wichita bet 5000 mile on the fu-
>tJIre Of Wichita and won out. just as the
man who bet sl,o0) or 5000 last year on
q lot won out this year.
And at that data D. 1g7e-the kicker
was in our midst. Kicking like . three
year-old mule straddle Of a trace chain.
IN BS2 the Missouri Pacific was in
sight beyond the flint hills and Wichita
bet some S5O.oe0s0 on the future. And the
hellyacher howled Ike a noness robbed
Of her hrst-born. And in two years from
the day that the first train ran down
Wichita street the town doubled its
population-and more than doubled its
values And no man reaped any more
profit than the aforesaid kicker He
bought at low prices sold at the top and
foljed his hands, looked piously toward
heaven and thanked Cod that he was not
rs other men. And then squared himself
TO give another kick at the next PROPOSE
ton that was 10 be submitted to wichita
In 1855, 1886 and 1887 Wichita bet near
S3o0o0o00 Oh the Missouri Pacific 10
Hutchinson, the same road to Anthony.
the Rock Island s. Midland. and opened
zap fields never before touched or ham
died And she trebied population and
multiplied values by ten. During all this
tine and in al this work the melancholy
mauakin meandered the streets moan
ing and grooming ana predicting ruina-
ton. nigh taxation and financial damna-
uon-only stopping along to take his
property out of the hands Of the real
estate agents and raising the rents on
his tenants
Tn 1886 1857 and 1883 the city building
was built Ehe sewer system was adopt-
ed. The court house was built and miles
of pavement put down. And every dol I
lar was bet that Wichita would redeem
every bond and hold its rank as the town
Of the Arkansas valley.
(Query-Is there man in Wichita who
says Wichita did wrong0
1T is said that in 1857 and 1855 hundreds /
Of thousands of dollars were voluntarily
given to old. Whitaker and the Burton
car works. In enc sense this is true. and .
in the other it is false. This money was
given. But it was In fact given to stay
the falling of the town; TO prevent ruina-
ton; and to lay the foundation OF anew
Wichita, TO be built on the debris Of
boom which the west had never before
witnessed.
But tor the heroic labor OF 1857 and 1883
Wichita would be an Emporia Fort
Scott or perhaps a Hutchinson.
Location did not make us what we are.
j was money and time. energy and Ia
Dor spent At a time when our sky was
overcast with gloom that enables us to
view our present prosperity with salts
faction and pride
Where is the man who can truthfuIly
say Wichita would have had these indus
tries IL she had listened to the kicker. the
raven of woe or the belIyacher? The
Burton car works fen down. but for two
years we reaped a benefit in name and
fame that enabled lis 10 Withstand the
shock of ISIS 70 1S2
last year Wichita secured the Cudahvs
and it was done under whip and spur
that we must have two packing houses.
if the argument was good then. it IS,
GOOD now. And every man who heard and
believed that argument should recall it
10 mind now
Last year we voted for the Orient rail-
voad ana made a bet GA The trade in the
southwest and the benefits To accrue to
Nichita in the future
de mes claim to ba the Columbus who
discovered the route 10 the southwest.
bat have always had an abiding faith in
T