The Topeka state journal., 1901-11-23
THAT KANSAS CITY SCHEME.


paper called attention to the Kansas
City electric railway project, an enter
prise which seems inimical to the mer-
camille interests of this city During
the past week the subject has been
taken up by the business men and the
Commercial club. If there are any
Topeka merchants who are in favor of
encouraging this electric line to Kansas
City, the State Journal does not know
who they are.
In lending encouragement to the
project the Topeka Capital has the fol-
lowing to say:
Opposition to the request of the
Kansas City Electric Railway company
for a free franchise for the use of the
public highways of Shawnee county
should be based not on hostility to the
enterprise, which Topeka can not de-
feat. but on the principle laid down by
Mr. Mulvane, that the county commits
sioners have no moral right to give
away valuable public rights
1.-The proposed electric service con-
Meeting Lawrence, Topeka and other
towns with Kansas City is in line with
the recent development of cities
throughout the eastern states, and is
bound to come, regardless of our own
feelings The larger cities everywhere
are reaching out to tributary territory
and making themselves the business
center of a much wider radius than
formerly. This Is rendered possible Dy
electric car lines and is part of the
transformation which electricity is
working in municipal conditions. Law
renee will undoubtedly be hard hit by
this electric line, and Topeka will
probably suffer somewhat, notwith-
standing the greater distance to Kan
sas City. On the other hand, there viii
be some compensation in attracting
trade to Topeka, in the development of
truck and dairy farming and the divi-
sion of farms into smaller areas and
the increase of county population ac-
cordingly. which will make Topeka its
marketing and shopping center"
The State Journal believes that oppo-
sition to the Kansas City electric road
should primarily be based upon hos
tility to the enterprise 1t is conceded
that under no circumstances should the
commissioners give away valuable rights
on the public highways. That goes
without saying. There should be some
financial consideration for a public
franchise. 1t is also questionable
whether the narrow public highways
should be cut up by a railway. But
the concern would probably easily buy
a right of way.
1t ought to be sufficient reason for
opposition to this project because the
merchants believe that such line
would work them injury
The business men do not believe that
the increased facilities which would be
afforded the country people within a
radius of a dozen miles southeast of
Topeka would at all offset the injury
done by such a line in diverting trade
from it's natural channel to Topeka
away from this city.
One of the leading merchants of To-
peka says: "I think this electric rail-
way would work great ruin to US. We
are spending thousands of dollars to
build up this city and to make this
center of trade and 7 cannot under
stand why Topeka should foster an en-
terprise to build up a Missouri river
town in another state to our own in
jury"
The merchants are in favor of better
communication by improved roads and
better transportat ton facilities with the
suburbs and territory adjacent to this
city, but they are opposed to making
Topeka a suburb of any other town.
Topeka has a warning in Leavenworth.
If Lawrence is to be hard hit and
Topeka probably suffer" why should
we do anything in connection with this
Kansas City scheme but fight it and
discourage it.
Topeka is already the marketing and
shopping center of a large scope of
territory. With the proposed electric
line this territory will contribute more
additional trade to Kansas City than
1t does to Topeka
The county commissioners and citi-
zens who may be asked to favor this
scheme should bear in mind that they
Topeka men which will improve business
conditions of the city; but on the other
hand are asked to encourage a Kansas
City enterprise backed by outside in
terests in a scheme which proposes to
help Kansas City merchants at the ex-
pense of our own.