The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-09-07
WHO Owns
WICHITA LOTS!
Home Purchasers and Their
Bearing on Growth Of City.
OFF SPECULATIVE MARKET
interesting Communication on
Some Local Tendencies.
OFF SPECULATIVE MARKET

the other day, z Dlped said Many
things OF yours I have read and I am OF
the opinion that you owe Wichita a col
umn on things generally" The manikin
and I held some converse and on some
things differed. This brings TO mind the
four lines:
"OPinIonaters naturally differ.
From other men; as wooden legs are
sitter,
Than those Of plant joints:
To bow which ever way they go"
An opinion Is an assertion as to why
al men OF sense should agree with the
conceit OF the speaker or writer. This
may not be the dictionary definition OF
opinion but it squares with the knowl-
edge OF the man, who hears the dogmas
Of dogmatic dispvants- I presume that
this idea can be applied 70 theology. poll
tics or any other ism" But the idea Of
this paper is 10 apply it 10 the grub or
worm. called Wichita" now ready 70
slip its night shirt, become butterfly.
show its wings in the sunshine, escape
from its cell and proclaim to the world
what fine thing it is 70 lift oneself above
its surroundings and look in a looking
glass 70 see a really fne figure.
Wichita from its birth. until 1857. was
as fishing boat on streams calm or
troubled. alternately; now hosEing IN the
current: now hugging the shore line in
doubt and fear the immensely OF the
railroad construction in Kansas from 1854
70 1856. the consequent local commerce;
the padded" values Of lands and town
lots; the influx Of people: the plethoric
banking accounts; the Saturday night in
voices Of lands and the padded values on
Sunday; the unexampled credit at the
bank: the huge volume of nou-dividend
earning principal. possessed by all. that
seemed 10 increase daily, ali taken to-
gether caused Wichita 70 assume posi-
ton and attitude not warranted BY
close diagnosis. and was therefore par
donable because Of the actual inexperience
OF the men who created as well as fos-
tered Wichita.
Our high blown pride at length broke
under us" and left US 10 the mercies Of
the most virulent vindictive. merciIess.
maleVolent, caustic. carping criticism.
both at home and abroad, that ever be-
fell town. as the little souls that helped
TO spread our fame. now resident in al
most every portion Of the globe burst
New England yet smarts under its Kan
sas losses. Admitting that the loss at
Wichita was Eve or even ten millions Of
dollars. the fat remains that the loss to
the shareholders of the railroad stock OF
the western railroads was more than two
hundred and fifty millions of dollars and
mary squeaI" This may be reasoned !
thus: The losses te the Wichita inves-
%. Ia
snd small capitalists and the modest mon I
led classes; the loss TO the railroad in /
vestors was 70 the Spectator. The rea-
soning is that when a merchant fails and /
beats the banker and "jobber no one (
notices it. but if ne fails to pay the /
butcher. landlord. baker and his wifes I
oressmaker. q howl then comes that walls |
loud and long. The investors in Kansas /
lots and lands. who are now all working 4
schemes 10 recover land on which they
paid no taxes for years. made the load +
of the Wichita men heavier in the long I
weary years prior 10 1886. In other words. /
the non-paying taxpayers are like the
black snake" in tho brier patch thai
stayed under while the weather was cool
and when the sun came out got OF the
top rail Of the fence. Investors who hold
4lL5 now ~tlLe-A-tt-A4e AANc NAlA--t l-4
would have been deemed larceny. rob
berry or shell game" are among Us.
Douglas avenue lots are now diamonds
and the balance Of the town is az least
on the gold dollar basis"
What hath wrought this change
A newspaper Is not the proper channel
in which to write treatise on any sub
5ect. but at the risk OF boring the readers
= q
By one 'opinionater.'
Though II is q fne boast 70 speak Of
Wichita as the city Of homes. in zee sim
pie. yet If We fail 20 become SO in fact,
the net rents viii be an average of / per
cent. "Hewers Of wood and drawers OF
water" are the foundations OF the city
values Low rents ruin the landlord, high
rents ruin the tenants The golden mean
les between. gives prosperity to The one
snd stability TO the other.
Landlords should realize and build 70
The end Of the tenants prosperity Some
twenty years ago. III a city out west the
real estate agents organized a meeting Z
landlords and addressed them On tho duty
Of the men who expect a nxed income
from city property. The result NJ this
meeting was an order 10 bath tub con {
Germ for S. ~ worth OF material and an {
order 70 a hot air furnace concern for
Iioo.eoo worth of furnaces. We should re- {
member thar every city must Of necessi-v :
have the grand aggregate Of its noQula-
hen as tenants. 2
The occupants n the sterile lands e !
New England read eageriy the dispatches =
hat report the prospect Of wheat. cats
and corn r. Kansas because the output 2
u the New EngIander next year depends q
n the present Kansas crops tho meat q
packer IS interested in cattle and hogs.
he bankers profit depends or the de- g
'osits that follow a full crop. no crop c
10 output east; no deposit AZ home =
The agriculture Of Kansas IS now IS
sblished as wheat and corn. cattle and 5
log raiserS thereby fixing the vaIue Of @
he farm as a dlvidend-paying investment ?
With small expense: this IS attractive 10 ?
he man whose money has been carved
~ OF the land. The farmers Of Illinois. G
indiana and iowa realize that land al the y
ow price per acre II Kansas Is better "
or their children than the holding Il the
Ugh priced land Of other states. hence
he influx from these states OF late years [
The town lot with no income Is a curse &
o the owner, but that with an income IS r.
ne shadow OF a rock IN a weary land. e.
10 the bSt With TIA Iaeons must include