The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-08-10
HE MAKES
A PREDICTION
Charles Davidson Says Santa
Fe Will Become Great Friend.
BASIS OF HIS BELIEF
1t Is the Logical Thing to Do
for the Roads Own Good.

ct make the prediction" said Charles
Davidson. president OF the Chamber OF
Commerce, yesterday. that within q
short time the Santa Fe railroad, never
notable in It's friendship for Wichita. viii
prove to be one Of our greatest friends
and an ever-ready helper in our endeav-
( ors Why? Because the Santa Fe will
come TO see, shortly I believe. that for
/ the protection OF her own interests in this
territory, it will be the rational, logical
thing for her to protect this city as dis
/ tributing center. The Santa Fe Is a great
( system. It's friendship, when it exerts il.
/ is a great friendship.
The most troublesome question Wich-
tia has had 70 contend with has been that
Of equitable freight rates. Since we have
begun proceedings before the interstate
/ commerce commission 10 correct discrim-
inaticns many valuable concessions have
been granted. In talking with the gen.
/ eral freight agents OF two OF the great
systems. the opinion was advanced 10 me
recently that this problem could not be
solved or settled right with any degree Of
permaneney without making a new has
ing line west of the Missouri river. That
line. OF course, would run through Wich-
tia. When that time comes Wichita s
commercial supremacy viii be assured.
A very potent influence in the establish
ment of this new line is the extent OF the
Rock Island system, as it has been ex-
panded in Oklahoma and the Indian Ter
ritory. that road being able a present 70
reach more towns than any other railroad
system there. Being aggressive the Rock
Island will Try TO control the trade Of
that country from one of its Oklahoma
points. Where it can reach its greatest
distributing power, there 1t will concen-
trate its effort The Santa Fe can best
reach all points in the territory from
Wichita. and, as I suid before, for her
own protection. she must protect this
city as a distributing point. The con-
sentative. careful policy of the Santa Fe
long kept the management from disturb.
ing our existing rates, but recent adjust
ments by that line indicate that the
Santa Fe realizes the situation and viii
take care of Its business in the territory
through Wichita.
Certainly the day is no longer here
when our advantages as a distributing
center can be gainsaid. Wichita has never
made any great pretensions of being a
manufacturing city. Manufacturing is
usually done in smaller towns, located
within a few miles of a commercial cen
ter We have, however. Il goodly num-
Der OF very prosperous manufacturing
plants and more are coming. Chief. of
l.
our real Importance at present is indi-
Gated by the distributing houses which
are being located here. We are rapidly
becoming the distributing point for a
great many manufacturing plants. Take
for instance. the manufacturers of i'm
plements. Over 100 have distributing
houses in Kansas City. Mo. Few of our
people realize that forty-eight OF these
are represented also in Wichita. employ
ing all the way from one man up to fifty
and most of them having located here in
the past TWO years. These big establish
ments did not come here because they
wanted another house, but in order to
protect their trade in the territory tdbu-
tary to Wichita. The situation compelled
them to locate here, and eventually they
will all have large distributing houses at
this point. These houses now employ
total Of 29s people, and during the early
summer months the number reached 400.
And the implement trade is only one Of
the many interests that know the value
of Wichitas central location. Here is an
interesting list Of the implement manu-
facturers represented in Wichita at the
present time and the number of their en-
ployes;
Milwaukee Harvester COmpany........ 20
Pioneer Implement Company........... ?
Plano Manufacturing Company......,. &c
Bettindorn Axle Company ........-...... 3
Clark Getaway Harrow Company
Warder. Bushnell & Giessner Company %
Mccormick Implement Company ....... 90
Van Zandt Implement Compa amy. p
Deering Harvester Compa ny. ......-.... 4
Studebaker Wagon Company. 81
Keys Bros. Buggy Company ........... 1
Bradley-Alderson Compa .-.....-...... .
Sattley Manufacturing Company ?
Continued From Fifth Page.