The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-30
ToPEKA,s PRosPERrTY.

! There are a few people in this city
who are abusing their town, and
they ought to take vacation and
some good summer tonic. 1t is not
necessary to wander very far down
Kansas avenue to have one of these
gentlemen of unbalanced digestion
approach you, and in the utmost con-
fidence assure you that Topeka is go
| ing to the dogs; that our bank clear
| ings are falling off: that all our noble
young men are moving to Kansas City
and other foreign ports; that our big
stores are selling out, and all our rail-
way magnates are being moved to
Chicago. 1t is enough to make a
timid property holder sell out his
holdings and flee from some horrible
commercial disaster.
The plain facts of the case are that
Topeka never was SO prosperous in
all its history as it is right at this
time, and the man who knows a good
thing will buy Topeka property, prop
erly situated, and make money on it,
Bank clearing figures are not every
thing. They can be fixed up and
padded to most amazing proportions.
They indicate" something, perhaps,
but they don't prove. Topeka banks
have on deposit over $5,500.000, the
largest in the history of the city. and
representing one-twentieth of all the
bank deposits of the state of Kansas.
But this does not prove that Topeka
is prosperous, any more than de-
crease in bank clearings proves that
it is not prosperous. 1t Indicates"
however, that Topeka is the richest
city in the state.
Take a look around town if you
would see why Topeka is prosperous.
Down there is a brand new stave fac
tory which was completed only in
time to discover that it needed twice
as much room. and the additions have
been built. Over there is new
wholesale tinware factory, just being
completed. Across the street is a new
iron foundry, of which the walls are
just going up. A little further away
is a large new steam laundry build
ing. Near it is a large new manufac-
tured ice plant, and wholesale COM
mission house which is just now at
work doubling the size of its present
three story building. The Parkhurst-
Davis building and the Sells building,
destroyed by fire five months ago, are
in process of reconstruction. Two
large and expensive church buildings
are being erected, and two others are
having large additions built Several
large new school buildings are being
constructed. A Carnegie library
costing $4,000 is going up. A dozen
magnificent residences. each costing
upwards OF $4,000. are being built.
These are only a few of them. Travel
around town, and you will be sur
prised at the magnitude of the build
ing boom.
1t may be that a few of the railroad
officials have had their headquarters
moved to the big railroad centers, but
this is in line with the modern policy
of railroads. There are probably
more men on the Topeka pay roll of
the Santa Fe at this time than ever
before. The places of the lost OIL
Gals have been quickly filed with new
employees The Santa Fe shops are
still by far the biggest single industry
in the state. His AK
Topeka is all. right. and the man
who tells you one of those Heartrend-
ing Tales is probably doing so because
he has got a grievance and is trying
to bear Topeka stock.