Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-06-05

c0rruptlOn OF Cnelr party. 1ue ueAI Volutuo
will be devoted to the members of the Senate,
legislators and State officers. To do justice
to myself and family, hope you will publish
this note and send me copy ofyour paper to
Yorkville. s. C. S. B. HALL"
Correspondence of the Yorkville Enquirer
LETTERS FROM TEXAS.
PALESTINE, Texas, May %, 1873.
have now spent week in Texas, seeing
so much of the great State as 1 could in the
short time 1t is magnificent country in
more respects than one. All day long you
can whirl through the State at twenty miles
an hour, with grand plain ever stretching
out before your vision. Upon this plain ten
thousand cattle feed was about to say ten
thousand times ten thousand. In no month
of my life have I seen so many cattle as
have here in a week. The luxuriant grass
that mantles the earth affords them rich pas
turage ten months out of the twelve. Between
Galveston and Houston, Aliens Rancho was
pointed out to me, where forty thousand calves
are born and branded every year! What do
you say to such cattle farm as that? In a
previous letter I may have mentioned this
rancho and put the "birth list" at lower fig
ure, as did not want to exaggerate, but
have since been informed so often that Allen
&Co. brand forty thousand calves each year,
that have every reason to believe, and none
to doubt.
Texas is rapidly filling up with enigrants
from all the Southern States, and considerable
from the Northern. I met number of South
Carolinians who have come to this far cline
to better their condition. Some have bettered
it, and others have not. Some "like Texas
and Others do not. The truth is, this State is
much like all others-considerable in it that
is attractive, and considerable that is other
wise. No where upon earth, reader, will you
find spot that is all paradise or all purgatory
There is no section but what has its disadvan'
tages, and none but what is, on some account
desirable.
To my way of thinking, one of the great
drawbacks to Texas is the poor water In
all candor, have not had drink of good
water since I have been in the State. 1t all
tastes as though something had been put into
it that belonged out or something taken out
that belonged in. met a young fellow here
from Tennessee the other day, and the first
question put to him was, "well, how do you
like Texas?
81 don't like it bit," he replied, without
hesitation. II haven't had good drink OF
water since have been in the State, going
on two months"
"Have you been about much"
"Oh, yes, a good deal; and it is puddle
water and wiggle-tail water everywhere"
"What to do you call wiggle-tail water?'
"Why, water with wiggle-tails in it, of
course; some of the old citizens say that they
don't mind them little things; but I'll swear
I don't want any of 'em in me-"
I should think that it would take man
some time to get used to wiggle-tails in the
water he drinks. I certainly should have to
practice upon it several weeks before it went
down without contortions of countenance.
But ifa man can put up with the poor
water, the mosquitoes, and the sultry atmos'
phere, he will get along in Texas. Land is
certainly cheap here, and much Of it is really
fine. Indeed, one will see much more good
land in Texas than poor. The prices range
all the way from one dollar to thirty dollars
an acre, according to location and improve
ments. You can get very good unimproved
lands here for four and FIVE dollars an acre.
and often for less. There is such an abun'
dance of land here that the supply is very
much greater than the demand. With few
hundred dollars quite respectable little farm
can be bought.
The impression prevails that there is none
or little timber in Texas. 1t is mistake
There is an abundance oftimber here, although
there are vast tracts of land that are entirely
destitute. Taking the whole State over, per-
haps, half of it is covered with timber.
Wages are higher here than in any of the
Southern States. Negro laborers upon rail-
roads receive s1.75 per day. All laborers
can earn from s1.25 to $500 per day. Me.
chanics have from $500 to $500 per day.
While Texas holds out many advantages to
the emigrant, still he that is we'll fixed in the
Eastern States had better remain. There are
thousands here to-day who have left good
homes in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama
and Mississippi, in wild goose chase after bet
ter ones, who would gladly return if they could
believe in the old saying that doing we'll is
hard to beat If you have comfortable
home and are making respectable living
the best thing to do is to remain where you
are. But if move you will-if the emigra.
ton fever is so strong upon you that you can't
get rid of 1.-THE best southwestern State for
you to 60 to is undoubtedly Texas.
There are many in the State who came here
years ago poor, and who are now rich. There
are also many who came here poor, and who
are still poor. Those who, by pluck, endur'
ance and energy, have accumulated fortunes
would have brought about the same result in
older States by the same means. 1t is pluck
that does the work, rather than location.
MEMO.