The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1874-08-23
Railways and Other PabIic Enter
prtses.

prtses.
To the Editor of the Dallas Herald
Having, In my connection with the
commercial interests of Texas, been
witness to the advantages attending
the building of railroads aud other
public and private improvements to
facilitate business, and heard, in my
travels upon our thorOughfares, much
of that common abuse and expressions
of distrust and dissatisfaction the pub
lie generally fling at officers of railroads
and public spirited and enterprising
men, l thought, with your permission,
would say few words in u 0ompara-
tive way, in favor Of railways, their Of
ficers and other enterprising men, who
have largely Invested their capital in
Texas, and whom know have been,
and are now, exerting an influence up
on our local and foreign business
affairs, little dreamed of by the mass Of
people and beyond the anticipation of
those who calculated, from the limited
view of the future fifteen years ago, the
present business and agricultural re-
sources of Texas.
Fifteen years ago was long period,
to estimate upon, when viewed from
standpoint like Houston, then the
terminus OF the only fifty miles of
railroad in Texas, with the prospect
of future progress, the most dubious
and discouraging, when added to fears
of civil war, apparently Inevitable
and disastrous. That period of fifteen
years has happily passed, however,
without any great calamity except the
emancipation of few miserable,
worthless niggers, and the displace-
ment Of some old fogies, who are ever
sources of annoyance TO enterprising
capitalists who desired TO invest their
resources Of wealth and energy in
Texas. Fifteen years past Is an event
ful period,i 1t has Witnessed the settle
iiient ID Texas of thousands of good,
honest, Woodworking penplei 1t has
witnessed the building Of extraorli-
nary facilities for heavy commercial
business, stimulating, by such conve-
niences, the brains aud energies Of this
great people q develop to an excelsior
degree the agricultural, mineral and
educational grandeur of our native re-
sources.
Fifteen years ago, outside of the glo-
riOus city of Houston, there was little
or no interest taken in public improve
ments and comparatively no ehcour-
augment 0aeradl to epterprisjng n1en
to assist in the settlement of the cQun-
try, or aid in any wise, by erection Of
facilities Of transportation, the dispo-
sal of crops, beginning 70 attract tho
attention Of markets beyond the limits
OF our state.
Galveston was then comparatively a
little village. isolated from the main-
land and agricultural resources Of the
interior, and with scarcely pereepta.
ble influence to control the limited
crops we then produced. Since then,
however, a period of fifteen years, the
little village Of yesterday has nightly
changed, and Galveston boasts the
heaviest commercial business on the
gulf, and Is reckoned the commercial
emporium Of the southwest, exercising
an influences upon the prosperity 81
Texas notwithstanding noftli Never
dreamed Of till recently, the intercom.
muntoatlon which railroads afforded
suggesting the idea To the enteprislng
business community we boast Of
At that early period there was
scarcely a bale of cottnn raised t9A
thousand acfiss IA npfiperii Texas,
markets being tqn distant Ia warrant
lie transportation, and for want Of
the cheap and regular transportation
we now possess. farmers were COM
PEELED to limit their crops to the pro-
duction Of wheat, corn, potatoes and
oats, articles easily disposed Of at home