The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1874-12-31
GALvEsroN. December "a. 1874.

Think of magnificent city on a sand
bank, the highest point of which is not
more than seven feet out of the sea, and
with a million inhabitants And this is
what Galveston will inevitably be within
the next ten years. Some may grunt when
they read this, but, after all, it is not so
much prophecy as it is a calculation of facts.
In the first place this magnificent and pro-
ddctIve territory of 900, 900 square miles in
vites and will have people. Too much has
not been promised for Texas, and so there
is nothing to stop the tremendous flood of
immigration which is now pouring in.
There are territory and resources here equal
to those of either France or Austria. When
the State is settled up, there must be some
convenient outlet for the vast amount of
production. This outlet must be Galveston.
And Galveston must grow. The exigencies
of commerce will overcome the compare
lively petty obstacles that now stand in the
way. Besides she has the start-she has
the prestige-and it is folly to talk of an-
other city spnnging up on the Gulf coast rs
the commercial seaport of Texas. There
are millions and millions and millions
of dollars invested in real estate, in steam
ship lines, in public improvements and in
railroads, all tending to Galveston. The
thing has gone too far to be stopped. You
might as well try to stop torrent at its
! height as to attempt to cross the destiny Of
this Liverpool of the Gulf.
In the next place here is the Great West,
with all its future, which must have an out
let. What is more natural than that it
should lift its hands to the Gulf Indeed,
! it has done so already, and the Galveston
Kansas City movement Of last summer
knocks the bottom out of the Eastern capt.
talists' bushel, and lets the wheat Of that
great cereal region west OF Missouri flow
! into the Gulf. Here it finds water trans
portation elvehundred miles quicker, aud
is emptied from the cars into the vessels,
which land it on the shores OF Europe aud
/ the East.
Again, the Texas and Pacific road n.,st
be built Il is en- absolute necessity to a
vast section Of country, and TINT is enough
to insure its ultimate success And IL Is
/ the nature of freights to seek the water as
soon as possible. The commerce Of the
Orient, then, will not be railroaded across
the continent to New York, and there seek
the vessels which are to carry it to Europe.
It will, very naturally, drop down here to
Galveston, and thereby save twelve hundred
miles Of expensive railroad transportation.
Il is not generally known that the
ships bringing the produce Of China
and the Indies to San Francisco
strike the American coast al point far
below San Diego. When the Texas and
Pacific road is put through 10 that point
they will naturally stop there and land their
cargoes destined for the East and thus save
about nine hundred miles sail. The Fesuli
of this viii be that the Texas aud Pacific
railway will have 70 carry all that magnif
cent commerce Of the Orient for which the
merchants Of the world have been seeking 9
shorter transit so many centuries. When
the Texas and Pacific gets II, Galveston vii
get II, for the reason before mentioned.
What must Galveston be then in the year.
to comet Her destiny Is plainly written.
Docs ft not behooTe the people Of Texas
then. to turn their eyes 70 Galveston as the
great commercial metropolis Of the future.
Il it not the duty Of every well-Wisher o.
the State, and every public-spirited Texap
70 do ali he can 70 help build up a seapor
here e. the very door Of the Statee Blu
what Galveston needs is increased trade
She needs ali that bulk Of business which
IS 60 foolishly running of 70 St. Louis anl
other large cities North and East. But ii,
argument Of duty has no force npon fiu
merchant. he viii 20 where he thinks b
can buy cheapest He has 70 be taught tia
Galveston can sell him goods Is cheap 81
s.. Louis Tins she can unaueslf0nai1ly do
and i doing a. the present time IN man.
lines Of business.
The dry goods men and druggists can 81
as cheap as the houses East, from tie iac
thatthey buy n immense quantities Tor cash
+ and tins are enabled 70 ct faF better tern
East than the interior merchant Who par
: chases IN comparatively small quantities