The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1875-09-29

You can scarcely go into any railroad
city or town Of Importance in Texas,
but that you see displayed over some
IN erchant's door, in the most conspic-
uous letters, "Cash for Hides.n Upon
further inquiry you will invariably as
certain that the cash paid for hides
means money paid for the skins of cat
tie for expectation to distant States to
be tanned into leather. IL is most
notable fact that in population of Il
million and u half OF people, extend
ing over territory larger than all New
England and New York put together,
nearly all Of whom are supposed to
wear shoes, there Is scarcely II single
lanyard to be found in the whole
State. Did any one ever sit down and
calculate the vast extent of the trade
in boots and shoes alone In Texas, not
to speak of the numerous other uses to
which leather is put? 1t is believed
that we have million and half of
people in the State, and allowing only
one pair of shoes year, ut IN average
of two dollars pair, for the entire
population, the sum of three millions
goes out of the State every year for the
purchase Of shoes alone. But this il
not one half the amount expended by
our people annually for leather, and
NJ there are no tan-yards in
the State, Of course the whole
amount, aggregating probably six
to eight millions a year. goes
to enrich n more enterprising people,
and to build up amongst strangers es-
adjustments in New England and
elsewhere in the North for the manu-
facture of the simple article Of leather.
The unsophisticated stranger, from Il
statement like this, would conclude at
once, either that there are no cattle in
TeXas-that 10 beef is consumed
among our people-or that theirs is no
material in all our land by which the
skins of these beeves can be converted
into leather We believe that IL will
be generally admitted that Texas does
produce some cattle; and ii Is equally
II fact, the truth of which may be
gathered from the frequenters of our
hotels and boarding houses, without
resorting to private tables for the In
formation, that the people of Texas
generally are beef-eating people.
This custom prevails pretty generally
In all parts of the State, and ii is the
cattle of Texas that affords this supply
of beef Hundreds of thousands of
hides therefore, are either lost, des-
troyed or exported; for there are no
tan-yards in the State. Now, ip almost
all the old States, where, comparative
ly speaking, the cattle are but few,
you can hardly go anywhere, but you
will see establishments on large or
small scale for the manufacture of
leather. But in Texas you may travel
hundreds of miles and you will not
see one, whether your journey takes
you through the prairies, where the
cattle are on thousand hills, or
through the timbered region where
tanning material everywhere abounds
in quantities ineXhaustible. With all
this material SO abundant, and an inn
mense market in our midst, to endure
AS long MS feet demand the use of
shoes, 1t is only the want of enterprise
IN this as in all other matters of like
concern, that stands in the way. To
manufacture leather, does not require
large capital. 1t is not like cotton
factories and iron foundries. All that
IL wants Is an association of effort and
of capital in q limited way, and men
of small means may carry it on as sue.
cesstully and with as much profit rs If
heavy Investments Were made by men
of greater wealth.
The leading productions of Texas
should be utilized at home. Cotton
and wool should be made into fabrics
where they are produced. Wheat
which is so rapidly becoming u
leading staple in all this land,
should not be transported " thousand
miles, at an enormous expense, to be
made into flour The immense iron
deposits of Eastern Texas should 10
made useful to the State by an exr
tensive development The vast popu-
lation now here'and rapidly coming IN
Will need the cotton and woollen
fabrics, the flour and the manufactures
OF iron aud as the cattle are here in
myriads to supply their wants for food,
and all tanning material, in quality
unsurpassed and in quantities unlimi IT,
ed, Is found in every section of the
State, 80 the same population should
be shod and all supplies of leather
furnished from Texas manufactures.
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CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION,