The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1878-05-02
THE SAN ANTONIO HERALD AND
THE NARROW GAUGE.

The Narrow Gauge Railway Compa'
ny propose to do what the Information
al and other companies have done. II
would own laad adjacent to depot
grounds and sell lots and create vii
lagos and multiply the population OF
the country as no broad gauge road
could. Cheap rates of freight and
travel will attract farmers and artisans
aud tradespeople. Builders and own
ers of the road propose to take advsn-
tage of these facts and create villages.
The more, in this case, the better for
Austin. These villages, it will be OBJ
served, cannot ship the country's pro-
ducts to any other point or buy else
where than in Austin. Villages and
towns created by the International are
of the least possible advantage to Aus
tin. The International gives them ev-
cry possible facility for trade with re-
mote cities. Austin will give its trib-
utary towns the lowest possible freight
rates and simply that they may pros
per and enrich the railway and the city
that built it. Our San Antonio neigh
Dor has wholly misconceived the pur-
pose of gentlemen who undertake the
construction of the narrow gauge.
They will be well pleased to create
towns and villages and Austin as we'll
pleased as the enterprising railway
builders. If the railway company
make money by dealing in town lots
nobody has the right to complain. A
large class of people dwelling in the
city and subjected to no necessity i'm
pelling them to be in Austin each day
and night will have homes and gardens
and pretty farms along the little rail-
way. They will come in when the sun
rises and go out each afternoon and
the residences of such citizens of the
capital will constitute, with their in
habitants, as Austin grows in wealth
and population, the most attractive
towns in Texas. But we on
ly proposed TO say that they
who have. undertaken the task of
building cheap railway north from
Austin are not idiots as represented by
the Herald. They propose, while en-
riching themselves, to enrich the coun-
try and the capital. They will not only
build towns and villages to trade with
Austin, since they cannot trade else.
where. but this cheap road, with cheap
rates for traffic and travel, will compel
the broad gauge lines to make the same
rates for freight and travel towards
Austin which the narrow gauge adopts.
Otherwise this end of the broad gauge
will do nothing. For this simple rea-
son, we find those interested directly
or indirectly in the broad gauge lines
are bitterly inimical to the narrow
gauge. They never state their real
objection above given, but tell each
listener that the transfer of freights at
Austin will be great calamity and,
therefore, that Morgan's road from
Cuero should be extended to Manor
and thence to Round Rock and thence
across the rich counties whose wealth
and populations the narrow gauge will
bring to the capital, and which Morgan
and his Austin agents would take to
Indianola and New Orleans. While
these narrow gauge builders cannot
please everybody, it will be observed
that they delight the people and prop
erty-holders of the capital. In fact,
the salable value of Austin real estate
will be augmented, the very day the
construction of the narrow gauge is be-
gun, certainly twenty-five per cent.
Drs. Taylor and Tobin, and Messrs
McCreery and Crow and Stewart end
their associates know precisely what
they are driving at, and the San Anto-
nio Herald knows nothing whatever of
the subject.