San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-07-13
A Five Years Retrospect.
CONCLUSION.

OIpr0gteSB. Inc fence AROUND tue Jour
House and the Public Well arc among
the more noticeable Of these. Still
mort important are the large amount
of sidewalks which have been laid
When we came here the only pavement
in town was one of soma 20 to 30 feet
10 length in front Of Mitchell's store,
We we'll remember having to wade
through the mud three times . dsy
from our Office to our then residence
at the edge Of the mountains. Now
there is q pavement almost the whole
way, aud many more In various other
directions.
The country in the vicinity has kept
pace with the town. Many new farms
have been brought into cultivation,
and many improvements made upon
Others. Thompson's and Tellers new
mills are prominent accessions to our
vicinity.
When We came here it was almost
impossible to procure vegetables. The
very few which were produced for sale
we're reserved for newcomers. Our
present large and successful gar-
deus were then scarcely anticipated.
Fruits also were much scsrcer than
at present. The idea of . bath.house
was then ridiculed; now we have two.
As we have recently remarked, then
there we're but few small fields Of
wheat or other grain to be seen, and
the people generally laughed at the
idea that this would ever be much Of
a grain.growing country, while now it
begins to rank among the first.
Another sign of progress is the fact
that prices of property have come
down from the preposterous high rates
which prevailed FIVE years since, to
such IS will be more likely to induce
to invest. Again, the re.
duction of the rates of interest under
the new constitution, has proved q
blessed change, as inducing moneyed
men to think of some other use for
their funds than that of grinding the
faces of the poor and closing out some
poor devil who by misfortune or mis-.
management had fallen into their mer.
CHESS, usurious clutches-a most igno.
Bile sort of enterprise!
1t will thus be seen, that although
our progress has been rather slow, yet
viewed during period Of five years it
IS been quite perceptible and enoour.
aging. Better yet. Notwithstanding
The hard times, our outlook for the
future has, We think, very much i'm
proved. The monstrous imitation OF
prices of improved property, to which
We have already referred, was posi-
tive injury, because it robbed us of a
large and valuable class Of settlers.
who were driven elsewhere by these
perfectly fancy figures, having no ra-
tional basis whatever. If all the i'm
migrants who have desired to stop
here during the past five years, but
we're repealed by the cause named
could have been retained, it is obvious
our locality would have been in a
much more prosperous condition.
There has been an actual falling OF in
The prices of improved real estate Of
not less than one. half during the past
i've years; it will probably never again
reach the point it then stood at; and
he sooner all reference to the dead
past" in that matter ceases. the better
Tor all concerned.
1t is best, after all, to stand on solid
if not so high as that we lately
;ancied we occupied. In like manner,
mother encouraging sign is that peo-
Die are more careful to avoid going in
lebt, and as consequence are actually
ess in debt; so that we have reached
. healthier" state of things generally.
But bidding adieu to the past, we
propose hereafter giving some editori-
Il space to the consideration offs OF
he more urgent and important objects
which solicit our steps in the path OF
future progress.
A FEW days ago We accepted the