The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1878-05-18
GALVESTON AND THE INTERIOR.

notwithstanding thestrenuous efforts
OF the Ne'os to correct the palpable evil,
yet it is plainly evident to all intelligent
observers that Galveston is gradually
and surely loosing her hold upon the
people of the interior, while in the
northern section of the state, one never
hears the city mentioned in a CONNER.
ciai way, other than by one of the
numerous swarm of special agents, cor,
respondents or reporters, of that enter,
prising journal. This is grave evil to
both the state and the city. There are
causes for this loss of confidence and re-
ciprocity of interests, and it is the pur-
pose OF this brief article to enquire into |
them.
The merchants aud business men of |
Galveston have not kept pace with the |
rapid development of the interior. They |
are attempting to de business on the |
same margins, with the same stocks and |
the self-same facilities now-.hen the |
state is penetrated in all directions |
with railroads-that she used and was
satisfied with when the ox.team afford, |
ed the transportation needed by our
sparse population, aud few and exceed. |
ingly simple wants, Then the village
appliances were all that was necessary.
Now We have developed into an EN-
pire in territory. in population, and in |
the Intelligent apprehension of our
power and importance. and the city
which would do our commerce for us
must IN some sense exhibit an ability in |
capital and intelligence, to secure our
trade, at least approximating the wants
and capabilities of the interior. Our
meaning will be more clearly understood
when we allude to the fact that five
years since our grain productions were
unequal to the immediate home demand.
while now we ship thousands of bushels
of wheat and many thousand barrels
of Hour annually; and this wheat and
flour is peculiarly adapted to the Sorth
American, West Indies, Central Ameri,
can and Mexican trade. Yet Galveston.
the nearest, most convenient shipping
port. has no single dollar with which to
increase or properly handle this now
important, and soon to become the
leading. product of the state. Where
are her mills and elevators2 Where
the ships necessary to carry to market
this immense production Instead
of meeting the new situation with
capital and intelligent provision, she
calmly folds her garments about her
beautiful limbs and supinely waits for
the gradually receding cotton bales,
upon which her previous enormous
tolls were levied. What farmer of all
our wide wheat-growing country in
north Texas, ever plants q single acre
of the cereal because OF announcement
he receives from Galveston, or because
he expects fair price. or intelligent
trade combinations, by which he may
reap present profit or future advantage?
This, to a thoughtful mind, and one
who loves every foot Of our broad
territory. and who would prefer to see
Texans do the trade Of Texas, contains
no single suggestion of satisfaction, but
very many of doubt and uneasiness--
not for the interior. hut for the
beautiful city which refuses to grow
rich and important upon the trade
which is hers by every right recognized
among commercial peoples.
Galveston is filed to-day with men
who have made enormous fortunes off
the trade Of the interior, and who now
refuse it because the margins ara not 20
expansive as they were when she had
no rivsl. She reverses the maxim, and
it il now small trade and large profits !"
Had she purchased the Galveston,
Houston and Henderson, sad and put
the rates At = nominal figure. bought
out or suppressed her wharf monopoly,
the entire railway system OF the state
would have been centered there to-day,
and the Nsus and other business houses
would not be preparing to wing thsm-
selves to Clinton or Honnston when the
evil day comes. for como IL viii and
that soon. and the interior would NOT
now bsstsainipg it eyes TO Nov Orleans
81. Louis ard ewes ChiOAsp, for The f.
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