The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1878-01-05
WASHINGTON. December 20, II

10 the Editor OF the Herald,
The Christmas holidays in Washing.
ton have been anything but godly days.
While the weather for the most part
has continued pleasant, the city itself
is much like a deserted village, and the
few that remain of the great crowd Of
lawmakers and lawNbreakers, have a
most disconsoate and woe begone oxN
preston of countenance, and wander
up and down the street as II in search
of something or somebody that could
not be found A few committee men
and leading members of the house or
senate remain here hard at work, pres
pairing Tor the labors of the session,
which is likely to run on to the SUM
mer solstice, News is plant that does
not grow here at present, The morn>
ing papers are hardly pressed for fresh
items, and the desperate reporters
would interview q .ackass if no would
bray as inteligently rs Balaam's pious
donkey, In the absence Of items OF
local interest, let me give your readers
few paragraphs upon the
RICHES OF THE SOUTHWEST,
have Just perused very interests
ing work prepared for the press by A,
D, Anderson, ESQ, of ST, Lotus, giving
valuable information drawn from the
best authorities, entitled "The silver
country; or the Great Southwest" The
book describes the character and res
sources of that vast region formerly
known as Mexico or New Spain. The
larger and better half of this immense
territory, comprising Texas, New Mex
leo, Arizona, California, Colorado Utah
and Nevada, now belongs to the United
States, and covers nearly one million
square miles, or six hundred and forty
million acres. This is nearly one~third
of the worlds republic, (Alaska ex-
cepted and one of its states (reXas,)
is half MS large again rs the six eastern
and four middle states Much of this
vast area used to be put down by the
map makers, as the Great American
Desert" But this illusion is being
rapidly dispelled by later discoveries,
explorations and settlements. While
Texas aud California have already be.
come the greatest grain and stock.
raising districts in America, other por-
tons are equally rich in arabic
land and u most productive
soil. But the farm products of the
grand division of the United States sink
into insigniiicance when compared with
the incalculable mineral wealth found
almost everywhere. 1t appears from
the work Just alluded to, that the yield
of gold and silver from these states and
territories since lS4S, and up to 1876,
amounts to the enormous sum of
81, 3So, S72, 1875. The larger portion of
this comes from California, bat during
the past few years Nevada, Utah, Color
ado, New Mexico and Arazonia have
commenced pouring in great treasures
of the precious metals In Arizona
the late discoveries indicate that that
territory will rival, if not excel, Nevada
in its mineral treasures. A large mum.
Der of valuable silver mines have been
located, and partially opened in the
Santa Kita mountains, not far from
Tucson, and capitalists and miners are
flocking thither to enterupon the work
of development in good earnest. In
southern New Mexico, also, in the
neighborhood of Silver City. large
number of silver leads have been dis
covered and opened, while the same
vicinity displays little mountains Of
virgin copper, too rich to be easily res
duced into commercial ingots Color,
ado, too, is rapidly extending its ex>
ploration and greatly increasing the
products of its mines.
There lies this great country, almost
equal to Europe in size (Russia except
ed), with its vast but undeyeloped res
sources. Its known capacity for the
production of agricultural and mineral
wealth is sufficient to startle the imag-
ination and test the credulity of the
most sanguine. But then comes up
the pertinent perplexing but pressing
question,
WHAT SHALL We DO WITH lTY
In its present condition large por~
| ton of this rich and fruitful country is
also literally cut off from market, and
lies beyond the pale Of civilization.
Look at it on the map, and learn at
glance its necessities and demands.
Stretching through sixteen degrees OF
latitude and thirty degrees of longitude,
washed by the Pacific ON the west and
BY the Gulf of Mexico on the southeast,
watered by numerous but not
navigable streams ribbed by
mountain ranges, with rich val>
leys interpreted; verdent plains and
praries stretching out everywhere,
fringed or belted with forests; this vast
region with its amazing wealth has but
a single line OF railway. quite on it's
northern boundary, which traverses the
country from east to west. Southern
Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and
Northern Texas, constituting great
empire Of undeveloped wealth, are
practically cut off from the markets of
the world The ofay thing necessary to
send million of people into these last
named districts is trans-continental
thoroughIare through Northern Texas,
New Mexico and Arizona to the Pacific
coast. But how can such road be
built2 The Central and Southern Paci
ic Of California, propose in their bound
less benevolence, aided by few million
acres OF land, TO turn east from Yuma