San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1879-08-09

annually flowed into the State forthe
past five years. A, reasonable predis-
tion for the future would be that the
population will run, up to 2,500,O by
1880, aud will lionceiorth show only
moderate increase. Tho introduction
Of manufacturing industries would
create larger growth by building up
large cities, but the Southern people
DO not take to manufacturing, and tho
Texas population is essentially South.
ern. The Toxas towns are trading.
centres only and the largest Galveston.
has less than thirty thousand inhabi.
tants, although it boasts q very re-.
spectacle age and handles the cotton,
OF over half the State. After Calves
ton rank Houston, San Antonio, Dali.
las, Austin, Waco, Fort Worth, aud,
Sherman, in the order named, ranging
from 2U,UU0 down to 10000 inhabi-
tants. There are perhaps q dozen
places Of over 6,000.aud less than, no..
200. This is scanty showing of large
towns for territory seven times "a
large as Ohio. 1t will be said that
Texas is new State, but the best
part ofiti ID no newer than Iowa, which
is thickly' dotted all over with thriving
towns, and the western part was set
tied by the Span;ards as long ago as.
1920. II must be remembered how
ever that Texas has had the advantage.
| of rail communication with the North
fer only ak years. Nevertheless, Civ,
ing full weight to this fact, there, are
few evidences Of much future growth
10 the older towns, of the building up,
Of new towns Of importance or of the
thick settlement of the farming eour-
ties.
NO SPECIAL ADVANTAGES FOR NORTH
ERN IMMIdRAT1ON. ''''!
l fail to sac in Texas any special and
obvious advantages Tor Northern im.
migration. For u certain cluss OF peo-
pie who are impelled by health consid.
eratiOns to seek warm climate, and
who must.in removing IRON their old
homes, have tair prospect OF earning
a living 10 their new location, the
State holds out the peculiar induce.
ment OF beiug o new and, growing
country where lands are good aud cheap
and the climate both mild hnd health
ful 1t is b common misttkt, however
of people born in region of cold Win.
tens, and unfamiliar with any otber, 10.
imagine that Southern coun ti,os ore in
some degree paIadisaical, aud hat ma
ture offers u greater amount OF 60 mfort
and happiness there than elsewhere.
The truth is our Northern wInte rs are
q blessing to all save the feeble and
consumptive. They Kill the seeds OF
disease in swamps and marsne., tone
up the system, and prepare people not
only to endure but toacnjoy tie sum
mer. In the South tie exception
from snow and exeremo cold ia paid
tor by'a long. hot. Gaiervating summer.
Besides, there are more malarial iu-
fuences than in the North, aud the
pest ofimosquitoes lasts for six months
of the year. Then there are other ia
sect tormeuts. such as iieas, sand-hies.
and gnats, from which northern lati-
tudes are generally exempt. As to
natural beauty, one sees more in n
three hours railway ride out Of New
York or Philadelphia. than in a
month's travel in the Gull states.
Still, if a Northern man wishes for
any reason to settle in warm climate
to engage in farming or to help build
up frontier town, Texas is good
place for him. ! have 10 previous let
ters shown the advantages and disad
vantages of farming here, and need on
ly add. that an Industrious family with
a few huodred dollars capital to make
start with, will be reasonably sure to
prosper in Texas, justas they would in
Kansas or Nebraska. Perhaps they
could prosper here with less severe la
Dor thanfn those localities but they
could no more get oD without good
deal of hard work here than there
The one decided advantage in Texas
is that little or no effort or expanse is
needed to provide for domestic All
mails in the winter. When this is said
pretty much all is said.
A current error is the notion that
il is fast becoming Northern 10 the
character Of Of its population. 1t il
in fact essentiallya southern State. and
the immigration from the North. al
though considerable. il neu,ralized in
its influence by much larger immi
grafton from the old states Of the
South. Only in half dozen countie-
is there sufficiently large proportion
of Northern settlers to produce sui
visible influence on the ideas and Gus
toms OF the community. For forty
years Texas has been the goal Of the
restless, adventurous. lawless and en-
terprisiny elements Of the South. and
these people and their descendants ere
spread allover its inhabited district
today. controlling the tone Of society
the political opinions and the methods