The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1880-08-19
HARDLY coMpREHESDrse THE
QUESTION


Another enthusiastic meeting has
been held in Brazoria county, AT
which the Improvement of the
mouth of the Brazos river was again
considered. a correspondent, writ
ing about it says, over three hundred
persons were in attendance, and be-
sides the harbor question the subject
of immigration to the sugar belt
was discussed, and committee of
citizens was formed to compile in
formation for the engineers in
charge of the work at the mouth of
the river, and for the purpose of
collecting matter for the informa-
ton of persons desiring to be en-
lightened upon the great alluvial
belt lying between Buffalo Bayou
and Navidad river. A sensible move
was made in the meeting above re-
ferred to, when it was decided to
empower a committee TO make full
enquiry into and report as to the
amount of live oak timber on and
adjacent to the Brazos river. This
report, if a comprehensive one, will
show that in the four counties of
Brazoria, Fort Bend, Matagorda and
Wharton, there is enough of this val
liable wood to build ships for the
great mercantile nations of the
world for centuries to come, and
that on the Brazos river alone it is so
great as to be inexhaustible for gen.
erations to come. A report is also
promised as to the amount OF popu-
lation to be benefited by the I'M
provement of the mouth of the Bra
EOS, and the inference may be de-
Quoted therefrom that these people
have but a faint idea of the work re-
ferred to, for while they appear TO
look upon the question in limited
sense, it really assumes the broad
one that would benefit all Texas and
much of the country northwest
ward. Were there % feet of water
on the bar ats the mouth of
Brazos river there would be no
power which could prevent the es-
tablishment there of the greatest
point IN the Southwest,
and railways would empty the
products of states into great ships
lying safely at anchor in the Brazos.
While these people wonld with their
primitive ideas, show the number of
thousands of people to be benefited
by properly improving the mouth of
the Brazos river they also deter
mine toreport the amount of sugar
molasses, cotton and corn" raised in
their immediate section. This will
of course be statistical information,
but ii would be more to the point TO
point out in these four counties the
number of acres of land particular
ly adapted to the growth of sugar
cane and of the other products
named, and the vast amount of live
stock that could be induced to come
TO deep water for shipment to
foreign countries. These are the
questions that capitalists and immi.
grants would be informed upon. and
which the good citizens of the allu-
vial belt should comprehend and
make known. There are many
counties in Texas producing crops
largely in excess of the marketable
productions of these counties, but
there is no section on the face of tho
globe capable of so vast produc
ton as these lands adjacent to the
Gulf and extending about sew
enty-five miles up the country along
the waters of the Brazos, the Ber
nard and the Colorado rivers, all adj
jacent to and Immediately tributary
to an improved port at the mouth o
the Brazos.