The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1881-02-17

industries of New Orleans, Brad
streets of January 29th, says: The
porcelain factory, of which mention
has been made in BI'ddStreet'S, is re-
garded by Messrs. Surgi & D'Estam-
pes, the proprietors, as an assured
success. They declare that they can
make the finest description of 'por-
celain, quite equal to that of Sevres,
at such prices as will enable them to
defy foreign competition.
Editor Statesman
My attention has been called to the
above clipping, and as 1 have been
somewhat interested in an effort to
call public attention to our ,unri-
vailed resources awaiting develop
ment in this State, 1 would ask your
attention to this fact. 1t is very easy
to prove that the kaolin from which
this porcelain, above referred to,
was manufactured, came from one of
the central counties of Texas, where
there is an inexhaustible bed of this
clay, of a very superior quality.
Washington, we find that there is
imported, under a very heavy duty,
over four and one-halfmillion dollars
with annually this and common stone
ware. or in other words the people
of these states pay to foreigners
over $4,700,000 per annum for the
past ten years in addition to the
tariff duties for the porcelain and
crockery used in this country, and
the sum is annually increasing.
Texas has within her borders, quar-
ries of the finest of marble both
plain and variegated, beds of pure
sand and all the raw material for
the manufacture of the best quality
of glass, vast deposits of potters
clay for the manufacture of stone
ware in all its varieties, and mex
haustible beds of kaolin for
the manufacture of porcelain
and china ware equal if
not superior to that for
which our people annually pay such
vast sums of money. These are but a
very few of the many industries that
might be named, and which will
occur to the mind of every man who
has given the subject any thought.
A state that heads the list in the
production of wool and cotton, and
yet with but one exception, has to
pay tribute to the manufacturers of
other states for every bale of cotton
or wooden goods used by her citi-
zens, and with millions of hides an
nually sent abroad to find a market,
and with all the elements in album
dance for the manufacture of leather
Yet we pay millions ofdollars annu-
ally to the more energetic citizens OF
New England for converting these
hides into the leather we use, besides
the additional tax for transportation
from and to our state. When will our
people and especially our legislators
wake up to a realization of these
facts and to the importance of TAX
ing steps to stop this great drain
upon US. 1t is fact beyond dispute
that every new form of profitable
industry is an element of power to
the state. The New England states
are great and prosperous, by
reason of their varied industries.
They give something for every man
to do and do profftably, and Texas
should profit by their example.
The legislators should give encour-
agement to manufacturing indus
tries and more especially those that
create wealth by the conversion of
the raw material, so abundant in
our state, into manufactured
products, for which there is q
great and ever Increasing demand.
Other states are alive to the import
ance of this subject Even South
Carolina has exempted manufacture
ing capital from taxation. Louisi-
ana has established her board of
agriculture and immigration, and
yet our people are doing nothing.
Legislators complain that they can
not do as they should do under a
more liberal constitution. l have
nothing to say against the trainers
of our present constitution. If, as
they claim, great abuses of the. pub
lie funds had been the practice I'M
der the old constitution, the franz
ers of the present one have only
exhibited a marked trait pe-
culiar to the American char
acter, and have gone to the opposite
extreme. They failed to realize in
1874 what Texas would be and what
Texas would need in 1880. If, as
| they claim, our present constitution
will not permit legislators to do
anything toward giving aid and en-
couragement toward the develop
ment of our great agricultural, man
ufacturing or mining interests ; in a
word, if our present constitution is
to stand as a stumbling block in the
way of all state development, by the
State, then, in the name of all ths,