The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-12-24
From Texas.
WACO, TEXAS, Dec. IA, 1881

DEAR TRADER-No winter rs yet, save
lew frosty mornings; just enough to put an
end to the ravages of the army worm, which
has proven so destructive to small grain IN 50
many localities
The outlook for a bounteous harvest OF
wheat next spring is indeed very fla''ering' IN
some instances the young grain will have to
be grazed down to keep 1t back from late
irosts.
The cotton crop is ABOUT all gathered and
marketed, and the receipts up to the present
compared with those of last season fall short
nearly twenty-five per cent, which is a marked
falling off of the tieecy staple; on account of
which prices have advanced some, having
been firm throughout the entire season.
In consequence of the short yield in corn
that cereal is now being shipped from Nebras,
ka here and sold at $l.10 to $l.20 per bushel
which Is rather steep on the buyer. Two years
ago we got our corn from Kansas in unlimited
quantities at 90 to 20 cents; but Kansas corn.
cribs are lean this time as we'll as Texas.
Another old landmark upon the pages of
Texas history is gone in the burning of the
State House few weeks since at Austin. The
oldtime building had westhered the storms of
more than quarter of acentury, and like the
veterans of 1886, she was growing feeble meath
her weight OF cares; but it seems hard she
could not have stood little longer to witness
the erection of the new capitol that is to stand
hard by her foundation stone.
The little city of Tyler, one of the late can
didates In the university race that took place
in September, is going to contest the election,
looking forward to no distant day when she
will be the Athens of Texas with the great
state institution located within her limits
The Texas u Pacific Railway Is now CON-
pleted to Ell Paso, where it forms direct con.
nection with the Southern Pacific from Cali.
fornia This closes the last link IN the long
hoped for southern route across the continent.
A big excursion party Is being made up to
start from Dallas on through train to the
western slope of the Rockies.
GOulds main trunk line, which passes di.
rectly through our city, is being pushed rap.
idly toward Mexico, while the other end is
progressing this way. So, ere many months
pass by, we can have easy access to that great
city of mysteries where civilization held sway
when our part of the continent was in its in
fancy.
The late message Of President Arthur, touch
ing on the policy and proprlety of some re
duction IN taxation is good one. Such a
policy, if properly carried out, would be her
aided all over the south as we'll as the north
as the dawning of a brighter and happier era
IN the history of our land. For twenty long
years, years, too, of unmltigated toll and strife
have our people borne up under the heavy
burden of taxation. And has not the time now
fully come when we can cast off say at least a
portion Of this CALLING yoke:
Ex-Governor Davis, Of Texas, is strongly
spoken of as becoming one of Arthur's cabinet
If his views are as extreme as they were dur.
ing his executive administration of Texas, he
would prove blight upon that august body
Tor every true Texan remembers with bitter
tears of sorrow the four years of dark days dur
ing his term of office
The criminal record still continues about
the same, Dallas and San Antonio taking the
lead of late weeks. LITTLE TEXAN.