The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1881-10-13


seat of wealth and power and in
tlnence, Brazoria county occupied
controlling position in the business
aud politics OF Texas. Nature is to
be credited, however, with all that
was achieved in these respects, for
certainly she did for that region
what has been vOuchsaled to but few
others. IL was given the most per-
feet natural harbor for ocean YES
sells on the Texas coast, and it was
given Il soil unsurpassed in fertility,
possessing a capacity for varied
production and for endurance, UNI
der the hand of agriculture, equal
To that of the annually replenished
valley of the Nile, aud surprising
that of the Father of Waters. The
counties OF Brazoria and Matagorda
and Wharton aud Fort Bend EN-
brace an area of alluvial deposits,
gathered from the lime and gypsum
fields OF the northwest, and these
have been fed for ages by the de-
composition of the richest vegeta-
bic and animal products. In this
region the earliest settlers of Texas
congregated, and there they regard
ell themselves as possessed Of all
that man has any right to crave.
Many of the large shareholders of
the south transferred their wealth
to this region, and sugar and cotton
plantations blossomed as the rose,
and riches were added to riches
until there was wealth commensu-
rate with any undertaking. AS a
consequence the first railway ell
terprises in Texas were pro-
iected there, and had not a
great political revolution chang
ed the condition of affairs, that
region known as the "Four Coun-
ties" would have now represented a
hundred millions of money, while a
checkwork of railroads would, by
this time, have superseded the wa
gon ways, and led TO IA great mari
time city at the mouth of the Brazos.
The instrumentalities which would
have produced these things became,
through political events, the very
agencies leading 10 decline instead
of to progress, and, until they are
overcome, the development of this
region must be retarded. Land,
that twenty-five years ago changed
hands at fifty dollars per acre
promising soon to command one
hundred, begs for purchasers now at
any price, and a line of graded rail-
way from the BraZos TO the Colorado
river, finished the same number of
years ago, still lacks the iron and the
rolling stock to make it operative.
1t is country ofprostrated fortunes
but of the grandest possibilities of
decayed estates but of slumbering
grandeur J OF political degradation
but OF promises, when fulfilled, that
must place it rs the richest agricul-
tural district on the face of the globe.
in the vanguard rs one of the states |
most potent political factors. AS an
evidence that the lowest point in
the descending scale has been reach
ed, and that the march towards the |
higher plane has even now begun,
one need only refer to the meeting
lately held at Brazoria, and subse-
quently protracted at the public |
works now progressing at the mouth |
of the Brazos. Congress made an
of $4,000 for remov-
ing the bar at the breaker line in the |
Gulf, and the engineer adopted the |
same ietty system used for deepen
ing the mouth of the Mississippi. |
The Messrs. Canters, as contractors,
have just exhausted this appropria-
ton, and, while it appears that too |
little work has been done for the |
of expense, it is demon
strated thereby that the bar can be |
aud that the largest ships |
may be made to enter the most per-
feet harbor on the Texas coast. |
These contractors now stand pre-
pared to make an improvement that |
will give twenty-five and half feet |
of water on the bar, at low tide, for
asking no pay for their |
work unless this depth of water |
shall be secured, and such PROPOSE |
tion is going to be presented at the !
next session of congress. A Mr..
FOllett, an old resident of the coast, |
also intends to make similar pro- |
position, his contemplated work |
from the jetty system in
use, and being designed of solid iron
breakwaters for the barriers. Out |
of the two propositions there should !
be n selection, since the adoption OF
either would save the government
much expense. Already forty
thousand dollars has been used in
The usual manner OF conducting such
works, aud second set of contrac-
tors are just now beginning with
another $4,000 appropriation, made
1t the last session of congress. In
any event, however, if the govern
ment should do its duty in the prem
ses, there must be enough water on
his bar to float the largest ships, and
when this result is accomplish
ed the system of western rail-
ways must concentrate at the
mouth of the Brazos to contribute
the vast and varied products of
he great west and to receive