Daily globe., 1882-11-09

iHe -Iorrefos;s Giof-tys ia gcdli:, and Pop
"fatio@ OF thc Empire State Of tho South.
AS you know, the state Of Texas contains
about 175.000,000 acres of land, and its
boundaries are the Red and Sabine rivers
on the northeast and east, the Gulf of
Mexico on the south, the Rio Grande on
the west, New Mexico and the Indian Ter
ritory forming its northwestern and north
ern boundary. To enable you to form an
idea of its growth in wealth and popula-
ton, l will make comparison between
the state as 1t is to-day in 1882 and as it
was In 1872, ten years ago, when railway
building first commenced and at which
time capital and immigration began to
have their attention directed towards it.
Texas III 1872 contained population of
S20,O00souls. these living principally in the
coast counties or near the navjpable
streams, and a small proportion who had
pushed out' into the northern part of the
state and were engaged in cattle-raising.
The numerous pineries bordering on Ar
kansas and Louisiana were unbroken. The
towns were few and far between. Dallas
had about $500 inhabitants, Fort Worth
was frontier trading post and Galveston
had only population of some 15,G0). The
Houston and Texas Central railway had
been built some 200 miles north of Hous-
ton, the money for its construction being
principally earned by the road; the
international railway and the then Hous-
ton and Great Northern railway had
little more than commenced grading. and
sixty four miles of road, afterwards called
fr
built from Shreveport, La, to Longview,
Tex, north and west of the Sabine and
Trinity rivers. The prairies of Texas were
immense pasture-grounds, on which thou
sands OF cattle were grazing. In the east
ern portion Of the state Marshall and JEFF
feTson were small towns where planters
marketed their cotton crop, hauling it by
wagon distances of 600 and even 400 miles.
1he total number of bushels of cereals
raised was some 21,SGO,00O, and of cotton
about 100000 bales. The total assessment
was something over $10O,00O,OOO. AS
space forbids me from entering into mi
laate statistical details showing the rapid
growth of the state, will confine myself
to totals. I also wish you to remember
tie great financial depression that existed
in this country between the years 1878 and
lS79-paraly2ing as it did nearly every
form OF industry and completely stopping
railway construction in this state, most
unfortunate occurrence, as the distance of
q large portion OF the agricultural lands
from a market for produce precluded the
possibility of general immigration such
as wenS into the Western states. Notwith-
standing these drawbacks Texas now pos
sesses "a population of 100000 persons
and total assessment of about S55C.000,-
coo, the crop of cereals this year will reach
52,000,000 bushels, and the production OF
cotton will be about 100000 bales for
the year ending June so, 1881. The value
OF imports from foreign countries through
Texas ports was $5,39S. l41, ana the value
CT exports for the same period
$2S,947,71S. A numerous immigration
is brought into the state by steamships
coming to Galveston for cotton, the Ho-
hen-Siauffen landing 600 Germans, Swedes
and Danes, and two more steamships of
the same line are expected daily with about
the same number of immigrants. Dallas
has now population of $4,000. Fort
worth contains II 900 people, and Texar-
kama, where there was not a tree cut down
IL 1874, has 5000 inhabitants. Numerous
other thriving towns have also sprung up
throughout northern, eastern and western
Texas, among which may be named Sher-
man, Paris, Terrell, Weatherford, Eastland,
Cisco, Baird and Abilene. In the pineries
OF eastern Texas there are some fifty saw
mills, many of which have in connection
with them shingle, lath and
planning machines. The follow
ng remarks from proprietor
ot one of the mills I give you as we'll
showing the condition Of the lumber in
olstry. In answer to question of mine
as TO his product and his market, he said:
We have facilities for producing and
could market about 100000 feet of lum-
ber annually. We have timber enough TO
Keep us working at this rate for five years.
Oar great difficulty is in getting cars
enough to transport our product; the in
creasing demand for lumber and shingles
in western Texas affords US steady mar
ket for all we can produce" He further
said: ''Oatr sreights on our product aver
are 100000 per annun." A numerous
immigration from Georgia, Alabama, Mis-
sissippi and Louisiana are rapidly settling
up these pine lands, on which they can
raise q very fine staple of cotton, although
the yield per acre is less than on the prairie.
The crop, however, is easier taken care Of
the soil among the pines being lighter.
The prairies, or that portion of them
known as the great agricultural region of
Texas, stretching from the timber belt
westward to the Colorado and north to the
Red river, is almost one unbroken success
sion of farms and plantations, the build
ings on which are neat and substantial,
and in many cases surrounded by thrifty
growing orchards, all showing signs of
wealth and prosperity. The towns on the
different lines of road through this section
are building up rapidly an6 the merchants
are doing thriving business, evidences of
which are seen i'll the merchandise piled
uo on the station platforms and the bales
Of cotton loaded on cars awaiting trans
portation. Commercial agents from New
York, Chicago, ST. Louis and New Orleans
are met travelling through the state and in
no small numbers. They are selling goods
freely, one large New York dry goods
house keeping their drummers in the state
during the entire year.
Immigration is rapidly pushing the
stockmen further away from the different
lines of railway and compelling them to
lease or purchase land, which they fence,
thus making huge stock farms, or which
they are annually placing thousands of
dollars worth of thoroughbred stock. which
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