Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-02-25

was gone. her loss in slaves alone be,ng
Slof ,000,Oop. Her labor system hsd
been destroyed, confidence had fed, ana
nope had departed. The pursuits OF the
people had been essentially agricul-
tnrai and pastoral; but agricnl.
ture lay paralysed, and the fiocks
ana nerds OF the grazer were scattered
ana lost. The days seemed dark indeed
ms state OF things, ameliorating gradu-
aiiy put with agonizing slowness, came
10 an end In 1874. After years Of expe-
rience, those who controlled the govern.
lhent oil the nation realized that the way
10 treat brave men was TO trust them, and
80 restored to the people their political
rights. Upon this restoration Texas en-
tered with a bound, as II were, upon her
new career.
GOV. Ireland then further says: 'iEm-
bracing all the territory between the 9ith
aud iOGth degrees of west longitude aud
the 2dth and Goth degrees OF north lati-
tude-a territory of pa, 900 square miles
larger than New York, New England,
pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland COM
Dlned; larger than the half
OF Europe, emitting Russia, she
can support a population equal to
the present population OF the United
states, and yet not crowd her people
she has a genial climate, whose uniformi-
" OF temperature gives health and com
fort, and does not shut up labor for six
months OF the year with ice and snow
She has soil, rich and diversified, pro-
ducing wheat as In California, cotton as
In Egypt, and corn as in Illinois. She is
the grazing ground of continent, where
within the memory Of man countless
herds OF buffalo roamed over her prairies,
from her northern to her southern bound
airy, but whose trails are now covered
with inclO2ures, breeding cattle with
which to feed the world.
Statistics show that in 1886 the popnla-
ton numbered about $4,000. In forty
nine years 1t has increased tlfty-fold and
1t Is now estimated at 2, 100000. Sixteen
years ago, in 1870 the assessed value of
property was a little less than $l50, 000,-
000 1t is now over SG03 900, 600 Yet
the tax rate for 1885 was only 25 cents on
the 500, one-half of which is for the pub
lie schools. In 1886 the state fathers set
aside one-tenth of the general revenue OF
their republic for Il perpetual school fund,
/ and also granted to each county four
| leagues of land, or 10000 acres. Still,
In addition, they set aside tifty leagues
more than 100000 acres--for uni
yersity Subsequently the state OF
Texas donated to railroads sixteen sec
! tions OF land to the mile, and coupled
this donation with an obligation to sur
vey an equal area for the school fund.
This fund now owns from that source 49,
900, 900 acres, WORTH at the minimum gov
eminent price, $64 100000. 1t has, be-
sides, $1,000, 900 in cash, bonds and
stocks, which yield more than so, 500, 900
as an available school fund. The in
crease in value of the school lands,
whether from lease or from sale TO actual
settlers will in short time relieve the
people from paying any school tax at all +;
for with the interest on nearly hundred
millions of capital invested, TIT re will be
enough revenue for the grandest free
school system ever known.
OF the 274 900 square miles Of Texas
territory, 10000, 900 acres are rich in min
erals-iron, coal, copper, lead and silver
| The timber lands, with ninety-four va
rietieS of wood, comprise 4G,000,000 OF
acres. And over this various territory
run, already, 1900 miles of railroad, con
Meeting us with the markets of the world
The crop estimates for 1895 include
! 800, 600 bales of cotton, 1000,
600 bushels Of wheat, 5000, OOC
bushels of corn, and 32,000,00C
pounds of wool. Twelve million heaC
of live stock sustain themselves on oul
353 varieties of grasses, We can feeC
New England with cheap meat. We cal
supply Old England with fine beef, France
with fat mutton, and ingratiate Germany
with the best of pork, though not one
fifth OF the area of Texas is yet occupied
or utilized"
This is, indeed, grand showing, anC
in the face of such statements as these
is it to be wondered at that the hegirc
thither is so greSty We see, FIRE
quently, in the Eastern and South
ern papers paragraphs with a tendency
to influence people against immigration
to Texas. The motive is only too plain
this grandest and greatest of states i!
sapping the life from the older common
wealths; she is slowly but surely taking
from them their producers, because sh,
offers grander possibilities and bigge
returns for the same amount OF labor
just as naturally us water seeks its owl
level, the poor immigrant, with nothinI
to depend on for living but his owl
hands, seeks this FL Dorado of the West
hoping to find here the fortune for whic
he has deiyed IN vain in the red soil O
the East. }. FApEE'