The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-02-18
THE HARBoR AT GALVESTON.


it introduces into the politics of the stat
that powerful entering wedge of sec
tional jealousy. The most popular polio.
of the state is an undivided Texas, sole
and wide in extent as her present borders
with no part or parcel of its soil dismem
bered from its grand domain.
Texas is democratic state, and wOult
! like to see more democratic senators IL
! the United States senate, but she is no
| ready to be made the martyr of the demo
cratic party for even so desirable an oh
! ject as to assure democratic majority il
the United States senate.
But if there are persons in Texas who
desire to see the state broken into two
states, or even more fragments, into three
or four states, now Is then
opportunity to fan the EN-
bers of sectional jealousy into flame
that will soon burn out the patriotism of
one and an indissoluble state by arousing
prejudice against the appropriation to
Galveston harbor, or exciting rivalry
between that and other harbors. If this
is done the line will soon be drawn and
Texas will commence ACKNOWLEDGMENT
in the interest of party, that will destroy
her fine proportions, with each fragment
an insignificant piece of machinery for
grinding out democratic United States
senators.
Such prejudice against Galveston har-
Dor is not only unwise but useless. I'm
wise, becauseof the reasons assigned, and
useless. because rival harbors would not
be benefited as much by it as united
effort to develop all the harbors of the
state.
It is short-sighted wisdom to see the
necessity for only one harbor to this great
state. The sea line and interior, develop
ment is so geographically adjusted as to
demand harbors in various places on her
coast and her products, especially of cot
ton, are SO inviting, that even outside pres
sure will compel the opening up of har-
bors for the convenience of lines of
weston is at present as much the natural
harbor and entrepOt to traffic in Texas as
New York is, on larger scale, to the vast
commerce that passes her gates i'll eX-
ports and imports, and Galveston is just
as important to the trade of Texas as
New York is to the trade that
anchors in her harbor. There
are other important ports and cities along
the sea line of the eastern coast that share
to some degree the trade of New York,
to-wit: Philadelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk,
etc, and while New York will always do
the largest import and export business of
the eastern coast these other cities will
do an increasing business commensurate
with their enterprise, just as Galveston
will always do the principal export and
import business of Texas, and just as the
minor cities of the Atlantic coast have
developed, thus will other ports of Texas
develop in proportion.
II is said that Galveston is difficult of
access and costly to improve, and that
other ports can be more inexpensively
improved. That may be true, but Calves
ton, being the principal port of Texas,
that is reason why it should receive an
commensurate with its
needs.
In other words, it is absolutely neces-
sary to maintain the port of Galveston,
for it has the trade, and to make it less
to that trade, the appropriation
ought to be sufficient at once to remedy
the difficulty its bar presents to the APP
proach of all kinds of vessels.
1t would be impossible at this session of
to obtain an appropriation to
more than one port in Texas, and we are
cutting our own throats to oppose the
at Galveston. There is
plenty of time yet for the improvement of
other ports, and as their necessities ap-
pear, we will be enabled to improve them.
1t was particularly unfair for one of the
North Texas newspapers to say that Gal
weston was as much port of Louisiana
ms of Texas, and should so be regarded in
the distribution of the appropriations.
Galveston is the established port of
Texas. Let us throw aside all petty jeal-
Ousies, and with unity for which Texans
are distinguished, improve that port into
n first-class harbor that merchantmen of
any tonnage can easily approach and
discharge and receive car
goes, and then, with the same unity, go on
developing the ports necessary for the
commerce of great state.
on THE RAMPAGE.