Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1886-05-13
BRENHAMS FUTURE.
THE BRAzos VALLEY RAILWAY GER
TAINTY

ham while holding her own has
not kept step with other and more
enterprising cities. Fort Worth
and Dallas have been active in
inaugurating new enterprises and
in extending their railroad faclli-
ties. San Antonio has organized
a homo railway and now has line
in course of construction TO the
gulf, Corpus Christi being the OBJ
jective point--somo 80 or so miles
of this road arc already completed.
Waco also has made rapid strides
to the front and has become one OF
the important cities of the state.
While all these cities have been up
and doing Brenham has been vir-
tually sitting still and resting con-
tentedly on her natural advantages,
and like tho celebrated Mr.. Will
kins Micawber, waiting for some
thing to turn up. 1t is undeniablo
that we have q fine town and q fine
country surrounding it, but these
advantages will not of themselves
make live and progressive CON-
mercIal and manufacturing city.
During the two years past Bren-
ham has made commendable pro-
gress in the way of public i'm
provements the county has built
splendid courthouse, an admir-
able system of water works have
been put in and a street car line
has been built and is in successful
operation ; the last two were indl-
vIduaI enterprises and have met
with many obstacles, but still are
doing well. In business point OF
view trade has held its own but
has not materially increased for
the simple reason that no concert
ed action has been taken in the
matter of improving tho public
roads or offering special induce
ments to planters to como here
from long distances. By opening
wagon road In a southorsterly
direction to tho Austin county line
valuable trade from tho nelgh-
borhood known as kentucky Ridge
could be induced to come here.
The roads to the Washington
neighborhood are also IN need Of
improvement. The summer is now
at hand and there is plenty of leis-
ure for our business men TO take
concerted action looking toward
an improvement of the roads. The
talking for the occasion was done
last summer, let the work be done
this summer. A seven months
trial has demonstrated that talk
ing will not improve the roads.
During the past few weeks some
of our leading capitalists, tired of
waiting for any general action on
the part of property owners, have
gone to work in earnest for the
purpose of building a standard
guage railway from Brennan up
the Brazos Valley in the direction
of Waco, and so far their efforts
have been crowned with success.
One hundred thousand dollars
(S1OO, OOO) have already been sub
scr1bed and more can be obtained
if necessary, notwithstanding the
opposition of tho Croaker family,
who are afraid that another rail-
road will ruin the town. Those
who are putting their money in
the new enterprise certainly have
no fears in that direction. A COM
mittee has been appointed to draft
and apply for charter and as soon
as it is obtained the project will
take definite shape. The building
ofthe Brazos Valley road will give
BRENNAN direct connection with
the Gould system of railways; the
opening of tho Santa Fe to con-
nection with the Atchison, Topeka
and Santa Fe will give us another
direct outlet, and we are already
connected with the Huntington or
Southern Pacific system by tho
Houston and Texas Central. We
will thus have connection with
three of the greatest trunk lines of
railway on the continent, and as q
competing point in the way of
frcights we will be on an equality
with any other city in the state.
The building of the Brazos Valley
railway will act as a stimulus for
building other roads and will fully
assure the future prosperity of orr
city. With increased commerce
Will come manufacturing indus
tries, and it stands our people in
hand to offer inducements to all
who propose establishing factories,
be they small or large. The fact
that our own people have faith IN
the proposed railway enterprise
and put their money in 1t will
enable them to secure all the CAPT
tai that is needed to prosecute it
to a successful termination. Ii
may truly be said that the future
outlook for Brenhm is brilliant.
The st. Louis Railway Register
of the sth inst. says the leaders Of
the railway strike have at last ad-
mitted what was apparent to every
one q month ago, that the strike