San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-04-04
NEW ORLEANS LETTER.
Editor LIGHT:

Editor LIGHT:
NEW ORLEANS, La, March Silt has
rained heavily for the past few days and
Judge A. P. Keller, who has acted as
recorder for the past six years, to the
general satisfaction Of the people, COM
mitted suicide yesterday by shooting
himself in the left breast. The salary Of
the Office was his only means Of support
ing his family, and as he failed to get q
took his own life. But by his rash act
he has only added to the distresses and
difficulties of his family.
The democracy OF this city is badly
split up. There will be two democratic
tickets in the field and consequently q
hot contest. The ward bosses got con-
troll of the regular democratic conyen-
ton, and hence their nominees enjoy the
prestige Of being the regulation candi-
dates. The Times-Demoorat and the
States, the organs, par excellence, Of the
"sway back" democrats, are opposing
the regular democratic ticket upon the
the ground that it was put out by
ring" and are supporting the ticket
cooked up BY the young mems demo-
cratic club, q sort Of "star chamber" af-
fair. The republicans will divide their
votes between these two factions.
Pneumonia Ia pretty prevalent here
this damp weather. The cold wave an
nounced by ''Old Probs" for the 26th
fai!e to put In an appearance, greatly to
the delight Of yerybody.
The trial OF Jones s. Hamilton for the
killing OF r. d. Gambrell, is in progress
at Brandon, Miss, but no evidence has
ohdnaaA that Hianrnuaa
ment OF Hamilton that Gambrell fired
the first shot.
Should the state of Texas recover q
million of dollars from the United
States, as reimbursement for expenses
incurred in repelling Indian incursions,
$500,000 Of it should be set apart to the
construction of system of irrigation
canals on the BraZos, Colorado, COncho,
Guadalupe and San Antonio rivers
The excavating of such irrigation can
ais could be executed by convict labor,
at q small outlay Of money, so that half
million OF dollars expended in the feed
ing and clothing of two thousand able
bodied convicts, would probably render
two millions of acres of land susoepti-
bic of irrigation every year. The crops
on irrigable land are certain, and as
we'll as large in yield, and it is
no exaggeration to say that two mil
lion acres of irrigable land would
increase the crops Of Texas, in ten-fold
degree, and quadruple the value of all
the adjacent land. The state should
construct durable and useful public
works, such as will augment the pro-
duets Of the soil and add to the wealth
of the state. Irrigation has worked q
wonderful improvement in California
and Ii will have similar effect in Tex
as. The labor OF 1000 convicts, in ten
years, would give Texas a splendid sys-
TEN Of irrigation canals with lateral
diches, and would add to the taxable
value of property almost an hundred
fold. Gov. Ross will miss the opportu-
nifty of his life should he fail to recon-
mend the construction of q system of ir-
rigstiOn canals by convict labor along
the running rivers of central and west
ern Texas. DEVILS river might be di-
Verted into the NueCes or the GuRda-
lupe, and be made TO irrigate q vast ter
ritory. PETER PYNLEY.