The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-04-28

Arkansas and Texas,
By far the better route for travellers
from Ottawa Is 20 20 10 Joliet, from thence
cid the & X A. 70 - l. uls, then take the
Iron Muuuun 20 Texas aud return RIA the
Missouri Pacific through the Indian Terri
tory 10 ), Louis and nome Cid he Alton,
Al of these railroads are In excellent con
dluun. ana each OF them affords I'll the
comforts ana COnveDieuCes, not 10 say lux
uries, that any reasonable traveller could
ask Tor. IL is unfortunate for Arkansas
that the great railroad mentioned runs
through tae poorest portion Of the state, for
the most impartial traveller will mud II
difficult 10 euthuse, t. any great extent,
while passing through the apparently
interminable forest or the low lands or
syamps on either side Of the track and II
he seeks for information from no other
ource, he will be certain 10 say in the YER
naculur, lit is no good
But If he will enquire Of reliable and
intelligent residents oil the State whom he
will see from time 10 time, and stop AT
Little Rock and examine the numerous
specimens of fruit, grain, grasses, minerals
and woods gathered from orchard, held,
forest and mountain, 10 he seen in Col.
Essex's office, he will reverse bis un'av-
Orable opinion, because the evidences OF
rich rewards for intelligent labor and
enterprise are too numerous and conclusive
70 be unheeded or disputed.
Arkansas not only suppliesa vast amount
OF lumber, both pine and hard woods,
but also produces largely cotton and other
field crops, together with early vegetables
and great quantities Of luscious traits.
| This last industry has made immense
strides since the writer's first visit to Ar
kansas, but the business Is still In It's In
fancy and there Is abundant room away
from swamps and malarious districts for
industrious, enteyprisng men To make
money easily and rapidly in the fruit bust
ness, as well as in producing other crops
and in manufacturing lumber, etc.
Going by the route indicated, one enters
Texas AT TeXsrkana, u city under the
jurisdiction of two states, and where the
stranger who desires 10 be geographically
right, is continually confused and puzzled.
Ii he desires to d-n Arkansas, or give
Texas hades, he feels an embarrassment In
expressing his opinions TO any citizen with
whom he may be cOnverslng, Tor he may
be In one State when he lanCles himself In
the other and the compliments, or the
reverse, he would like TO utter, may be u
miss fire" when he least expects 1t.
Your correspondent succeeded in avoid
ing both Scylla and ChsIibdis 10y combining
his remarks mainly to an Ohio man and by
departing early tor jefferson, when he
found himself in Texas beyond doubt.
DR.. Matthew Arnold, prefers "any other
civilized country TO the United States, ex-
- Dill Shnfilun W .
once OF the opinion that hades was prefer.
able as a summer residence 10 Texas. The
views OF the eminent man nrst named,
shndering our whole country, will not be
so extensively quoted, probably, as those u1
the military man who merely slandered
one great State, and yet IL Is as ialr to quote
one AS another. There are thousands of
people all over the north who have formed
opinions adverse to Texas from splenltic
expressions like the one alluded TO, who
condemn the whole State and believe there
is nothing good 10 be found there, either as
to people, soil, climate Or productions But
my object in coming To Texas al TINS time,
was not To relute shy SANDERS, but 10 see
for myself what the prospects actually are
as to productions and especially as 10 lrult
in the northeastern part OF the state.
,jeffel son, in Marion, one OF the counties
bordering on Louisiana, was not many
years since, one of the most thriving ana
beautiful cities in Texas ami handled the
products and supplied the country with
merchandise within radius OF My miles
or more Ii is connected with the lied
River by chain Of beautiful lakes, naVig-
able for steamboat which were daily seen
at the wharves and did "a large carrying
business A railroad was built 10 and
beyond the city, when the large trade
when Jefferson enjoyed was seized by the
new railroad towns which sprang up, stores
and dwellings became vacant, the wharves
deserted, property rapidly deprecated and
a state oi general stagnaTlon followed ana
continues to this day.
1t is true that there are several extensive
SAW mills in and about the city which do
large business and utilize the stream,
lakes anu bayous; but the people have
greatly neglected other interests, which,
If properly utilized, would make this city
one OF the largest and most prosperous as II
is one OF tue most beautiful towns in east
ern Texas.
1t is in the timber district, where both
pine and the hard woods are cheap and
abundant, thus atfording numerous open
ings for wood workers; it is in the fruit
district, where all of the fruits of the
temperate zone will grow to projection
and afford fine profit TO the producer
it is in the mineral region where vast and
inexhaustable quantities of iron ore are
found and which manufactured into car
wheels, as it has been to a limited extent,
proved superior to those made from any
other ore and would doubtless make nails,
bar iron and rails, etc, of equally good
quality, all of which would ind ready
market in the south and in Mexico,
| Jefferson is at last waking up and realIz-
| ing that she has elements OF wealth not
shared by less favored sections; Is through
the Iron World, a well edited ana hand
some sheet, ana through her immigration
Association removing her light from under
pushel and showing to people from the
older States that Marion Co, has much,
very much, to attract the attention OF
capitalists and farmers, and Is asking them
10 come and see for themselves, believing,
as | believe, that they will then say, 1.-The
half has not been told"
Strangers will find at Jefferson churches
and schools, an intelligent, cultivated and
refined people, who are fully aware that
l 4 ,l,- mill xuyn1n A IN