San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-25
COME THE RESCUE.

OHuer JuiS cdpblOn Iue LIGHT vi
Monday contained a very suggestive
article signed "Theobald." 1t is not
meet that such an article should be
left to fall unnoticed. 1t contains
words replete with wisdom and neces-
sary to be needed if San Antonio
would make herself the theater for
such manufacturing enterprises as
will alone insure her future prosperi-
ty. San Antonio has reached the
end of her tether as city built upon
the foundations of her natural adj
vantages without any effort of her
own to supplement them with ac-
CURED advantages secured by her
own energy and business saga
city. No city, situated as is
San Antonio, can long MAIN
tain her prestige without adding to
her natural advantages of soil climate
a nd position for mercantile distribu
ton that of creative industry. What
ever determines population in any
place determines also the question of
market for all that men and women
eat, drink and wear, so far as the
power Of that population to consume
Is concerned. Nothing determines
population to any given point as does
the creation and operation of manu-
featuring enterprises, and conse-
quently nothing creates market for
the product of the soil and the product
OF the loom as does good
mo N ta ntI rNla
ufactories of cotton, wool, leath-
er, paper, shoes, etc., employing
one thousand hands, in this city,
farmers and market gardeners who
surround it, would be necessitated to
provide food and clothing for at least
five thousand additional people. The
lumbermen and mechanics and real
estate dealers would be called upon
to provide houses for this additional
population and sum of from $3.50, 900
10 $500, 900 per annum would be added
to the cash expenditures of the peo-
pie. Not only so, the market created
by the manufacturing plant for the
raw product of such manufacture
would bring to this city a number of
dealers, sellers and purchasers of
raw products and manufactured
goods, which in the aggregate
would add greatly to the
yearly disbursements within this
city. If the cost of freight is as gen.
orally stated, three-quarters of a cent
per ton per mile, then, for every bale
of cotton sent from Texas to the north
east to be manufactured into cotton
goods and returned to this section for
consumption, this state pays tax of
about $3.50 per bale, or fifteen per
cent of the market price of the co tton
at the cars. This fifteen per cent is a
very fair margin for the Texas manu-
faCturer and would enable him to
discount his New England rival and
close him up. So certain is this to be
the case that did the ball once begin
rolling the certain profits of manu-
featuring in this section would quick
ly induce scores to enter the field and
thus year by year the population of
this city would increase on the very
solid and permanent basis of a
manufacturing industry until its fu-
ture should be positively assured.
No other city of Texas is so well sit
uated for manufacturing industry as
is San Antonio. No other city has
her vantage point as a distributing
center; no other such water privileges
and such advantages of climate; no
other such field for investment; no
other stands so directly on the high
way to the most fertile regions of old
Mexico. The man or men who open
the industrial eyes of this region and |
cause the scales to fall from the vision |
of these who should, but do not, rec
ognize the advantages just lying
ahead, the man or men who do this |
will deserve we'll of all after
generations. Already have millions
of dollars of capital seeking invest
ment come to this city only to return
again uninvested on account of the
lack of enterprise and push that char
acterizes too many who hold the
money purses of this region. Other
cities have profited by our supineness
and the capital turned away from our
doors has been welcomed by our
rivals in North Texas and in Georgia,
and has aided in building up indus
tries at those points. The time past
of this foolishness should suffice. Let
clearer vision and wiser policy
characterize our acts IN dealing with
the enterprises now opening to our
citizens and asking for stock subscrip-
tons. AS we SOW so shall we reap.
"a In