The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-07-26
A JOURNEY THROUGH TEXAS.
The Hon. Will Cumback's Impressions of Peo-
Die and Resources in the Lone Star State.

The Hon. Will Cumback has returned
from his first visit to Texas. He saw
good deal of the State. having entered it
at Texarkana, in the northeast corner and
going thence west to Sherman and south
to Georgetown. by the way of Fort Worth.
This trip covered distance of 500 miles.
Georgetown, where the Chautauqau
Assembly was held" he said, lis about
thirty miles north of Austin, has about
four thousand inhabitants. and is beauti-
fully located on the east bank of the San
Gobriel river. The country through which
Ipassed is the finest l have ever seen,
1t is all susceptible of cultivation, no waste
lands, and Is covered with growing cotton
or corn, or the richest pasture. When
Texas will astonish the world. The thing
that surprised me most was the climate. l
expected to be melted with the heat. going
so far South in July, not being accllmated;
but the truth is that l found the climate
delightful. and did not suffer from the heat
at any time while there. The breezes from
the gulf so modify the heat that instead of
being weakened by the hot weather; as we
all are in Indiana, the Southern breezes
delightful. You need a blanket before
morning and your sleep is refreshing and
rcstful in the hot nights of July. The fruit
of Texas is abundant and of the finest
quality. The peaches are immense. / saw
them ten and twelve inches in circumfer-
ence. They have grapes, figs and all the
other fruits that we have in Indiana. Their
watermelons are the best have ever seen.
No person can put any estimate on the pos
How did the people treat youi You are
radical Republican, which must have
been known to Them" the reporter asked.
Certainly they knew that before they
Ar&I Az or<J
said when asked the same question when he
returned from Kentucky, they treated me
well and often The truth is. was never
treated better in all my life by any. people.
bic, and, in short. they, are very clever; in
both the American and English definition
of the word. did not have chance to
make the acquaintance of any body but the
the Assembly where lectured. They all
ant, and they did it. At Georgetown they
have one of the best literary institutions in
the State, and the people are refined and
Assembly were large and very appreciative.
While have addressed audiences in nearly
every State in the Union, have never
found those who listen more attentively or
whom it is more pleasant to talk to than
the people of Texas. Georgetown gave Sl0,-
600 to help start the Chautauqua Assembly.
and lady of that place gave large tract
of land on which to erect the buildings.
The Assembly located there will in the no
distant future rank among the best in the
country"
How about politics."
II heard very little of politics. The peo-
pie seem to care more about developing the
resources of tho country. They fully ap-
preciate their great advantages, and intend
TO make the most of them, and they will
give hearty welcome to capital or labor to
help them make Texas what she is sure
to be-the greatest State in the Union.
In talking freely with intelligent Demo
Gratis did not find that they were agreed
in support of the Mills bill. / found some
opposed very strongly to the free-trade
tendencies of the party. The wool growers
and the rapidly increasing manufacturing
interests of Texas make it really tariff
State, and if the free-trade wing of the
party make the platform and dictate the
policy of the Democracy it will not be long
until they will lose Texas"
How about the old secession feelingW
1.-THE stars and stripes were floating night
and day over the auditorium of the Assem-
bly,. In one of the addresses of q Southern
man to a large audience. in speaking of the
attempt to establish Southern COnfed-
eracy, he said that he was glad the petition
for divorce was not granted and the sem
tment was cheered it seemed to me- by
the whole audience; and when uttered
like sentiments before that great assembly
it met with an equally hearty response.
They engaged me to return next year to
their Assembly, and / intend to do So L
am delighted with Texas and her people,"
rs your lecture season over for this
yearW
mo. go at once to assemblies at Chau-
tauqua, Silver Lake, Oaktield and Clar-
endOn, in the State of New York, and thence
to PetOskey, Mich"