Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-05
THE PLACE OF TEXAS.
Remarkable Growth of the Great South
ern State.
Few Facts and Figures-what Has Been
Going on in the Vast Common
wealth.
New York Sun.

rent which for long time set from the
capitalist East almost due West so that
it now flows broadly and strongly TO the
South and Southwest. The change sig
mites not SO much partial exhaustion OF
investment opportunities in the West as
It does the opening of a new field richer
in many of its phases than the great
West ever offered. The North and East
have been learning very rapidly during
recent months and years about the IL
dustrial and natural resources of the
South, and the prompt venture of even
conservative capital in the new direction
is in itself simple proof of the substan-
tial nature of the inducements which the
field holds out.
1t is only within few months that
popular attention has been directed
beyond the Mississippi river to the
newest Of the new South. There is
state down there which one of its citi-
zens recently described as possessing
the greatest area the finest climate, the
most fertile soil, the greatest variety of
products, and the worst reputation of
any state in the Union. But he added
proudly that, fsecuTe in the possession
Of the>frst four of these, she can safely
have time to take care of the fifth.
There was a long time when Texas
hadn't much to boast of but bIgness,
or rather, her scattered citizens hadn {
discovered all her other good qualities,
30 vast was her domain. But now Texas
has grown tired of that boast, and she
has begun to inventory some of her other
claims to greatness. Already she has
astouished herself by her self-examina-
ton
1t is literally true that Texas has not
yet been able TO gain an adequate COIL
ception of her resources. That this is
not surprising Is easily made clear. Mr..
b. B. Paddock, the president Of the
Fort Worth Board of Trade, in recent
address before the members of the Den
yer Chamber of Commerce, remarked:
"To convey to your minds some idea
of the area of Texas, let us imagine that
its eastern border was connected with
the western line of Louisiana by a vast
hinge, and Texas was raised up like
great trap door folded over to the east.
It would cover all the Gulf states, the
Panhandle would be found resting up 10
Kentucky, near Louisville and Cinein-
natl, and Ell Paso would be out on
peninsula IL the Atlantic ocean, beyond
SaTRunah. Ga.
The Rev. Dr.. BaTrows of Chicago re-
Gently used this. illustration: elf the
great state of New York were set down
in Texas and a man was sent out Ga
horseback to look for New York, he
might ride an entire year without stumb-
ling upon it. -
1t follows that so vast an area must
yield a great variety of climate and nat
ural resources, but the average Northern
IS no oaIf
tanned wealth of this great Southwestern
empire. She lays claim to the greatest
independence of resources of any state in
the Union. Mr.. Paddock, IN the ad-
dress referred to, said of her:
s'If an unsnrmountable and impenetrabie
wall were erected around Texas che could pro-
duce al the comforts and luxuries her people
now enjoy. She could grow her own tropical
fruits along The Gulf coast and freeze her own
ice on her northern border. Her supply Of tim
Der is adequate to her demands, and she is
sending thousands of carloads of merchantable
lumber to Colorado and Kansas, and vast mines
Of the finest iron ore of the various Kinds have
been partially developed, and are only awaiting
the advent Of railroads to the mineral regions to
enter the markets OF the world as an active com
petitof in this branch Of commerce. The only
vein of manganese, without which steel cannot
be made, OF any Importance on tins continent,
and the largest vein Of this valuable metal in the
world, exists in Texas. In copper, lead, kaolin,
asbestos and other articles of similar and
t'The state debt is infnitesimal II is less
than 81 OO0, 900, and most of this is held by the
school fund. The mortgage debt Of the entire,
state, including municipal and individual ia5,|
$500 600 900 in Kansas, $3.50, 600 900 in Iowa and
500 600, 600 in Ohio. The state tax is limited to
was only fifteen cents or the $780, County and
city taxes are limited to 50 per cent. Of this,
except special taxes for improvements,
1.-The public school fund OF the state is the
most munifcent of any state in the Union. The
state now has an aVailabie cash fund Of Sll ,000-
coo, and public lands devoted to this purpose
valued at SEQ 600, 900. In less than Eve years tire
public school fund of the state viii exceed
500, 200, 600. In addition to this, every county
in the state has public school fund Of proper
Texas is now the third state in the Union in
railroad mileage, and when the state is fully de-
veloPed, has as many miles OF railway in pro,
as great mileage as the entire United States at
the present time.
lin agricultural products she has no superior
indeed, no equal Northern Texas is the only
place on the inhabitsble globe-and this is
broad assertion-where cotton, the acknowl-
edged king of commerce, and all the cereals,
can be grown in the same Geld. and each in as
high state OF perfection as in its own peculiar
location, SIS good cotton as the delta of the
Yazoo, good corn as Illinois, better wheat
than any grown on the continent, rye, barley
oats millet, and, in fact, all the products Of
husbandry, superior in quality and greater in
quantity than any other section. Texas is ca
pablo of supplying the demand OF the whole
country for food and raiment by tilling only her
lands best adapted to agriculture.
The census now being taken Is expected
to show population of more than 8, 0o0,-
600 for Texas. This will be an increase
of 95 per cent over the returns for 1880,
and the incr, ase during the decade 1870
1880 was proportionately as great If as
densely populated as the state of New
York, Texas would contain rs, 900 900
people, or il as poPulous as France it
would contain 45 900 GOO, or if as pepR-
Iona G[ Belgium the figures would be
1873, 600, 0oU. A comparison of the re-
sources of the four wealthiest states in
cattle and farm products shows that they
occupy the following relative positions:
In cattle Texas is first and Illinois fourth.
In sheep Texas is first and Ohio third
In value Of corn crop Illinois is FIRST and Texas
fourth. -
In value of farm products Illinois is first and
Texas third.
IN value O. cotton crop Texas is first and Ar
kansas fourth.
In average OF cash value per acre Of corn Texas
is 6rst and Iowa fourth.
In average cash value per acre OF wheat Texas
ts first and Missouri fourth.
In average cash value per acre Of oats Texas Is
drst and Missouri fourth.
It further appears that the farm pfo-
ducts of Texas exceeded in value all
those Of the New England states, with
those Of Maryland and Delaware added.
The one great drawback 60 the still
mere rapid Developments of the prosberity