Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1891-01-03
CAPT. ATKINSON TALKS.
HIS IMPRESSIONS OF THE
GREAT WEST.

Better Crops out There, hut Ret
ter water Here-He Would not
Give North Carolina for the
Whole BUSINESS.
Capt. Matt Atkinson, who returned
from a trip through the West Friday
morning, has talked to THE CITIZEN
concerning his trip. The substance of
his impressions of the country he passed
through is here given:
"WelI, l took quite a circuit, going
through South Carolina, Georgia, Ala
bama, Mississippi, Louisiana. via New
Orleans, Texas, Arkansas, Indian Terri
tory and Tennessee. | noted carefully
the situation and condition of things
talked with everybody and got all the
dots could, and in the two weeks trip
laid up quite a store of information.
Upon the whole conclude that the
south in resources is the greatest country
on the face of the earth,- fifty years
from to-day will show it to be the most
prosperous and happy land either in the
old or new word, and that Ashcvlle will
be the very centre Of its goodness and
greatness.
"In comparison with Our own country
everything is as different as it is possible
to be, There they have more fertile
soil for the production of cane.
cotton, corn, etc., where il you work you
can make enough in one year to last you
two or three, but YOU would gladly ex-
change it all for the pure water, delightful
climate and the manv good things that
every man may enjoy in old Buncombe II
he will work. Some people might be
better off out there than here, but that
does not apply to the man that is well
fixed to live here.
Gas you know, the population there is
largely made up of citizens from the east
ern states-very many of them North Car
olnans and Tenncseeans-who are always
glad to see you. They treat one from
their old homes like they were brothers,
are untiring in their efforts to please and
make your stay pleasant. There is no
discount on them, but they too often fall
into the careless and indifferent way OF
the western man-"they don't care
whether school keeps or not"
Largely, the best people are going to
the towns and leaving the farms in the
hands of the poorer class of whites and
negroes. Consequently you see but few
apparently happy homes. There is no
mistake but that the Arkansas traveller
has been abroad in the land and left
numerous progeny wherever he went.
Texas and Arkansas are large enough
for an empire, and contain all the ele,
ments necessary to make great and
successful one, having a soil capable OF
producing everything needed by man,
with almost every variety OF climate,
from the bracing winds of the noun
tains of Arkansas to the gentle zephyrs
| of the Cult oil Mexico. Think OF the mill
ions of acres of forest vet untouched
and coal in almost every county, with a
rich and inexhaustiblc soil on every hand
in country 900 miles in lengthb 500
miles in width. and you see what am
talking about.
at locks like great pity that some of
the very finest of this vast domain is
owned by the Cherokee, Choctaw and
other Indian tribes.
"The matter of the purchase of the
Cherokee strip for an Asheville syndicate
is still in abcyance. The Indians are di-
vidcd on the question of sale, but it is
likely that a sale will be made during the
present year-atter the Indians get to-
gether and understand exactly how the
money is to be divided. Each one wants
his share in hard cash, in case
Of SALE but will not consent for the pro-
ceeds of the sale to go into the treasury
to be handled by the few. You see the
Indians are Catching on as the wheels
of time make their revolutions.
Take it all in all would not give old
North Carolina with her delightful eli
mate, pure water, beautiful scenery, with
Asheville as her great metropolis, tor all
west of the Mississippi river. This coun-
try is good enough tor me"