Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-05
WHAT WE NEED.
FIRST SETTLE UP THE COUNTRY
WITH FARMERS.
Capital and Other Needed Convenience
Will Follow As Consequence.
Howard's Views.
FORT WORTH, TEX. Sept s, 1891.

Editor Gazette.
Speaking Of the alien land law and Texas
III general permit me 10 say 10 Capt. Pad
dock, Hyde Jennings and other Texas
''ruStlerS" and ''hustlerS'' like them vino
have spent the greater part of their lives
in working for the best interest of their
city and state. and are now so bitterly op-
posed to the alien land Iavg, that in my
humble opinion Texas Fort Worth ana all
cities and towns il the state need people.
especially farmers IL the country, more
than money.
II men ike Capt. Paddock, Peter Smith,
Henry Exal, HYDE Jennings and hundreds
OF other professional men ike those few
mentioned Were TO devote the same time
and energy III trying TO secure farmers Tor
Texas that they have in working for capital
we would to-day have more people and cap
ital in Texas than We have.
Where we make ! speciality of capital
which our leading men have for years past.
the farmer Is overlooked, and Us Texas IS =
farming country, we all have 10 sink or
swim with the farming interest. Fort
Worth and all other towns and cities in
Texas progress in proportion to the settle
ment and development of the country from
which they draw their trade. If this be the
case-which we have to admit-the quickest
way TO make farm and city property valua-
bic and TO make values permanent is to use
every means possible to settle the country.
Where you secure the capital and not the
people you only get temporary relief: but
where you secure permanent settlers IN the
country you have a substantial foundation
and good backing for your city, which Will
go long ways toward giving you cheap
money in case YOU need it TO develop the
city.
Grass, weeds and few native cattle or
horses is mighty slim backing or foundation
to build towns or cities on, and when you
come to borrow money on city property or
land you generally have to pay interest in
proportion to the population AMI the i'm
provemenfS in the country. Therefore,
say first secure the farmers and cheap
money will follow; and again, If our cOun-
ties were half settled with farmers we
would not have to borrow SO much money.
We would have the business TO offer and
the manufacturer and capitalist would come
in and care for it.
1t occurS,tO ME that the more scapital we
get in Texas the worse we are off. Why
you ask. Simply because those who can
borrow money generally invest il in land,
which virtually takes the land off the
morket for years, when II they could not
get the money the land would be sold to
actual settlers instead of Spe"ulatorS-
whether home or foreign-land spectators
don't help to build cities. Tie men who
build cities Indirectly are those who till
the soil Chicago, St. Paul and other large
cities in the Northwest were built tiudi-
rectly) by the farm arS who settled in the
country, and not by vacant land with few
head of Sl5 steers and S25 horses roaming
over it. If we ever have city Of 100 coo pop
ulation in Texas, you will first see train
loads of farmers coming to Texas rs they
did to the Northwest and Western states
In conclusion, permit me 10 say that the
quickest way TO sell corner lots" and Sc
cure good paying tenants for city property,
as well as factories. railroads and all other
conveniences and comforts for the city, is
to first settle the country with good far
mers. Towns and cities all over the United
States have been over "bOOmed.' but good
agricultural land. SuCn as we have without
limit III Texas is yet in demand, and if we
Will make specially OF advertising this
land and can get the Texas railroads to Join
US in the work by giving low rates to home
seekers, the towns and cities Of Texas will
grow and prosper much better than to be
carried on foreign capital. You can't keep
capital out OF the cities if You were TO try,
once the country is settled.
Hon Henry Exail and some other good
and progressive men OF Texas say: First
secure capital for Texas, and you can tele-
graph for the people" In my opinion, the
people that Texas most needs farmers
cannot be secured by wire, - and l firmly
believe that If we first secure the farmer
We will have no trouble in getting all the
capital required right here in the United
States, and that, too, at i low rate of inter
est, BUT TO do this we viii have to convince
the Eastern capitalist that we have farming
country, and he will be convinced of this
when he sees the farmer from his country
moving to Texas instead OF TO the North
west.
Farmers with from $1,000 to 5000 and
s500o who don't want over from 100 to go
acres of land. are what Texas wants, and
if secured. which they can be, will put
money III circulation, and will also Cindi-
rectlyl build cities where we now have
towns. Tens of thousands of this class of
farmers move West every year from the
old states and ten years ago, when Texas
had the benefit of railroad competition. our
state secured her proportion of them. This
we can do again. and will, when Texas rail
roads and Texas people join hands and pull
together for the upbuilding OF the state.
Ii the people of Texas will stand by ex-
Governor Hubbard and his Texas on
Wheels and our railroads will give low
rates to hOme-seekers and advertise the
same as other roads do, we will soon have
plenty of money to take the place OF the
foreign money withdrawn and thousands of
thrifty farmers besides. Respectfully
JOHN HOWARD.
-----e --------------