The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-09-24
AJLSTIN,,S GREAT OPPOR1DNl11'

Does q merchant make oho '0
then sit down to rest for year! l'oo'
a LAWYER win one case and then COZ
tent himself doing nothing for inc
balance of his life? And what Oh
city: can it live forever on the repuU"-
tion of one act of common sense? Inc
neople of Austin did most WISE anu
malicious thing when they Vo'eu lor
the dam; it was a splendid stroke III II,
the right direction, but that alone WIN
ba far from securing her final saiVa-
ton. Indeed, that was out the ilrsC
step toward the fullillmeht Vi
her true destiny. Yet there DC
those who, frightened to death
by even this exhibition OF earn
estness, are loud in eXclalmlng
1--we have done enough, the dam should
do the rest.u 1t would be well, now
ever, for our people to remember 'l"'
+bose veak-kneed brothers were those
who very timorously consented 10 90
into the dam movement at all, ana
hou;nr that once startled themselves
thew are now the better prepared 10
cry "wolr' when there. is no "Woli'"
No man of any broad business views
and any knowledge OF how SreaC
cities are founded, can for a moment
believe that the dam of itself can 40
what Austin hopes from it. IL Is ouV
the foundation ofour success, ana upon
it we must build quickly, soundly
and surely if we hope for the results
we should obtain. And every far-
seeing man must say that the very
first essential of the complete ana per-
feet working of the dam is railroads
more and many of them. we nave
heard the ridiculous cry that we
might be "way station" merely on
the Llano extension; but even admit
ting such a thing, is tnot thousand
times better to be a "way station" on
such a railroad than have no railroad
connection with Llano at all? Such
lalk is thoroughly unbusiness-llke, IL
is the veriest buncOmbe. we want
manufactures of all kinds, including
the best kind of manufactories-lron,
and we can't haul iron ore thirty miles
on wagons and the rest of the way by
rail and make a success of iron manu-
facture. "Way station" indeed, what
we want is iron ore hauled into Aus
tin cheaply and quickly. And besides
there is absolutely nothing in the cry
of "way station 1t is as sure as fate
that with this extension made, Austin
will be made the end of division
and we will have repair shops and
machine shops and other such railroad
establishments as have made city OF
Houston and made Taylor everything
il is. We will be almost half way
between Houston and Llano, and we
will be bound to get these car shops.
DO YOU know what they alone Will
be worth to Austin? In one years
time they would be worth as much as
the entire bonus asked of us. Then
add TO this the increased trade of the
town. the new territory thrown at us
and the renewed confidence given to
all lines of business and put all this
benefit at a paltry $35, 900 if you dare.
If Austin,s business men do not seize
this opportunity they are worse than
blinded to their own interests. This
road is worth million dollars to
every wholesale merchant in Austin
if it is worth cent. 1t is
worth $500 to every man IN
Austin who owns $4,000 worth of
property. 1t is worth 500 to every
retail merchant in the town. LII Is
worth something to every taxpayer
i'm the town. Estimate Austin's
wealth and think over the list of her
big business men, and calculate how
long we should be in raising this pitt
full $35, 900. 1t would be a shame, an
eternal disgrace, if we failed to secure
this most advantageous extension,
and THE STATESMAN cannot believe
our people are built on any such mar
row guaged principle. Let us all put
our shoulders to the wheel, and with
redoubled energy, rush this bonus to
completion. We have received most
definite and positive information, from
a committee sent down to Houston to
interview Mr.. Dillingham;, that a
bonus of 100000 must be raised or
there will be no extension of that road.
Llano has done everything she posi-
bly, can do in raising more than
two-thirds of this bonus, shall it
be said, to Austin's eternal shame,
that she could not raise the paltry
$4,000 left for her? What earthly
hope would this hold out to any other
neighboring city to ever expect Austin