Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-08
ANIRRIcATIoNL LAND Room.

III lands. II his been boom such as is
built up TO 4 greater or lesser extent in all
newly-opened countries OF good character,
but unfortunately it is a boom that cannot
long remain at food-tide unless something
beyond mere Land values appears TO stimu-
late It's continuance Without this stimu-
lus there must follow 4 crystalization, anC
then things will move along slowly, just as
they move along in most other older-settled
regions where there is nothing beyond the
usual order of things to attract attention.
Unless we can showsomething entirely bet
Ter than tine ordinary. Northern Texas will
eVcntually settle down TO 4 level with Cen
tf;al Alabama, Georgia and the Caroiinas.
II viii be q good region of country to live
in and make ends meet through earnest ex-
crtions on the part Of its citizens, but it
wiz not be = country of any particular rush
Is TO progress. The young cities so sud
denly built zip on q representation of what
might be, viii come to 2 stand-still- some
OF them may go back little in order to
brilg about conformity to the well-known
laws Of equilibrium. There will be no par
ticular demand Tor lands, owing to the fact
!. is comparatively of thin settlement, hence
ordinarily good lands are still to be had at
low figures over a very wide expanse of
country. Merely good lands for SALE is
TO particular drawing card, as yet-there
musl be something more on the bills to
draw population, build up new country
and push the new cities OF that new country
into permanent greatness.
Il does not call for the exercise of any
very high degree of philosophy to enable
one to clearly see how that lack something
more on the bills" must work out. There
will be no special demand for lands, hence
Gland speculation, - so-callei, will play out,
and with it will play out the
persistent advertising that the region
Las heretofore enjoyed. AS a result the
army OF capitalists who in The past have
been anxious to lend us money on real es-
tate for pushing our progress, Will be
strictly among the things that were. It is
folly Il suppose that the shrewd capitalist
viii lend money on ordinary land with no
special promise for the future-why should
he, If he wanted the mere land he could
buy as much as lie wanted at government
prices in many localities, possibly rs good
lands as ours. Why, the idea Of borrowing
large sums OF money on cheap lands is SUI
premeIy preposterous, AMI unless we can
show some clean reason, By practical dem
Oustration, for why our lands are not soon
TO become extremely cheap lands, we who
are iddiing for the edification OF capitalists
In other regions may Just as well hang up
pur iddles ana save our elbow crease.
Some one may spring it that we are of in
bur talk about borrowing capital on lands,
Is capital is mainly borrowed o.. ely realty.
II al amounts to the same thing in the end.
There must De local production OF some
kind sufficient to contribute largely to-
wards sustaining city, else. the values Of
city realty cannot DE kept up No city
can prosper permanently upon what Other
regions are doing in this age OF railroads.
There WAS 4 time when favorable loca-
lions II the mouths of rivers and at other
natural shipping points would sustain city
through lis advantages for commerce, but
now those are times of the past. Il must
be admitted that such advantages are still
advantages of much Importance, but they
are not enough. The region of country in
which city Is located must produce some
thing to giys that city permanence. It
must contribute its full share, locally, to
the commerce of The world, else its pros
perity cannot be long-lived OF course we
he not mean by this that the region must
produce everything that lie city needs, but
n must produce an equal TO local needs in
of walt n ir,tr
t. give in exchange for the things it needs
but does not have. Sustaining Il city per-
manently on any plan outside Of this would
be something very nearly akin TO perpetual
motion. Il would be like lifting ones self
80 the top Of the stairs by pulling upward
on the waistband OF ones own trousers.
Local advantages relative TO commerce
are not permanent, nowadays. unless we
might excep; very few SEAPORT places
We cannot move the sea. but great railroad
centers are being duplicated constantly An
interior city may have tributary to it some
vast agricultural REGION, or some rich min
:ag region, and upon this it may live and
prosper for a time, or so long as that tribu-
larry arrangement remains, but cannot You
see that unless some natural advantage ex-
lists which cannot possibly be reached al
another point, that tribut- will eventually
he cut of by the establishment of another
market more convenient 10 the source of
production' Thus ii is plain that it will
rot do 10 depend upon distant tributary
region for 4 city's prosperity-its tributary
region must be made so close around it as to
cut off all chances Of successful rivalry,
and unless this can be done the chances for
that city's future greatness are materially
reduced
What city makes Of itself by local pro
duction goes far towards giving it such ad
vantages as will hold distant regions tribu-
tary TO il; but it must have home back
hone--depend upon that. Plenty of home
backbone will keep it moving-keep up the
value CT its realty and thus keep capitalists
wiling 10 supply it wi II al the money it
needs on local lean. This will enable it to
create such advantages rs must draw TO
Itself directly, even through the streets OF
other less substantial towns, the products
and,patronage of distant regions; but with
out thish ONE backbone lies or the common
level with other places and therefore can
make for itself no very great $50 Of
specially rapid prosperity in IL