Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-14
wAco's BOARD OF TRADE.
A Lengthy Paper, the Contents of Which
Are Adopted by That Body.


Are Adopted by That Body.
Special to the Gazette.
WACO. TEX, March 12.-There was an
important meeting of the board of trade
last night. ]. B. Scarborough made some
preliminary remarks, in explanation, and
then introduced the following paper:
To the Honorable President and Members OF
the Board of Trade Of the City OF Waco:
GENTLEMEN Inasmuch as our country
Is comparatively unknown to your honor
able body and your business men, we de-
sire by this means to open closer and more
friendly business relations between your
city and our town and country. We are in
formed and believe that Waco can and will
offer inducements to the wholesale and re-
tail trade of Texas equal to any other city
in the state, provided sections Of the eoUn-
try are so situated that they have direct
connection with your city by rail, so that
business may be transacted with you with
dispatch and certainty. We have here a
large and valuable territory that would,
with one united effort, be made tributary to
your city and be brought to empty its great
granaries and cotton fields into the lap of
your commerce and receive from your
wholesale merchants and factories the i'm
mense volume of the various necessaries Of
life that are called for and must be con-
sumed by population already numerous,
and increasing at a very rapid rate.
We have here Jones county. three-fourths
of Haskell, the north one-half of Fisher,
all of Stonewall, a small corner of Knox,
the southwest one-half of King, three
fourths of Kent, and over one-half of
Dickens counties that are so situated
geographically that small outlay in the
extension of the Texas Central railroad
from Albany to Arson would put US in
more direct communication with Waco
than any other point in the state, which
would mean that much trade to your city if
other Inducements are equal. We feel that
we have reached a point in our history
that development will be Improbable I'M
less we can secure connection by rail with
the business interests OF the world. We
have in our county a population of about
6O0O people, there must be at least as many
more in the portions of other counties
named above that would be tributary to
this road.
There are many farms in this splendid
county, ranging from 100 to 600 acres of
land in a line state of cultivation There
was produced in this county alone for the
year 1891, nearly 800, 900 bushels of wheat,
100, 900 of oats. 1000 bales of cotton and
other crops in proportion, and we may
reasonably suppose that the other counties
and parts of counties with an equal popula-
ton produce about as much more. The
country referred to does business now al
most exclusively with Fort Worth and
bdLldS, olllpplllS " anu 1IOA ADlACuCf III
Taylor county, over the Texas and Pacific
railway. The trade of this territory fails
to reach YOU from the fact that q trouble
some change and delay is met with at Cisco.
If the road was extended to Arson, all the
territory mentioned above would reach the
road at this and other convenient points,
from the fact that this would be the near
est and most accessible route to all points
within the territory, and once shipped, it
would reach you for the same reasons that
it now takes the direction of Fort Worth
and Dallas.
We are anxious to have railroad into
our country. We want your business men,
and the management of the railroad COM
pany to know of our development and our
future prospects. We wish to set fairly
before you what we are and what we may
be, believing that you, with US, will see
that IL is to your interest as well as ours to
AID in securing this extension of q road to
your own city. We would in this connec-
ton ask your honorable bocy to appoint q
delegation TO visit US, and satisfy your
selves as to our resources, and if satisfied
that the connection would be beneficial to
yourselves we would ask your influence and
assistance in inducing the company to ex-
tend. The route is practicable.
A survey has been made, and an estimate
showing the cost of constructing the road,
will soon be ready and win be presented to
the company. setting forth all the particu-
lars, that they may, with little trouble, be
able to pass upon the merits of the route.
We hope at an early date TO have a visit
paid our country by the general manager of
the company, and would be pleased to have
a delegation of your business men precede
them, that you may. if you can conscien-
tiously, assist US by encouraging the visit
aud present your views as to the profit that
would result from an extension. There
will be no trouble to secure a pledge from
our business men to trade with your city,
provided thatyou viii sell to them as cheap
as other cities in the state.
We would further set forth that four
ffths OF Jones, and about the same per cent
of the portions OF Fisher and Haskell
counties that are trible sary 10 this route is
good agricultural LAM. and large per cent