Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-25
EAST TEXAS.
HER PEOPLE GATHER TO DIS
CUSS HER WELFARE.
The Railroads Said to be at Fault and 1t ID
Proposed to Appeal to the Commits
sion to Remedy the Evil.
Special to the Gazette.


LUFKIN, TEX, Feb. 17.-There was 4
large gathering of East Texas people here
to-day in attendance at the immigration
convention. w. G. Townsend was elected
permanent chairman and j. L. Davis secre-
tary, with B. T. Bonner assistant secre-
tary
The question of representation was set
tied by motion TO admit as delegates any,
one from any county in East Texas
The roll showed representatives present
from Cherokee. NacogdOcheS, Shelby, Polk,
Trinity, Harrison, Angelina and Harris
counties.
Gen. John NJ. Claibourne of Cherokee
offered the following resolution:
Whereas, we the people of East Texas,
assembled at Luflln, believing that this
section of the state has been neglected, and
without cause, but by its resources and ad-
vantages never has been properly pre-
scented to the world, and especially those who
have sought Texas as their home aud be-
lieving and knowing as we do there is no
part of the state or in the entire South
that possesses natural material. soil,
climate and other advantages as does East
Texas; therefore, be it
Resolved by this conference of a part OF
her citizens, that we do most sacredly
promise and agree one to the other, jointly
and as a whole, that we will not stop the
work of populating and developing this
successfully accomplished in having this
section of our unprecedented state thor
oughly known throughout the English
speaking world.
The resolution went on to give the mode
of representation and other matters, and
was referred to a ways and means COM
mittee for action, which consisted of the
following gentlemen: l.. d. Washington,
Polk county; D. G. Collier, Harris county;
John NJ Claibourne, of Cherokee;
Cicero Smith of Shelby: b. B.
Lewis of Nacogdoches,- w. A Adair OF
Harrison, E. j. Mantooth Of Angelina, A.
T. Dawson of Trinity.
Judge f. c. Dickinson of Rusk spoke at
some length upon the question OF
immigration. He said that the greatest
drawback to East Texas or especially
that sectioni traversed by the Tyler and
Southwestern and Houston, East and West
Texas railways was that these roads are
both narrow gauge affairs. Judge Dickin-
som said the roads would never be
broadened till the people rose up and
forced the owners to do so. Capitalists did
not like TO settle in country where they
would be subjected to friction of the trans
ferring from a broad to a narrow guag5
road. He said the people should
appeal to a higher authority, the railroad
commission, to compel the roads to broaden
their gauge. Judge Dickinson said that
the way the present roads are operated
is oppressive and absurd. The present
convention should appoint a committee to
confer with the railroads to induce them to
give the people broad-gauge tracks.
T. S. Garrison of Shelby got the floor,
and said that friction complained of by
Judge Dickinson was caused by narrow
gauge legislation more than narrow gauge
railroads.
Judge e. ]. Mantooth said that the peo-
pie were also narrow gauge.
The convention then adjourned until 10
O'Clock tomorrow to enable the ways and
means committee to devise plan to induce
immigration.