The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-09-12

directed energy and enterprise. mat is
to say, it will be utterly futile to rely
upon our natural advantages in the race
for commercial growth which is now gen
eral among Southern cities, as being sur
ficient of themselves to overcome the
enterprise of other cities which, having
less of them to offer, must rely almost
entirely upon their ability to hustle for
themselves. To succeed, we must to our
natural advantages add energy, ana TO
energy enterprise, and to enterprise per-
sistence. Unless we do this, other cities
less fortunately situated as regards wa
ter or electric power Will carry OIL the
commercial and industrial prizes by Of
fering other inducements in the way of
bonuses, lands stock subscriptions, etc,
outweighing as inducements to the lOca-
ton of factories our superior power IA
cilities.
A notable instance in point is furnish
ed by a glance at the history of two Col
orado towns, Pueblo and Denver. Eff
teen years ago Pueblo and Denver were
almost equal as to size and population.
Pueblo had the magnificent Arkansas
river, and was splendidly located to avail
itself of the immense water power at It's
very door; it was nearer the mines than
Denver. The latter city had no water
power at all, and was located out on the
cactus-covered plains, on the edge OF
what was once known as the Great
American Desert" Denver had practi-
cally no natural avantages."
Thus situated the race for supremacy
began. Pueblo laid back upon her nat
ural advantages" and these were undeni-
ably great. Denver relied wholly upon
her ability to hustle" Pueblo said,
factories and smelters and railroads
must come to u.s." Denver said, I'VE
will go after them" There could be only
one result. Denver distanced Pueblo in
less than five years. and is now magnif-
cent city of nearly 100000 people, with
greater destiny ahead of her. Pueblo is
a second-class place of about 10000 peo-
pie, and is unknown outside of Colorado.
Similar instances in other States might
be insfanced, all bearing unvarying testi
money to the fact that natural advant-
ages without enterprise and persistent
energy are of practically no avail against
what may be termed the principle of
eternal hustling."
1t is both natural and proper, too, that
we pride ourselves upon the healthful-
ness, the wealth, the culture and the edu-
cational advantages of our city; but these
things, while helpful and gratifying,
make very little for commercial great
ness. We need and must have manu-
| featuring enterprises, from which, in sea-
| son and out of season, a steady stream
of health-giving blood is poured into the
| community. Money is the blood of COM
merce. TO suppose that only few will
| be benefited by the presence of addition
| al wage-earners in our midst is q great
| error, to correct which it is only neces-
sary to attempt to trace up the monthly
wages of workingmen when once set in
motion by them after pay day. Part of
these wages goes to pay rent, part to the
butcher, part to the dry goods merchant,
| part to the grocer, part to the clothing
merchant, part to the shoe dealer-these
again turning over the money-and so on
in endless procession, each one receiy-
| ing part paying again to some other
one, until the revivifying effect of the
| current is felt by every part and parcel
| of the community. Enterprises which
employ large numbers of wage-earners
lend to a community more stable pros.
perity and more rapid and healthy
growth than is otherwise possible, anC
they exert a beneficial influence upon the
fortunes of the whole community, NJ
persons or classes whatever being eX
cepted
But, as before suggested, these enter
prises are not to be induced by any lay
ing-on-our-oars policy-the race for com
mercial growth and supremacy is set a
too hot pace in these days. The up
and-doing communities are the only one
that can earn the prizes.
The truth of the matter is that the pos
session of great natural advantages fur
nish the best reasons for an aggressivel
enterprising policy, as the possibilitie
are greater than for other cities less hap
PLY endowed. If other cities having les
than we to offer are energetically an
successfully at work in the field of man
ufacturing, as they are, then the NOR
reason we have to bestir ourselves les
we be too late. There is no better tim
than now, and no one so able to help IL
as we are to help ourselves-that is t
say, show our faith by our works-befor
we can reasonably expect any considera
bic display of interest by others. w
must always bear in mind too, that me-
with money to invest in manufacturin
plants can better afford to do withou
Austin than Austin can afford to do with
out them. Keeping in view these things
and profting by the lessons we shall ac
quire in the effort, success must crown
policy of united, energetic and persisten
hustling. BOARD OF TRADE.