Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-02-25
Much Texas Land is Good, But Some
is Not, as is Politically Told by
"Jim," an Old Friend of
Billy McLoney.

the southwest, and therefore ought to
grow steadily year by year. 1t lie
built on the extreme east end of Gal
weston Island, just off the Gulf Coast
Of Texas, is six miles in area, and has
population of 35, 200.
This fact appears remarkable: that
q city of that size should transact
business equal to other communities
with three or four times more inhabi-
tants. The anomaly is easily explain
ed. The finest l~and-Iocked harbor on
the Gulf Of Mexico has given Calves
ton an immense carrying trade. Here
come ships from European and South
American ports to carry away our
cotton, corn and wheat, in exchange
for money or foreign commodities.
30 profitable has been the handling
OF these exchanges that conservative
merchants and brokers were content
to reap assured gains without seeking
to bring in strangers by heralding to
the world the city's manifest advan-
tages.
Galveston was not discovered, in
the true of the word, until a
few years ago. Then the great West
awoke to the fact that by o of
the Santa Fe Railroad it was linked
to q deep water port several hundred
miles nearer the interior than is New
York City. The United States Gov
eminent appropriated &c. zoe, 900 to
c a channel of sufficient depth
across the bar at the entrance of the
bay, and in November, 1898, there
were sixteen to seventeen feet of
water at mean low tide, but work was
not actively pushed until 1890. The
south jetty is six miles long and the
north arm has been extended two
miles.
During the five months ending Jan
nary 81, 1898, there arrived at Gal
weston 1874 steamships, with capacity
OF 321 900 tons and manned by $500
sailors; also sixty-five sailing vessels
OF 5000 tons and carrying APO men
not including the small local craft.
The ~clearances were nearly as many.
In other words. the vessels regularly
touching at Galveston can accommo-
date 5000 cars in and out monthly.
The miles Of completed wharves,
on the bay front, with room for more,
amply accommodate existing traffic.
Immense grain elevators have been
erected, n of which a load four
ships at once. During the CONNER
ciai season, after September /, the
docks are filed with bales of cotton.
Cotton is the chief staple of Texas
and half Of 1t comes to Galveston,
making this the second cotton port of
America. Every bale of cotton leaves
In the city from 81 to $3.50 to pay for
handling, wharfage, etc.
Cotton and wooden mills, bagging,
binding Irvine, rope and lace factories
are established here. The fish and
oyster business will DON rival that of
Baltimore.
OF course, all OF Texas is not fine
country. Texas is a big State and
parts Of It are bad, very bad, as those
from Audrain County who bought in
the Ruggles grant know. Some of the
worst land in the State is along the
border Of Mexico, as the following
"poem," written by an Audrain boy
and . great friend OF w. J. McLoney's,
would indicate:
TExAs-As "JIM" SAW 1T.
The "devil" In "helI" we are told was
chained,
And a thousand years he there re-
manned.
But he did not complain nor did he
groan,
But determined to start a hell of his
own,
Who're he could torture the souls of
men,
Without being chained in a prison
cell.
30 no asked the Lord IL he had on
hand
Anything left when he made the land.
The Lord said, yes, I have plenty on
hand,
But I left II down on the "RioGrande.n
The fact Is, old boy, the STUFF is poor,
! don't think you can use it In hell
anymore.
But the devil went down to look at
the truck,
And decided II 1t comes as a gift he
~ stuck;
For after examining il carefully and
well
He decided the place was too dry for
tthell.n
30 In order to get 1t of his hands,
The Lord promised the devil he would
water the lands;
For he had some water-or rather
some dregs-
A regular cathartic that smelt like bad
eggs.
So the trade was made and the deed
was given,
And the Lord went back to his home
in heaven.
AuU uONh encu r@iu, 4 nave HI tnhb
Ii needed
To make a good "hell," and hence he
succeeded.
He nrst began to put thorns on the
trees,
And mix up the and with millions Of
fiees; !
He put thorns ON the cactus and horns
ON tho toads, |,
And scattered ta~rantulas along the
roads;
He put : little adsvire in the sroncho
steed. L
And poisonsd tho feet Of the cent?
ne l-snsshsnaa the horn of the Texas
And pas y .aa,aen 70 tho Rabies