The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-06-18
THE NEWSPAPERS PART.
what the Press Has Done for thu
Advancement of Texas.

Mr.. W. A. Mair OF the Halletsville Herald
before the Texas State real estate conven-
ton:
feel that I am among friends The
newspaper and the real estate men are kin.
you know. and / am proud of the relation
ship, Some of the best men the world has
ever produced have been engaged in the
real estate business. Even your Uncle
Sam is real estate man, and his success
in the business has been phenomenal Take
for instance, the little deal in which he
secured deed to Louisiana from Napoleon
in 1903, an event that the great West is
going to celebrate in grand style at st.
Louis in 1903. Then. to come nearer to
the present day let me cite that little deal
In real estate Uncle Sam made with
Spain last year, and it wasn't good year
for real estate either. Dewey comes next
as a real estate man, and 1t doesn't take
him long to clinch deal. either. The
newspaper and the real estate men have
been with us a long time, but | believe
the latter have a little the best Of ii, as
we are told that Adam was dealer in
dirt, but afterwards engaged in the fruit
business.
My subject, / believe. IS The News
papers Part in Texas Advancement" The
subject is broad one, and | shall have
to content myself in discussing It briefly.
The press OF Texas number among it's
workers some of the pioneers OF the state.
some OF the early settlers, who, though
born in the great East or North, decided
to rgo West and grow up with the coun-
try" The press of the Western henis-
phere is not old ia years, but it is old IN
experience 1t was In l640 | believe, thai
Governor Berkeley OF the jamestown colo
ny remarked in a public speech that he
hoped the day would not come during his
life when this country would be cursed
with newspapers and public schools. yet
in the early part OF the seventeeth CEN
fury the son OF a poor candle maker of
Massachusetts, Ben Franklin, "tne printer
boy" brought this dreadful evil, the news
paper. into existence In the United States
by publiSkin Poor Richards Almanac -
From that day the history of our news
paper dates. Poor Richards Almanac
was a crude affair when compared with the
newspapers OF today, but It laid the foun-
dalton for the grand work that the press
has accomplished for this country.
When Horace Greeley started the New
and his resources limited, and yet that
little pioneer paper laid the foundation for
the development OF the great metropolis.
and no doubt manv OF the colossal fortunes
that have been made there came from, en-
terprises that originated in the limited
columns OF Horace Greeleys semi-occa
slonal Tribune. Those men paved the way
for Journalism in the West, in the South
and today as we approach the close of the
most eventful century in the history OF
our Nation the newspaper is so complete
ly interviewer with this grand govern
mental and commercial structure of ours
as TO be a part OF the great whole.
Now to my own State: Wherever yot
find society. culture and refinement
wherever YOU find churches and schools
wherever the God given elements of ma.
ture respond to the magic wand OF hus.
bandry-there you Will find the ne Sspaper
And you will tind, upon Investigation. thai
the newspaper got there frst. The news.
paper man went West" and not only
grew up with the country, but he "shucket
his coat and started In to make the coun-
try grow up with him. And need saS
that 1t has grown?
Need say that the Texas Of today /,
not the same Texas that our pioneer jour.
nalists found here? | claim that the news
paper is the corner stone OF development
and enterprise. The farmer you know
is the mudsill-upon his efforts depend
our efforts; upon the fruits OF his toll W.
build our commerce: his efforts make pos
siole sky -scraping buildings. continental
railroads, great steamship lines and loft,
elevators He is the man who makes pos
sible the existence OF the busy merchant
the doctor, the lawyer and the politician
] am not going to dispute with the farme
the title OF mu1sill but do clatm tina
the press Is the biggest turtle that lodges
on that sill.
The newspapers part in the advance
ment or Texas has not been small one
we all know that In the far North ant
the enete East Texas, until recent years
was REGARDED as At habitation Tor onl,
oesperados and alligators; 1t was referred
to with bated breath as the home of hloos
curdling tragedy and unbridled outlawry
Texas was then no less paradise Thar
u Is today Texas then had the same rlcl
SOIL, the same ripping streams, the sam,
unbounded and lncalculablv rich forests
put who was here to tell It to the world
me pioneer newspaper man found thing
not SO bad as REPRESENTED. but he foun,
unfavorable conditions. He found law
iessness galore. But he also found virgil
SOIL as fertile as the valley of the Nile
He found that nature had been lavish il
us dealings with this great undevslopst
region. And yet, what availed all this
Mnat were all these advantages 10 hin
without the people to take hold of then
and develop them? Here was a work AMI
tne newspaper started to do il. Column,
and columns. pages and pages were writ
ten and printed telling of this new Eldora.
DO. and when the people OF the North ant
East began TO read these Texas papers m,
scales began to fall from their eyes. Prei,I.
dice was coon softened into curiosity ant
curiosity into eagerness. AS the strengtf
OF the newspapers OF Texas increased N,
reputation OF our State became mole IA
vorable abroad. Capitalists began 10 in.
vestigate. and those who came. finding III,
newspapers had not deceived them. invest
ca OF their wealth and then returned hom,
shouting our praises Thousands ant
thousands of copies of Texas papers fell
into the hands OF hard working. in.uH
trious farmers, and they, too. became CON
WINGED and settled among us. II Is I'M.
necessary for me to say what these farm.
ers have done for Texas--their efforts anc
their work speak more eloquently thar
words at my command
But the work OF the newspaper was no,
confined TO the Northern fields There wa.
missionary work to do at home. The
seeds OF lawlessness and crime sown here
had 10 be exterminated Law and orde,
had to be installed; the standard OF so.
ciety and morality had to be raised
churches and schools had to be estab.
lished; railroads towns and factories had
TO be built. In all OF these the newspa
pers took the lead Show me larvs