El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-04-01

Col Charles +. Homer. a prominent
and istinguished man of New York. is a
guest at the Sheldon hotel. having
come TO Ell PaSo to look after consider
able property interests he has here.
He is a man widely travelled. exceed
ingly we'll read, a delightful recounter,
and an intense American. He was the
central figure of little group Of men
in the lobby of the hotel The other
evening and after exchanging anec-
dotes of the civil war and anecdotes of
q more peaceful character. the subject
of Texas in general and Ell Paso in par
ticular came UP.
81 want to say to you gentlemen.
remarked the colonel. that my jour-
ney south has been one of the most
surprising as vel las gratifying eXper-
fences of my life. 1t has been con-
tinuous object lesson. Quite number
Of years ago / made a similar trip.
From the moment l entered the south
ern states | met with a series of pic
lures that were to me exceedingly de-
pressing. The country seemed desc
lated Homes that were prententious
in size and character were in state or
last decay for want OF a little paint and
some attention: the fields full of weeds
and Ing grass. evidenced continued
state of neglect. fences were down In
all directions. and the people l en-
countered seemed to be in entire sym
pathy and keeping with the general
air of apathy and neglect
This was noticeable all the way
down to New Orleans. but when
struck Texas this impression became
almost a nightmare. There seemed to
be absolutely no life Or activity. The
iimitless prairies were bleak and bar
rem and the few cattle to be seen from
the cars appeared to be half dead from
ennui or the want of something to eat.
THE climax came when / reached Ell
Paso. My first thought when I entered
the town and the last when I left it
was what could have induced man or
any set of men to found dwelling
place in such a spot Nature certainly
had not turned her smiles in this di-
rection and there really seemed no
logical reason for it's existence. In
short il was to me the jumping Oft
spot of the world.
Il returned east as quickly as my
business would permit and these i'm
Dressions / mad received probably had
much to do in lettering me from max
ing the trip again until now. The ex-
perienceS of this present trip have been
of a totally different character. The
contrast between the two pictures Is
the difference between light and snad-
ow. In passing through the southern
states this time | saw on every side the
evidences of enterprise. thrift. and in
dustry. in the iron and steel manufac-
lures of Alabama. in the cotton mills
of the Carolinas. in the rice and sugar
of Louisiana. and the beau
ty of the homes and the wealth OF the
fields.
My trip through Texas has been
The waste of the wilder
ness has been made to blossom as the
rose. and cities have sprung up full OF
life and vigor that could only BE- pro-
duced by the intelligence and genius
of the American people. Among these
cities FL Paso stands prominent. 1t
is to me typical of what can be pro-
ducad by the foresight, the ingenuity.
and the brain Of our people With
nothing to attract the eye or to appeal
TO the business sagacity of man in its
original condition it has been develop
ed by the ceaseless activity and enter
prise of its people until otday it Is the
of the southwest
In the number of railroads that are
already here and these that are to come.
IN the opening up Of the contiguous
with its mines of mineral
wealth. and in the substantial charac-
ter of its buildings and civic institu-
tons see the dawn of an era OF pros
perity and growth that VIII make Ell
Paso one of the great cities OF this
great commonwealth"