The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1902-01-03
INTER from


Editor ''Old Reliable"
Many years ago there Vas an old
man whose name was Jacob, and he
had twelve sons, { perhaps some of
your readers have heard Of him.) One
Of his youngest sons was named
Joseph. This young fellow dreamed
a dream that seemed 10 ridiculous to
his elder and apparently wiser breth-
ern, aud they nlck-paMed him "the
dreamer" yet many years thereafter
they had to 20 to him for bread.
The Apostle Paul was declared to
be u mailman, Columbus, Newton,
Galyani, stephens. Fulton and Others
were called dreamers.
Soon after the Southern Pacific
railroad was built from Lafayette,
La. to Houston, Texas, all through
low, fat and poor looking prairie, Il
Northern man WIN was Il passenger
on its train, while going along about
where Crowley, La. is now, called the
brakeman to him and asked; Is all
this country along here as poor as
this? The brakeman told him 1t was.
The N0rtherncr then replied:
think the U. s. Government ought To
allow these people to make counter
felt money, and wild cat" whiskey
free Of license.
About that same time, another
Northern man, Mr.. j. o. Watkins,
came to that same country and be-
gan making Il great many efforts
(which were declared ny the people
dreams,) to develop tile country. He
was called a dreamer and 10 fact,
three.fourths Of all his efforts were
worse than failures, yet today this
country is the best part Of the United
States,
Twenty years ago lands were sold for
Sl.25 per acre, today they pay . good
interest on a valuation OF a hundred
dollars per acre, and this when used
as rice arms. All this Is easily track.
ed back to the efforts Of Mr.. ]. B.
Watkins, ''the dreamer" Of twenty
years ago.
When Martin Luther nailed his
protest against the Pope's Bull on the
door of the Cathedral, lie published
words that shook the world" Lutll.
er was called dreamer and mailman
and was condemned to hell by the
church, yet today all mankind are
reaping the benefits Of his protest.
When old man Lucas boared into
Spindle Top here and the Oil rushed
out, it began to roar and sound. and
today the little town OF Beaumont is
known to all mankind, yet old man
Lucus was a dreamer. A few years
ago l was In the court house in Meri-
dian, Miss, and as Capt. w. H. Hardy
came In, one lawyer remarked to an.
other, land with contempt On his lIps)
''there comes the President Of the
Gulf & Ship Island Railroad" Today
that same railroad is over two hun.
dred miles long. While at Moss Point
and Scranton a few days since, |
heard many derogatory remarks made
about the efforts being made at vii.
sons Springs for oil. or course, every
man who put mohey into that effort.
did so, kpowi9t that there were at
least ten CHANCES against them, yet
as the oil, II there at all, IL deep in
the ground, there must lie an effort
made before any results are known.
and II this Is dreaming, | wish we
had more drcamcrs. ! dispise a pessi-
mist anyway.
A few days since as ! camc down
the NJ. \ O. Railroad there were sev.
cral children 10 the .car, each about
two years old, and all were crying and
their niama's M end ~ trouble.
An old gray headed man was greatly
annoyed and 0nally declared that III