The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1903-10-13
wHY souTHWEsT7

WHY SOUTHWEST
Il is perhaps unfair to say that as
people we are nomadic Better yet,
we are expansionlsts. and the center
of population moves westward with
each decade The search for new ana
profitable fields. for better and bright
er conailons, is heritage The
movements are spasmodic at times
yesterday it was the northwest; to-
day It is the southwest Why?
Wen proven accounts of the natural
richness Of soil, of the mild and equa-
|bls climate. the wonderful progress
made in the agricultural sections OF
Kansas, Indian Territory Oklahoma,
Arkansas. Texas. Louisiana and New
Mexico. the rich mineral resources Of
THE whole region. the reclamation OF
the so-called arid and semiarid lands,
and the natural sequeuee Of capital and
labor. have enectualy awakened an
interest in the finest land the sun
shines on. AS a consequence, no sec
tion of the country is growing as rap
idly as the southwest is today Towns
are springing up Ike magic along the
railroad lines, built or building; banks
are Being started shops and stores
opened, more newspapers established.
and like features of development talk
ing place on every side. The old scrip
tural text Of "the desert blossoming
as the rose" is being fulfilled each
day
The old days Of free ranges in the
southwest, with vast herds of cattle
dotting the land, have passed and to-
day the sturdy farmer pioneer can
point with pride 70 the results of two
or three years OF toll lnlthe begin
ming, the land did not cost much
possibly one. two or three dollars per
acre; but It got richer with each pass
ling year, and now It would be diff
cult to buy the same land for five, six
or seven times the original cost. Take
South Texas, Oklahoma, Indian terri
tory Arkansas or any section of the
southwest you will, and the record or
the years is the same. Land values
are increasing with the tide of immi-
grafton, All over this broad expanse
OF fair, fruitful, fecund land, the spirit
lof development is rife, elbowing its
way, against odds at times, 20 the
goal-achievement AS aEe the con
ditious, so is the development The
conditions, naturally, differ widely.
Here, for instance fruit and truck
farming is the most profitable voca-
lion: over yonder rice cu5ure means
dollars more to- the grower than any
other staple crop In another section,
mineral wealtn--lead and zinc in un-
limited quantities and vast undeyelop.
led beds of coal just below the surface
Is The one thing around which the
development Of this particular section
|centers
A thousand industries, soils Of vary
ing degrees of fertility. a WONDERFUL
produce Of varied plants and crops a
worlds ransom Of different minerals.
such plenutude, such dissimilarity!
Yet IL is all the southwest
The essential thing about the south
west is that it is a freesforall affair,
the man with nothing but his hands
and average energy can get quicker
and better returns. can build his for
tune quicker can get more out of the
earth in this land of plenty than any
iwhere else. And equally is the oppor-
tunity open TO the man with money
TO invest, be the investment in pro-
duce. lands, farms. mines promotion
of industries. etc, in a word, all the us
ual empIoyments Of capital
All over the southwest cities and
otwns are growing up, expanding. re-
quiring more, demanding more peo.
pied by eager pushing, wideawake cit
izens. who see the virtue OF euconrag-
Ing enterprises Of every kind the
.needfulness of getting more and better
facilities. and more hands TO develop
/ .the country