The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1904-05-20
THE NEW AND OIL
BROWNSVILLE.

article, which 1t VIII De seen
quoted, the San Antonio Express
and Houston Post in their respec
tive editions of last Sunday publish
IN article on which the guiding
geniuses of those papers might have
made liberal use of the blue per-
I'll with effect. While there l.
.,o,ne truth i'll the said article, and
1lso some very pretty English, We:
it is so overdrawn in other respects.
% inaccurate and insulting to the
older residents of both Brownsville
and Matamoros that one canno;
but wonder whether malice or
ignorance. or simple desire to
produce a striking contrast III
literary sense, actuated the author.
1t is also a subject for wonder that
the Express and Post should have
lent their columns to the publica-
ii IN of some of the statements con-
tanned iii the article. As a sam
pie illustrating its literary beauty
and at the same time of its gross
inaccuracy and uncalled for insults
to people who have deserved bet
ter, the following is quoted:
A few short months ago, down
on the Rio Grande, the obscure lit
tie town of Brownsville slept on
nor dreamed of its coming greatness.
The fragrance of orange blossoms
hlled the air, while song birds car
oiled from every limb. But deep
ly buried from the eyes of outsid-
ers was all this, for to reach this
garden spot one mi st cross the
gulf of Mexico or $50 miles OF
dreary sands from Alice by stage,
and the game was not then worth
the candle. Just over the river lay
Matamoros, where the illiteracy,
filth, superstition and radiant sun
shine abound. Grim perjury like
a famished animal stalked abroad
over this fertile, picturesque val
ley, where nature exhausted her
power III lavishing upon these in
dolent people every conceivable
element conducive to man s mate
rial contenment
Further on, it is remarked that
The citizens were startled when
a large, beautifully furnished, mod
ern bank with 500 600 capital
backed by influential men opened
its doors" And again, 1t was
thought that the heighth of gid
diness was reached when an opera
was to be opened; but there are
progressive depths of emotion still
to be experienced, for nlagnifi-
cent hotel is talked of. y
The fact that the obscure little
town of Brownsville a few months
ago-or, to be more exact a year
ago-was engaged most actively Ill
raising magnificent bonus for the
Lott railroad, thereby making pos
sible the building of the new
Brownsville. Had the author OF
this article taken pains to the post
himself. he would have known
that during the past twelve years
the 'lethargic" citizens of Browns
vile have raised three large bon
uses for the purpose of securing a
railroad, only to have their efforts
checked by powers whom it did
not suit to have a railroad built
here.
As to the citizens being startled
at the establishment of the new
blnk, that appears strange, wher
it is remembered that this splendid
institution is a Brownsville pro
duct, organized chiefly by citizens
of this place, and who own th'
larger part of the stock. If Their
be any credit attached to this pre-
iect it issurely due to the obscur
little town of Brownsville itself
The climax of misrepresentation
bv the Post and Express CORES
pondent is reached in the following
statement:
From two or three thousand tn