The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-22
IFS GATEWAY TO THE
MEXICAN REPUBLIC
San Antonio, Texas, Holds Com
handing Position in Relation to
the Vast Trade Conducted With
Our Southern. Neighbor.
TREMENDOUS GROWTH OF
COMMERCE IN FEW YEARS
Nation Presided Over by Diaz Is
Now One Of the Best Customers
Of Uncle Sam Capacity of Ter
ritory Tributary to Alamo City.
Special to The Journal.

1itoIy tributary 10 Alamo ClCy.
Special to The Journal.
San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 2o.-This
month Texas will celebrate the sixty
nrst anniversary of her admission as
| state to the union, and this fact recalls
| to mind that one Of the stipulations made
| by Texas at that time was that she
! should reserve the right to be subdivided
| Into five states whenever her population
should attain sufficient size to justify
such action. Her inhabitants now num-
| Der nearly 100000, but it is estimated
that when the state becomes as thickly
! populated as New England there will
be more than 7O,oo0,00O people within
her boundaries. Whether the time will
ever come when Texas will demand the
fulfllment of this compact with the fed
eral government remains to be decided
by later generations, but in the light of
recent developments it is not difficult to
prophesy that, should the division ever
occur. of the richest of the five new
states thus made will be the one which
embraces southwest Texas =
Sixty, even ten, years ago no one would
| nave ,Ventured to make such forecast
for all that vast region lying southwest
of San Antonio and the Nueces river as
far as the Rio Grande valley, was re-
garded as dead land,'' fit only for graz
ing purposes. The discovery of the great
artesian belt underlying this territory
opened a new epoch in its history, and
added another empire to Texas, for; with
an abundant supply of water from these
wells for use in irrigation, the land has
proved to be narvelously fertile. The
climate is so warm and genial during the
winter months that work out Of doors is
not interrupted and several crops in a
year can readily be grown upon the same
plot of ground. Cotton, corn, sugar cane,
alfalfa and rice yield abundantly through
out this section, and SO great is the
variation in the types of soils that it is
possible to grow vegetables of all kinds
| known to our markets. 49,. T. a..
| Adapted to Citrus Fruits ~
The fact that the rich ranchmen who,
until recently, have held undisputed
sway through this territory raised oranges
and lemons sufficient for their home
needs proved beyond question that these
and and experts from the great orange sec
lions of California and Florida became So
much Interested in the matter that some
MADE ma personal tests which proved SO
!
| chased large tracts of land and have set
out thousands of these fruit trees
81 ,sta =, dates, and figs grow exceedin.
produce large crops each year. There
| is no reason to doubt that many other
varieties Of fruits will thrive, becoming
1 Withln rev years of great commercial
Without transportation facilities, how
eyer ever, an the marvellous fertility of ex-
IRENE rtns;o southwest Texas, the inexhaustible
mater could not have caused lit to de-
veloP into power In the progressive life
Of It this great state But, Fortunately for
~ after the discovery of the artesian belt.
and now every effort is made to: provide
dOr Inc Shipment pm Of all the produce in the
IS or the greatest Importance to truck
ana fruit growers, enabling, them to put
t tnelr produce on the northern markets
ef9 19Hr to SIX - weeks before similar
parts of the south, and In this Wav
they reap the benefit of the higher prices.
All OF southwest Texas is not only
recognized as great cattle raising coun-
Try, put also as being one Of the most
wonderful agricultural sections of the
S Sofdns ana IN there are many wfo-claim that
be accredited. as the greatest yegetablr
and fruit garden lin the United States
At an events. whether it attains to this
an or not it WiI certainly have
markets of the entire eountry ana 1n rr ene
me me trade with Mexico and foreign coun- !
Of oties otb Ior no matter how great the power
~ y: otner Inc ustr1es may apparently be |
IN any country, it is to agriculture thai
we must finally turn to find the real basis
alr endnr1ng prosperity, and the great
agricultural community must be eiean-
tic force in the onward movement Of The
world - - - 'iie
Center OF Southern Texas.
San Antonio, the largest city in Texas.
IS the center Of this rich southwest sec,
n Iron an a. through its markets each year
passes the larger portion of it's produces
a sll1d cattle to be distributed far and
wide. Four great trunk lines of railroad
enter t,l,t the city and there are several more
Ing of connections in order to have direct
communication with sources sof supplv
a hfl TO tacllltate the handling of perish
vantage to San Antonio, and to ali the
southwest, for development is progressine
SO rapidly that transportation facilities
are often severely. taxed under the pres
san Antonio has been called the Gate
way to the Republic of Mexico" and the
1olt significance Of the appellation is often
re what Mexico stands for today. Their
ldeas OF this country are hazy mixture
6 bist tne roma a the early days of its
revolution and bloodshed Under the wise
government of her able president Por-
nrlo Dlaz, Mexico has grown into a pros
Peerous, orderly. progressive nation. over
1SoOo miles of railroad have been built,
onus giving a great impetus to CONNER
clal activities. The trade between Mexi
co ana the United States has already as
sumed gigantic proportions and each year
years ago the exports from this country
amounted to about $6,000O0O, and now
they> are nearly sSo.ooo,ooo. For the same
p ertod me value OF the merchandise i'm
ported into the United States from Mex
1 nGo ma mas increased from s4,5OOO0O to 800