The Washington herald., 1907-12-29
BIRTHDAY OF TEXAS
BY FREDERIC j. HASKIN.
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Sixty-two years ago to-day Texas came
into the American Union and added the
twenty-elghth star to the blue field Of Old
Glory. Texas came in as no other State
has ever come. laying aside the exalted
prominence Of an independent country,
forfeiting the right 20 send and receive
ambassadors. and. without dishonor.
changing the capital Of a republic into
the capital Of a State 10 become as all
other American Commonwealths. She
gave to the Union a territory as large as
all New England. New York. New Jersey,
Pennsylvania. Delaware. Ohio, and In
diana-one-twelfth Of the entire present
area Of the country. including Alaska.
Running at her greatest length SO miles
one way and 40 the other. she offers an
area of 30. 80 square miles, over which
the map Of France would hardly reach
Should an enterprising promoter OF sub
urban real estate some day lay out all
the State OF Texas into building lots Of
slightly over half an acre each and put
on each lot a family OF FIVE people, ne
could place there every person now in the
world and have $500. COO lots left for fu-
ture use. That is how big Texas is.
Some facetiOus writer once dreamed that
Texas one day stood UP on the map and
tapped down again IN a complete somer-
sault. with the result that St Paul was
forever hidden under inverted prairies.
while EI PasO was dropped out into the
Atlantic Had II turned its gigantic SOM
/ ersault the other way. Mexico would have
been comfortably tucked under a blanket
Of farm lands. timber lands. and plains.
1t is said that nobody ever gets home
sick IN Texas: he sooner or later finds
/ the environment TO which he was accus-
toned at home. While billiards, such as
the Dakota man knows. wreak disaster in
the far northwest Of the State. the man
from Florida is picking bananas in the
far South. little caring II there be snow
/ 200 miles away.
/ When Texas first became an independ-
ent nation and Mexico glared with COW
etous eyes across the borders AZ the land
she had just lost. the people turned to
v ard industrial and commercial supre-
macy. During the eight years Of her
! sovereign independence she made some
| progress. but II was not until after the
annexation 70 the United States and after
/ the Mexican war which followed that
the more rapid growth began. Soldiers
/ who preferred TO remain there and take
up farming and cattle raising. after the
peace Of Guadalupe HidalgO, found far
/ ther inland wild country where cadav-
| erOus. long-haired cattle were punched
I by ill-fed half-breeds. TWO OF these sol
diers took up landg and now the Santa
1 GertrUdis ranch Of l250.o00 acres and the
I La PARA OF S00,0d0 stand IN their semi
I feudal grandeur, as proofs OF the work
/ Of these TWO men From the 1900 cat
/ tie on Ia PARA Il has been the custom
/ 20 ship 10,o59 annually. and coo men are
I on the pay-rOlls OF the ranch. The cele-
brated long horn Is gone, passed out with
/ the picturesque life Of old border days,
and Herefords and Durhams have trans
planted the big-bOned. slowly fattened
/ beef OF the olden days.
When Chicago architects built the State
/ capitol at Austin. using native building
stone. they took their pay Of $4,000 in
native materials-seyeral million acres Ot
I land in the Panhandle region Of the
]
ranch IN the world. the Y T. This
now embraces ten entire counties as is
/ indicated by the "X I 7. - Ten in Tex
| as" Ranches like this and the improve
ment OF the cattle industry called Tor
/ greater protection. SO the Cattle Rsisers'
/ Association came into existence with q
/ lobby in Washington. a rigid inspection
OF all cattle shipped. and a long hand-OUt
/ for the apprehension and punishment OF
/ the rustler
/ Texas. however. is too good a place for
| the making of homes 10 allow il 10 be
always a State OF big ranches. The ten
dency Of the times is 10 break these up
among many families, and ''home-seekers'
/ excursions At stated intervals through
/ the least busy months Of the farmers
Z life attract a large immigration The
alien land law, which prohibited for
/ elgners from purchasing and holding
! lands. and allowed all such holders fifteen
years in which 10 dispose Of their lands.
/ greatly augmented the settlers exodus
( toward the West.
/ 1t was about 100 years ago that Zebulon
/ Pike went through the then remote
Southwest. visited this unknown territory
of Spain. and reported its possibilities 10
/ President Jefferson. Since then the flags
OF Spain, OF the republic OF Mexico, os
the republic Of Texas. OF the United
States, Of the Confederate States, and
again OF the United States have flown
over it in swift and picturesque success
/ sion. and the dragons teeth Of patriotism
were sown thjckly enough under each
I flag TO raise s;p heroes TO defend that
I flag Pike found Indians. MeXicans. and.
| here and there, EandfUls OF intrepid white
/ settlers. There were scattered settle
monts grouped about the adobe missions
! 4 the fearless Catholic missionaries. and
\ wide reaches OF plain where never a
white man trOd. To-day there are $500 900
people IN the new country that Pike re-
/ ported. dozens OF cities whose pOpula-
/ ton runs into the tens Of thousands
where once the adobe hutS stood. and
/ O-er 100000 hCmeS where were once for
/ est, prairie and ard plain.
Where Pike made painful progress by
I mule train there are to-day l2000 miles Of
| railroad in TeUas-uore than are in any
/ other State. Where he found miles % IN
| touched prairie lands, nine crops OF al
1 falfa are grown in a year. Dallas alone
| selling 10000 pounds OF the seed. Where
no cotton was TO be seen there is to-day
| raised Il per cent Of the whole wOrld'E
| crop with approximately 90.G00 spindies tC
| utilize much of the home product Where
/ Pike dug Mesquite roots for fuel 30 90
| square miles OF coal area lies under the
Red River country, and where the camp
| fire was the only heat and light he knew
/ oil wells that have been known TO floV
72.00O barrels a day dot the plains Of the
State with giant derricks for miles.
History is q vital thing 10 the Texan
and he is bearing of many OF the laurels
] .hnA N-L-nL-,aa 49, ch.-.ott. En-..