Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-16

Special Correspondence of The ST
MISSION, Tex, April 6. 1911.
William Jennings Bryan is the best adj
vertisement this section Of Texas has
had, although the stories that have been
| printed about his ranch have not been
strictly accurate. He did not come down
mere as q homeseeker, or to be cattle
| baron. or land speculator, or to run
| for the United States Senate. And he
hasn't bought an empire, or shooting
preserve. or any cattle upon a thousand
| hills. His visit was accidental. and John
}. Conway, one of the multitude OF
Bryan idolaters. formerly of Minneapolis,
who is the booster for the La Lomita
| ranch property, roped and tied and brand
ed him. as Texan would put it. before
he could get away.
! Conway has sold farm to everybody
that has come within range. Not a
| mortal has escaped him. He would sell
a farm or a town lot to the man in the
| moon. If he could get within speaking
distance of that gentleman. Conway has
sold farms to President B. l.. Winchell
of the Frisco railroad; to 3. r. Yoakum,
| who promoted all these enterprises; to
John Sebastian. general traffic manager
| of the Rock Island; Eugene r. Ihayer OF
|
Trust Company. General Passenger Agent
| Hilton of the Frisco railroad. William
| Doherty, general traffic manager of the
gulf line. and to everybody else who has
| been here. He can talk the bark off a
live oak tree. and when he begins to tell
about the comforts and weather and hap
| piness that can be found in the Rio
| Grande valley. even the steers on the
back ranges begin to work toward his
| town of Mission.
What was. and still is. a missionary
station of the Oblate Fathers of the Ro-
| man Catholic Church.
| Mission of known as La Lomita
r:. is now the town of Mis-
| La AoAA1Ia' sion. The Mission Land
and Water Company. organized by a
| Minneapolis syndicate. has invested about
million dollars in irrigating tract OF
| twenty-seven thousand acres along the
| banks of the Rio drande, surrounding
the town, and have sold about ten thou
| sand acres to many northern farmers in
| tracts varying from twenty to two hun
| dred and fifty acres. 4 portion OF the
land has been improved for half a cen
| fury. The Oblate Fathers planted vine
| Yards which cannot be surpassed in all
this country. and other fruits which pro-
| duced in profusion without irrigation:
They planted groves of pecan trees. and
raised vegetables here for generations.
They taught the poems the simple arts OF
| agriculture and mechanics. as Well as
leading them in the way Of salvation. La
Lomita means "a little HILL" but 1t is
only a gentle slope upward from the
river. just enough to give q good head to
! the water'in the irrigating bitches
Mr. and Mrs. Bryan stopped at the
town Of Hidalgo on their return from
Mexico in the winter Of 1908 to visit
some friends. and were given reception
by the citizens. Mrs. Bryan was pre-
drawn work. and Mr.. Bryan delivered a
| speech to the largest audience that ever
gathered in the valley Of the Rio Grande.
They visited Santa Gertrudis, the King
ranch and the Kennedy ranch. Mr.. Bry an
enjoyed his first wild turkey hunt. shot
some quail and found an old Minneapolis
friend and fellow-populist, John j. Con-
| way, manager of the interests OF the
ready told you. Mr.. Conway never lets
| anybody get away. and before the day
| was over he had sold Mr.. Bryan a 100
acre farm adjoining tract Of 1870 acres
b. F. Yoakum. the railway magnate OF
New York. So many wild tales were In
circulation about Mr.. Bryan's acts and
intentions that he published the follow
| ing explanation in his paper:
| ~
II nave received many inquiries in re-
gard to Texas land owing to my purchase
| of small tract near
Rrvan's Ranch Mission, in Hildalgo
| county, on the Rio
| Al 4eAdS. Grande. have, there
fore, prepared this formal statement.
which sets forth the facts:
| II have for some years contemplated
1 ~ x,in Of nd
| south suitable for the raising Of semi
| tropical fruits ana nuts. with the purpose
of using it for temporary home during
| the winter months.
| ION my recent visit to Texas I found
| some land that pleased Mrs. Bryan and
myself and we have bought 100 acres. Ii
| lies about two and one-half miles north
OF the Rio Grande and about the same
| distance south of Mission. a station on
| the st. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico
| railway. The land in that section "a
tract Of some 1900 acres plated by Mr..
]. j. Conway will be cultivated by irri-
CATION, the water being lifted to the canal
level by means Of a pump. l have al
| ready cleared forty acres Of the land and
expect to plant few acres Immediately
| in orange, lemon, grape fruit. olive, fig
and other semi-tropical trees, together
with pecans. almonds, walnuts. etc. and
we'll, as l have reason to expect that
they will, shall later build a house
| there.
Il have not bought the land as a
speculation or with the idea OF re-
siding there throughout the year. and
| have not investigated the situation
| from the standpoint of a permanent resi-
! dence, but the establishment OF nursery
in the Immediate neighborhood indicates
| that others have confidence In the posi-
bilities of that region. and l talked with
those who had found a profit In truck
| gardening.
| There are other places along the gun
! coast and the Rio Grande where there Is
considerable development-some where IT.
rigation is employed. some where the Gull
| tivation is by natural rainfall.
| MY advice to any one contemplating
| the purchase Of land, especially with a
| view of establishing home, Is to WISH
| the land first. So much more can De
| learned by observation and comparison
| than can be learned from inquiry, ana the
| cost of travel is SO small compared WIN
| the value of the investment, that tnlnk
| it always wise to make a personal IN
| spection SO that one can act upon his
| own Judgment and secure the location
| that best suits his purpose.
! civilian ]. BRYAN.
| Mr.. Bryan has built a comfortable cot
| tage upon his farm, which cost him III
| the neighborhood OF
Comfortable $1,000 and has been
| down every winter
Winter Home. s,,,ce his purchase.