The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-05-20
Products of the Lone Star
State Brought 1864 ,OOO,-
600 During the Past Year,
Report Shows.
RAILWAY CENIUSES
MADE 1T POSSIBLE
Foreseeing Possibilities of
the Great Southwest They
Opened Up the Country
With Railroads.

New York. May 20.--If c. p. Hunt
ington. z. H. Hartman and Colonel
Thomas Scott were alive today they
would be sure to call attention to the
statistics which have Just been receiv.
ed from Washington telling Of the
money value OF the agricultural prod
ucts Of the soil of Texas for the year
1910. The bureau OF statistics at Wash
ington reports that the soil of Texas
produced last year crops of money
value Of three hundred and sixty.four
million dollars. The star of agricult.
ural empire has moved from the mid.
west to the southwest. No other state
In the union harvested crops last year
whose money value was large as
those produced by the Texas farmers.
Colonel Scott. one OF the several
geniuses who have served as executive
chief Of the Pennsylvania railroad.
more than thirty years ago was accus.
toned to speak with enthusiasm and
In most glowing prophetic terms OF
the wealth that lay in the soil of Tex.
-.
Predicted Great Future.
And II was not wholly for the pur-
pose Of creating transcontinental
line. Of which his Texas Pacific sys.
TEN was to be the chief link. that Col.
onel Scott invested almost all of his
personal fortune In the promotion of
that railway. Ha foresaw that Texas
would soon after the railway vas op.
ened begin to deliver business to the
railroad. and upon scale which would
justify any reasonable investment
made In the Texas and Pacific prop
erty. He often spoke Of Texas as the
future empire state of the union.
Only a year or two before his death
c. p. Huntington spoke to the writer
Of the promise which he discovered of
stupendous agricultural development
In the state OF Texas. Mr.. Hunting.
ton was sure that the cruder political
economy which had for some years
Influenced the people OF Texas as II
had many parts of the west and south
west. would be abandoned by Texas
more speedily than by any. other south.
ern state. He said that the agricult.
ural possibilities that lay In the soil
Of Texas were inconceivably great. He
spoke of the fact that unlike almost
all the other cotton states Texas could
be made q great wheat producing
state. He was sure that the cotton
crops OF Texas would in the course
Of few years be found each year to
exceed the cotton harvest of any two
other southern states.
Hartman Saw Opportunities.
The last visit Mr. Hartman made to
the south before he was overcome by
his mortal illness was occupied chief.
ly by investigating in Texas He knew
much Of Texas possibilities before he
spent those few weeks In the spring Of
1909 In Texas. with San Antonio as
his headquarters. He came back to
tell his friends Of the magnitude Of
the agricultural possibilities Of the
state. the splendid opportunities for
the wise investment of capital there.
In fact. surmiscd that some of the de-
mands Of Texas and other parts of the
southwest for capital would by the fall
Of 1909. be found to be 80 great as to
have some effect upon the money mar.
kets. Possibly had Mr.. Hartman liv.
cd In possession of the energy which
characterized him for 10 years prior
to his death. he might have initiated
certain plans which his friends were
sure he had In mind for increased rail.
road development In Texas.
II the Texas farmers were able to
produce In the year 1910 crops Of the
money value Of $364.00O.OO0 they
should be able after further railway
development has been secured to pro-