The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-08-23

nj URN9 FRUM IRlP
SOUTH OF EQUATOR
Hon. William II. Murray who since
retiring for time from the political
arena of Oklahoma, has developed INTO
| something of n glohc-trottcr, has re.
turned to this section of the L. $. A..
+ om an cN tended trip. covering perio
Of over -four months. through the dit
ferent states of South America.
Mr.. Murray is looking remarkably
well. tanned as he is by the sun of the
tropics When the condition of his
health was mentioned. the cN-congresi-
man, known throughout this section
as the sage of Tishomingo," said:
Yes. | am in better health ana WelSh
more than | did when | left the United
States. The "trip was worth more than
the cost for this If for no other reason.
1t was my first real rest in 30 years.
Mr.. Murray talked interestingly OF
his trip through the lands and coug
tries of the Latin Americans, and said
in part:
THE countries of South America
southland far the most part. have less
malaria than the southern states oi
North America.
1--WE get most of our erroneous i'm
prcsslons of the malarial conditions
of South America off the north coast
and from men of note who travel in
the rubber districts and jungle low
lands.
For instance. Theodore Roosevelt
Travelled for over 1000 miles through
the greatest and most dense jungleS
in the world, a jungle which was All
| but impenetrable; alive with creeping
Shiny, Vencmous reptile life. the air
surcharged with miasmatic effluNla ana
fraught with fcVer-breeding germs. lie
Travelled through this widest of all
wild jungles, down the Rio DeVida, or
River of Doubt to the Rio Mcderia,
and down that stream to the Amazon,
navigating up stream on that river
to Manaos, town 900 miles from the
sea shore and but 50 feet above sea
level; thence up the Rio Negro, through
the CaSeorea which connects the
source of the Orenoca; thence down the
last named stream to the Caribbean sea
on the north shores of South America
This was the first time that this entire
trip had ever been made by a white
man. and it is more than possible that
it will be the last. No where ON this
journey through a veritable death val
ley, was Roosevelt, while on these riv
ers, over 200 fcet above the sea level"
When asked about the countries
over which he has SO recently tray
eled Mr.. Murray said, II Travelled over
western and southern Peru; over east
ern and southern Bolivia; over the
north half of Paraguay and over the
southwest coast of Brazil. For the
larger part of all these countries are
healthful."
Asked relative TO the object of the
trip and the success which followed
his efforts, Mr. Murray said:
Il started to make it, at all events,
one of pleasure, but with an eye open
for resultant profits. And but for the
unavoidable delays every expectation
was filled. But these delays, well they
We're all but uncomfortable.
II left Buenos Aires, some 81 de
grees south of the equator, on July
train, boat, mule trail and portage
possible to further and hurry the jour
ney, and here / am, after six weeks
of travel and still away from the home
end of my journey.
Travel in the interior is still slower
and would be uncomfortable but that one
has the consolation afforded him of
continuing to move, even if he succeeds
in covering but 80 or 40 miles per day.
However, L found some great OPP
portunites for the farmer and stock
raiser, greater far than any offered
in this country. Bnt this would re
qure colonization. \ few men could
not survive.
Il have been assured that I can Sc
cure concessions upon $50 or more
square miles of good land-all rich
prairie, red, black soil with just enough
clay to make it sticky. Here the grass
grows green the year round with no
winter, warm days and cool nights and
an average annual rainfall sure OF
46 inches-about like east Texas. with
franchises seldom put into a conces-
sion. The concession will carry all
riparian rights TO all stream freedom
a ten-years period; government sup
port of colony schools and military pro
lection. All this so cheap that includ-
ing its cost and incidental expenses
to such a plan, that it can be disposed
of to member colOnists at 25 cents per
acre.
"Of course the letters and recon-
mendations l had helped to make this
possible, for they are strong as any
man can take to South America.
The land conveyed in the conces-
sion is not only good farm land, but
is the best cattle land in the world.
Two and a half acres will feed and
fatten a steer the year around"
When asked if he contemplated at
tempting such a colonization plan, Mr..
Murray said:
I'D like to, but it requires much
money to begin with. However, that