Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1927-12-04
The Kennedy County Highway

kennedy county will vigorously oppose any effort
20 construct a highway across that county, according
TO information from the Kingsville Chamber OF Com
merce, which recently took the matter up, through q
committee, with the principal land owners, who are
quoted as stating that "we will fight any road build
ing program, no matter how financed. that will run
through our ranch lands, with every means at our
command"
The stand taken by the Kennedy county land own
ers is typical Of the old days when the cattle barons
dictated the policies aud controlled the lower Rio
Grande country. Kennedy county is the last remaining
stronghold Of that regime, separating two Of the mos
prosperous and rapidly developing sections of the
state-the Lower Rio Grande Valley and the rich cot
ton and vegetable areas surrounding Kingsville, Robs-
town, Corpus Christi and the famous black land
country.
It is possible that under existing laws the ranch
es of Kennedy county, who are apparently bitterly OPP
posed TO a highway cutting across the sand dunes
which constitutes most Of the ranch country, can pre-
vent the construction of a highway which will give
the Lower Rio Grande Valley a more direct outlet TO
the upper Gulf coast country. They may be able to
block IL temporarily, the same as a few ranchers sue
ceeded in blocking some Of the principal highway pro-
jects in California and Arizona; but it is folly 70 think
that the exceedingly sparse population Of Kennedy
county, controlled by the ranch interests, can indef-
initely block a project Of such vital Importance to the
two richest sections in Texas-a project in which the
entire state is interested.
Twenty or thirty years ago the declaration Of the
big ranch owners would have been accepted as final.
In those days their word was the law on the lower Rio
Grande. But times have changed. 1t is probable that
they stnn have considerable incluence, both political
and financial: but their influence is no longer para
mount along the Rio Grande. The progressive agricul-
tural interests Of the Lower Rio Grande Valley con-
troll thousands Of votes where the ranehers control
scores; and the wealth Of this section Of Texas Is no
longer represented by herds Of cattle-it is represent
ed by thousands Of highly developed farms, owned by
progressive farmers who are demanding outlets for
their products and better highway connections with
central Texas.
II existing laws permit the Kennedy county ranch
es to block the proposed highway connection between
the eastern part Of the Valley and Kingsville, the next
session Of the legislature should be called upon to so
amend the law that the residents of the lower Gulf
coast section can secure a right Of way for the highway
project Every county on the Texas Gulf coast should
make this an issue in the selection Of members of the
house and senate, and the fact should be impressed
upon those who arrogate TO themselves the right TO
block progress, that South Texas development is not
70 be stayed by a few ranehers who are apparently
imbued with the idea that they still WELD power as in
those old days when they were the overlords Of the
entire lower Rio Grande country.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley will secure the
highway outlets its development demands. They may
not be attainable Immediately, but it is folly to be-
lieve that the Valley can be permanently blocked in
its development program by the owners Of a few hun
bred thousand acres Of sand dunes.
The Valley has met similar opposition from SINH
Jar sources ever since the first irrigation canal was
constructed and the first settlers came to this region
to develop the most fertile agricultural area in the
world. History is merely repeating itself in the atti-
tude assumed by the Kennedy county ranch owners, and
it will again repeat itself when the progressive ele-
ments OF the Valley triumph and build their connect
ing highway through the ranch country.