Mercedes Tribune (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 17, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 27, 1914 Page: 1 of 8
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tribune
Volume 1
Mercedes, Hidalgo County, Texas, Wednesday, May 27, 1914
Number 17
ASSOCIATION ON THE
MARKETING QUESTION
©mmittee of the Rio Grande
and Coast Bespeak Continu-
ance of Present “Associa-
tion.”
Owing to the interest that is
now being manifested by peo-
ple generaly over the Valley
with regard to the marketing
of produce, and the discussions
that are being had with refer-
ence to a Unit Marketing Sys-
tem, and believing that the Rio
Grande and Coast Association
is making and has al-
ways made every effort
to fill exactly the position
in the Valley that the proposed
Unit Marketing System con-
templates and advocates, and
believing that if improvements
can be made they ought to be
made in the Association, and
not out of it, a committee was
appointed at the last meeting
of the board of directors of
the Association, which will in-
vestigate methods used by
other marketing agencies in va-
rious parts of the country, and
will investigate the claims of
any and ail persons who have
ideas to advance regarding the
beterment or improvement of
the methods of distribution and
marketing that have been used
heretofore, with a view to in-
creasing the efficiency of the
Asssociation in any maner
whatever.
This commitee will be glad
to acquaint the people of the
^Valley, through the press, with
'any information it may obtain
and any suggestions it may
have to offer, and it is the earn-
est desire of the members of the
committee to ascertain whether
or not improvements can be
made and to gain any informa-
tion possible looking to the
betterment of our system of
distributing and marketing the
vegetables from this territory.
It is the belief of this commit-
tee that much more good can be
accomplished by factions.
It is the understanding of
this committee that when the
Rio Grande and Coast Associa-
tion was formed it was with
the very idea of uniting all the
shippers of the Valley into one
“Unit” organization. This com-
mittee believes that the Asso-
ciation has made considerable
headway in the matter of dis-
tribution and sale of vegeta-
bles from the Valley, and it is
a known fact that the Associa-
tion has acomplished some very
remarkable results fo r the
farmers of the Valley in the
matter of protecting their in-
terests i n connection with
freight rates and loss and dam-
age claims.
This commitee will also go in-
to the matters that they feel
have been accomplished by the
Association for the good of the
growers and will also go into
the mater of ascertaining
where and in what way better-
ments might b e accomplished.
It is JJie earnest desire of the
ssoci^fci to serve the grow-
the very best manner
e. We all know that
s a large degree of risk
ied to truck growing and
k shipping, and there will
ly never be a time—no mat-
whol^tlie system is—when
that could
nplished,
or im-
ground again which was cov-
ered in the original discussions
that resulted in the organiza-
tion of the present Associa-
tion. The findings and recom-
mendations of this committee
will be given to the public from
time to time.
Jno. T. Lomax
T. Y. McGovran
D. H. Barr
G. W. Kohler
Committee.
PREPARATORY SCHOOL
CLOSING EXERCISES
Interesting Program Given by
Pupils of Mercedes Mexican
School.
The closing exercises of the
North Side School were held
Saturday, May 16, at 7:30 p.
m., at the school grounds. The
program which was rendered
showed that the teachers,
Misses Loretta Hamant, Nellie
Price, Margaret O’Donohue and
Anna Kinahan, had devoted
considerable time and patience
to make it a success, and the
pupils are also to be commend-
ed on the excellent showing
they made, for it undoubtedly
took a geat deal of rehearsing
to be able to render their re-
spective numbers in the man-
ner they did.
When it is taken into consider-
ation that the pupils who enter
the preparatory school in
which are taught the Primary
and Intermediate grades, for
the most part do not under-
stand a word of the English
language and the tfeachers are
not familiar with the native
tongue of the Mexicans, it
seems hardly possible that
these pupils would be able to
give an entertainment such as
they gave Saturday night. To
the teachers belongs more cred-
it than is probably given them
by many.
Following is the program
rendered at the closing exer-
cises :
Song: Welcome, School
Recitation: The Party, Petra
Sarate.
. .Recitation : Circumstances
and Cases, Lupe Lara.
Bootblac k Drill: Little Boys.
Song: Pussy Cat, Lila Garza.
Recitation: The Baby, Clotil-
da Champion.
Vocal Duet: One Word,
Mother, Estafana Cortez, Fe-
liciana Cortez.
Re*tation: The Lost Penny,
Peter Krummel.
Witch Drill: Senior Girls.
Selection: El King (Liszt)
Recitation: The Calf, George
Miller.
Pantomime: Lotus Eaters,
Katie Champion, Jennie Cava-
zos, Florinda Diaz. Reader, Ma-
rie Lara.
Recitation: Baby’s Logic,Au-
rora Cavazos.
Selection: The Hunt.
Flag Drill: Junior Girls.
Pantomime: Rock Me to
Sleep, Senior Girls. Chorus—
Aurora Cavazos, Belinda Cava-
zos, Estefana Cortez. Isabel Mc-
rena.
Scarecrows a Roamin’:Boys.
Song: School is Over, School.
-o-
METEOROLOGICAL RECORD
(U. S. Government Co-operative Ob-
server’s Report, Mercedes Station, for
the seven days ending May 26th.)
Date—
Wednesday.............. 85
Thursday.................. 87
“yday.....
urday
^pday
v
P. F. Friend.
operative Observer.
Temperature
Max. Min.
Precip.
.... 85
68
0.00
.... 87
70
0.81
... 84
71
0.04
... 82
70
0.06
... 87
72
0.00
90
73
0.00
.. . 86
71
1.19
THOUSAND NEW FAMILIES
TO LOCATE AT MERCEDES
30,000 Acres of Land Adjoining Mercedes on
the West Will Be Rapidly Settled.—John T.
Beamer Again in the Harness with a Million
and a Half to Finance Proposition.
That the 30,000 acre tract of
land lying west of Mercedes and
known as the West tract will
soon be under cultivation and
contributing its share of corn,
alfalfa, hogs, and vegetables to
the large shipments of these
products from Mercedes there
now seems to be no doubt. The
canal which will water this tract
has been completed about a year
and the pumping plant which
will lift the water to the second
lift is also ready to operate. The
Company controling this tract of
land also have a large acreage
near Donna which will be water-
ed from the La Donna Canal
which they will put on the mar-
ket after the 30,000 acres which
is to be watered from the Mer-
cedes canal is sold. John T.
Beamer who originally organized
the Alamo Land and Sugar Com-
pany has again become the head
of that Company, having recent-
ly raised a million and a half
dollars to finance the several
prooositions.
It is hard. to accurately est-
imate just what the opening up
for settlement of this additional
30,000 acres means to Mercedes,
but as it will be sold in 20 and
40-acre tracts it means that many
more families will locate here. If
a family were put on every forty
acres it would mean just 750
more families or about 3,000
more people for this immediate
vicinity who will do their trading
at Mercedes. This tract has
some of the best soil in the Val-
ley, is well drained, and once
the selling campaign begins in
earnest, it will not be long until
evory acre is sold. The placing
of this land under cultivation will
enhance the value of adjacent
lands and with the coming in of
new people and additional capi-
tal, Mercedes in about to enter
an era of the greatest prosperity
and activity in commercial circles
that has ever been known in the
history of the city.
In the Donna Dispatch of May
22nd appeared the following
which will be welcome news to
those interested ifi the develop-
ment of this section:
For several months the activi-
ties of the Alamo Land and Sugar
Co., commonly called the Beamer
proposition, have been exceed-
ingly quiet, in fact, almost “nil.”
It has been generally known
that aside from a serious handi-
cap on account of financial dif-
ficulties, there has been serious
differences among the officers
and principal stockholders as to
the policy of conducting the
company affairs. This led to the
practical retirement of Mr.
Beamer as the business manager
of the company about three
months ago, Mr. Swallow suc-
ceeding him it that capacity.
It was feared and believed that
the Company had “bitten off
more th&t it could chew” and
that the proposition was a dead
one.
The Dispatch is therefore much
pleased to be able to announce
upon the very best authority,
that Mr. Beamer has succeeded
in financing the affairs of the
company to an extent to meet
every reasonable contingency.
He has purchased the stock of
Mr. Swallow, Mr. Knapp and
other stockholders and they have
retired from the company.
The importance of this move
to Donna and the surrounding
country can hardly be estimated.
The company controls by pur-
chase and contract about 80,000
acres of land. 30,000 acres ad-
joins Donna on the east and is
watered by the Mercedes Canal;
6,000 acres constitutes the north
part of the Donna proposition
and will be watered from the
Donna Canal; the balance of the'
land adjoins Donna on the west
and will be watered from the
Pharr canal. It will be seen
therefore that Donna is in the
center of this body of land.
The land watered from the
Mercedes Canal will be first
put upon the market and as soon
as the obstacles in the way of
the formation of the Irrigation
District are removed the Donna
land will be opened for settle-
ment. The La Blanca Agricul-
tural Co., from whom the Donna
land was purchased has been
opposing the formation of the
Irrigation District but the of-
ficers have stated that they
would withdraw all opposition as
soon as Mr. Beamer would make
a substantial payment sufficient
to insure them that the land
would not have to be taken back
by them. This, we understand,
Mr. Beamer is prepared to do
and as he is much in favor of the
organization of the district, we
can see nothing in the way of
immediate prosperity for Donna.
Mr. Beamer has no superior if
he has an equal in the business
of organized land selling and
colonization and now that he has
ample finances at his command
we predict a greater scene of
activity that has ever been ex-
perienced by any place in the
Valley.
--o- —
The annuncement of A. Y.
Baker as a candidate for re-
election to the office of sheriff
appears in the announcement
column of the Tribune. Mr.
Baker has had considerable ex-
perience as a peace officer, hav-
ing at one time been a Texas
ranger, and during the term
he has served Hidalgo county
as sheriff he has showed his
ability to fill the position.
Having served but one term, he
will probably secure the nomi-
nation at the democratic pri-
maries.
HIDALGO COUNTY BANK
TAKES OVER PLANTERS
A deal was consumated Friday
by which the Hidalgo County
Bank purchased the assets of the
Planters State Guaranty Bank
with the exception of the real
estate, furniture and fixtures
owned by the latter institution
which will be retained by the
stockholders who have placed the
same in the hands of E. H. Kasey
as trustee.
The Hidalgo County Bank is
the “old reliable” bank of the
County, having been established
in 1907, and was the first bank
to be established in the Valley
outside of Brownsville. The
present officers are W. H. Last-
inger, President; S. P. Silver,
Vice-President and N. P. Barton,
Cashier.
The Planters State Guaranty
Bank was established about three
years ago, but the feeling that
one good strong banking insti-
tution was sufficient to serve the
requirments of the people of
this vicinity resulted in the
transfer.
-o-
WANT NEW BRIDGE
ACROSS EL FUSTE
A petition is being circulat-
ed among the citizens of Merce-
des and vicinity today by Post-
master N. E. Tucker, asking
the Commissioners Court to
change the location of the
bridge across El Fuste and put
in a longer and more adequate
structure.
El Fuste is a resaca, which is
a natural drainage for overflow
waters from La k e Llano
Grande, and since the drainage
commissioners connected the
lake with the resaca to avoid
the damage to land by over-
flow from the river, El Fuste
now carries considerably more
water than before the drain-
age work was done.
The recent rains have caused
the water to rise in El Fuste
up to the timbers of the bridge
floor, and an additional over-
flow in the river would un-
doubtedly carry out the bridge,
as it has several times in the
past. This would cut off wag-
on traffic between Mercedes and
the people living nearer the
river, and it is thought that
once this matter is brought to
the attention of the county
commisioners and the drainage
comissimoners there will be no
trouble in securing a bridge
that would withstand the over-
flow waters.
OBJECT LESSON BY THE DUTCH
The truth of the old saying
“it’s hard to beat the Dutch” has
again been emphasized, this time
in the Mexican crisis, as is told
in the following editorial from
the New York Herald:
While the great government of
Great Britain is engaged in futile
protests to the great government
of the United States that some-
thing should be done to protect
foreign property in the oil coun
try around Tampico, and while
the great government of the
United States is contenting itself
with endeavors to obtain some
sort of pledge from the federals
on the one hand and the constitu-
tionalists on the other, the little
government of the Netherlands
is furnishing them both an in-
teresting object lesson of what
can be done by resort to simple
and practical methods.
Forty miles up the Panuco
River’s devious windings, twenty
miles from Tampico as the crow
flies, there is a large oil property
owned by Dutch capitalists.
When American citizens were
being “Tampicoed” into Tampico
and from there oat to sea in
(..roves, the Dutch superinten-
dent of this Dutch property sent
down to the Dutch commander
of a Dutch cruiser in port and
asked him what should be done.
The Dutch commander didn’t
waste time in contemplation of
possible international complica-
tions. If anybody back at The
Hague was thinking about such
things he didn’t know it and
didn’t care. Without any delay
further than that devolved in
giving the necessary orders, he
loaded two of his boats with
marines and started them for
that Dutch property with in-
structions to stay there until
they hear from him.
They are still there—and that
Dutch oil company is safe.
PLAN TO ESTABLISH
HUGE POWER PUNT
Eastern Capitalists Investigat-
ing Proposition of Furnish-
ing Electricity for All Power
and Light Plants in the Val-
ley.
While it was impossible to se-
cure any definite information
on the subject, owing to the
secrecy with which investiga-
tions are being made, the Trib-
une has learned that a party
representing New York and
Boston capitalists has for some
time been investigating the
practicability of erecting a
huge power plant at Point Isa-
bel, which would furnish elec-
tricity for lighting every town
in the Valley, and also power
for operating all of the pump-
ing plants between Point Isa-
bel and Sam Fordyce.
The representative of these
Eastern capitalists spent sev-
eral days this week in Mrece-
des, and while no definite in-
formation was given out, the
facts leaked out that a million
dollars is now available to
start the plant, and those be-
hind the proposition have fif-
teen or twenty million more
which will be ready as fast as
needed.
This is probably the biggest
proposition that has yet been
considered by investors in the
Valley, and its consumation will
mean a great deal in the rapid
development of this section. It
is proposed to purchase all of
the water and light plants in
the Valley at their physical
valuation and also the pumping r
stations, and furnish the elec-
tricity for lighting the towps
and running the pumps from
the big power plant, which is to
be located at Point Isabel, on
account of the fact that cheap
fuel can be secured there. Oil
from Mexico can be unloaded at
the Point directly from the
boats into the storage tanks,
eliminating railroad transporta-
tion charges. ^
If this gigantic undertaking
goes through there is little
doubt but that electric railways
will also be built, and in all
probability a n electric line
would be built to Falfurrias,
making another route direct
from the Valley to San Antonio.
County School Superinten-
dent R. A. Marsh was a visitor
in Mercedes Monday. As will be
seen by the announcement col-
umn of the Tribune Judge
Marsh is a candidate subject
to the action of the democratic
primaries, for re-election to the
position which he holds and
which he has filled so adequate-
ly for a number of terms.Judge
Marsh has been a resident of
Hidalgo County for a number
of years and it would probably
be hard to find a man as famil-
iar with the general and par-
ticular needs of the various
county schools as he is. At any
rate, no oneseems to think they
could fill the position as well as
Judge Marsh, for no other can-
didate has announced for the
office. Judge Marsh will prob-
ably have no opposition to his
candidacy, and even if hfe does
he will undoubtedly secure the
nomination.
Closing out— My $300 sample
piano, in the Lion Restaurant.
(Melotone, Field Lippman, St.
Louis), at a bargain—$250. Terms
$25 cash, $10 monthly payments.
Building for rent, $20 a month.
Fixtures for sale cheap, $125.
E. A. Hendrickson, Mercedes,
Texas. 17-tf
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Brooks, Ben L. Mercedes Tribune (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 17, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 27, 1914, newspaper, May 27, 1914; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth635061/m1/1/: accessed June 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.