Mercedes Tribune (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 10, No. 15, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 23, 1923 Page: 3 of 10
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MERCEDES TRIBUNE
PAGE THREH
The Three Things
Mercedes Most Needs
Prize Winning Essays in Chamber or Commerce Contest
Fire Protection-Flood Protection- ing us, we did not have sufficient
Street Lights.—By Packard Bar-
ton, Winner of First Prize in
High School Section
In my opinion the three things Mer-
cedes needs most are: First we
need a better and a more organized
Fire Department with an American-
France fire truck, and equipment, in-
cluding larger hydrants and water
pressure. As it is when we have a
fire the volunteer firemen have to
come from their places of business
' and are sometimes late, but when
they get to the station they can’t find
their coats, boots or hats. When the
department gets to the fire they of-
ten do no,t have sufficient water
power or pressure to extinguish the
blaze. The city would have a bet-
ter fire department and equipment if
the council would appropriate enough
money to buy it with.
Second—Beyond most things Mer-
cedes needs flood protection. When
the Rio Grande gets on a rampage
it is a destroyer of' many lives and a
great amount of property, the loss
being caused by the lack of protec-
tion levees. The lack of protection
has held this ‘'‘Wonderful Valley” of
ours back, because the people that
come in don’t like to be drowned out
when they are trying to get started
and therefore we don’t grow as rapid-
ly now as we will when we get pro-
tection levees around Mercedes and
' the farming districts. We have some
•..very beautiful orchards consisting of
orange, grapefruit, lemon and many
other kinds of fruit trees. Also we
have many beautiful fields of truck.
If you would ask any of the owners
of'these fields about flood protection,
ninety-five perecent of them would
be. for it. In nineteen hundred and
twenty-two we had flood water from
the Rio Grande eleven inches deep on
the sidewalk in front of The Hidal-
go Couhty Bank and had water in
ninety-five per cent of the stores in
the down town district of the city.
This was a great loss of merchandise
and property. Although we had men
from every town in the Valley help-
count of the bad roads leading into
Mercedes, over which the farmers
have to travel. I have seen many
families go to Weslaco instead of
Mercedes to do their trading, on ac-
count of the bad roads between their
farms and town. Farm products are
always higher in Mercedes during a
rainy spell, than during good weath
country nearer together.
For instance whenever there is
anything of interest, the country
people can come into the city without
any trouble and, too, wheir-the city
people wish to go to the country for
picnics or rides they would have
nice roads to travel. There is so
much low flat country here we would
But most of all we need a school
levees to hold the great sheet oi
water out of the city and consequent-
ly it resulted in the worst flood Mer-
cedes has undergone in years.
The third and the last thing I
think Mercedes needs is resident
street lights, as on reasonably dark
nights you can’t see thre’e feet in
front of you while walking on the
sidewalk. When you go to any city
or. any larger town you -find some
kind of light on every corner. Street
lights not only add to the beauty o
a city, but insure protection to its
citizens. In p’aces where they do
not have street lights, many peopio
are hurt by walking into objects
which they cannot see at night. A
cheap street light could be put on
the residence streets and would serve
the same purpose as an expensive
one but would insure the protection
of its citizens. Mercedes would be
a much prettier city at night than it
is now if it had street lights in the
residence district.
We, the Citizens of the City of
Mercedes, Texas, are anxious to
make our home town the prettiest,
safest and most convenient city in
the entire Lower Valley, and believe
with a first class up-to-date fire de-
partment; "with the proper levees
around our town and farming district
to protect us from the dangers of
flood waters, and with the proper
street lighting system, the above de-
sired results can easily be accomp-
lished.
Let each of us strive at all times
to work together with an ultimate
aim to make Mercedes the best place
in the world to live in.
ei\ Why? Because it is impossible
for the farmers to enter the.town tb auditorium; a place large enough to
accommodate (the people of our ctiy
of our beautiful city.
When we have accomplished this
much, our city will begin to grow
and business, houses factories, and
better schools will come. We could
soon have a hustling city. So let’s
till choose our leader with this in
mind.
our community fail to purchase
homes here. They go either up or
down the Valley. I consider that (the
greatest detriment to this city.
The v/ater system, I believe, could,
be improved wonderfully. 'We could
improve it by using larger mains
(Continued on page 5.)
Good Roads — Auditorium — Flood
Protection. —By Miriam Wade,
Winner of 2nd Prize, High
School Selection
Pull Mercedes out of the mud.
Mercedes needs good roads entering
the town. It is an actual fact that
the town is losing a great deal of
trade, on account of the founding
of two little but mighty towns on the
east and west of Mercedes. These
towns were founded largely on ac-
sell their products. The town people
may not have to be pulled out Of the
mud during the rainy spell but .they
have to reach down into their pocket
books a little farther when they pay
the grocery bill. The good roads will
not only help the farmers, but they
will help Mercedes. For example:
when one sees an attractive display
window one is always invited to en-
ter the store. The same is< true of s
road. If one sees miles of hard sur-
faced roads leading into a town i!
is- always an invitation to see if the
town is as nice as ithe road leading
into it.
The home talent plays staged in
Mercedes always have large crowds
but people are going to quit coming
to them if more than one third of the
audience has to stand. We need an
auditorium that will seat more than
the picture show for it is often full.
Mercedes needs an auditorium with
a large stage. Much better plays
can be given if there is a large
stage. I would suggest that this
auditorium be an annexation to the
High School building. As it is now,
ithere is no room in the High School
large enough to seat the ever in-
creasing student body. Mercedes
High School has been deprived of
the pleasure of having the other
Valley schools as her guests be-
cause of insufficient room. I wish
to add that it is the plea of all those
who have contributed to the home
town plays that the antirooms of this
proposed auditorium be larger.
Mercedes has had four or five
floods since its founding and if it
hadn’t been for the rainbow promise
she would have been washed away
long ago. If the Rio Grande river
continues to overflow we must have
flood control. Not only does Mer-
cedes need flood control but so does
the whole Vally. In order to pre-j
"vent the last minute rushes to guard |
the town from the rising water some
preparation must be made before-
hand. In view of these facts it is
evident that immediate action must
be taken to supply the vital needs
and necessities of our town.
and surrounding country. I think1
we should have the auditorium at
the high school building1. It is too
bad that this was overlooked when
the school was built.
I think we should have more room
for the Mexican children as this
term the rooms were real crowded
and they too, should have equipment
such as ours, with an auditorium and
all outdoor games for their amuse-
ment.
I have mentioned three needs of
Mercedes, “The heart of the Valley,”
but greatest of, I think, is peace and
harmony among its fellow citizens,
where all are of one accord and of
one interest in the up-lift and growth
Flood Protection—Better City Wat-
er System—Law Enforcement.—
by Irene Bolton, Winner of
2nd Prize, Grammar
School Section
We want Mercedes to be one of the
leading cities of the Valley so I am
going to give three suggestions that
might help our little city in some
way. Of course Mercedes needs
many more (things than Jl am going
to suggest.
First is our flood protection which
means more substantial levees. They
are to protect us from the Rio Grande
River, which destroyed thousands of
dollars worth of crops and did other
damage as was clearly demonstrated
last June. The northern home-
seekers looking for a home in the
Valley learn of our flood situation in
24
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AMERICAN TOBAOO
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To Hidalgo County
Subscribers Only
■H:
New and Renewal
Subscriptions to the
Mercedes Tribune
S3J10
.For T wo
Years
In Hidalgo County Only
Flood Protection — Goad Roads —
Auditorium.—By Wm. Trousdale,
Winner of First Prize, Gram-
mar School Section.
I am ashamed (to write my opin-
ion of the three greatest needs of our
own little city. First comes to my
''mind her safety from the “great flood
waters which come sweeping down
on us unprepared. I think by some
means we would devise some plan to
have ithe water carried off that we
may not suffer the inconveniences
and loss of lives and property.
So I say flood protection is the
first great need that we may save
our crops and business interests.
Since all are interested in this pro-
position I feel sure that each would
lend a helping hand to make a sure
and safe protection.
Next we want a good connection
with a hard surfaced highway, for
prosperity and we must have this in
order to go ahead, otherwise we will
stop growing. This should make our
city a great center of business. For
this reason; it brings our city and
(The coolest summer suits for men) will be
sold for $7.50 per suit.
All sizes, brown or blue stripe
THESE SUITS HAVE ALL BEEN PRE-
SHRUNK IN COLD WATER
No Single Year Subscrip-
tion Will Be Accepted
At This Rate
$5.00 Will Enroll
Start Today, and Before You Know It You Will Have a Car of Your Own
The following banks are deposi-
tories for the weekly purchase
plan savings accounts:
Hidalgo County Bank
First National Bank
We offer $1.00 for each en-
rollment secured this month
4-per cent Interest
Paid On Savings
Tolson Motor Company
Mercedes
Texas
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Holland, W. D. & Buell, Ralph L. Mercedes Tribune (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 10, No. 15, Ed. 1 Wednesday, May 23, 1923, newspaper, May 23, 1923; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1002912/m1/3/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.