Palacios Beacon (Palacios, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 1, 1927 Page: 1 of 6
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For a Greater, Better Palacios Country—Agriculture, Industry, Commerce, Living
SUBSCRIPTION $1.50 PER YEAR IN ADVANCE
PALACIOS, MATAGORDA COUNTY, TEXAS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1927
VOLUME XX NUMBER 48
»°v
PALACIOS
MEETING AT BLESSING
-CO.-WIDE ORGANIZATION
-WHAT PALACIOS NEEDS
-POEM—"YOUR TOWN"
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Perhaps the most encouraging and
hopeful meeting the writer has ever
attended in Matagorda County was
that held at Blessing on last Monday
morning in order to form a County-
wide organization, an account of which
will be found in another column.
There was an ecellcnt spirit manifest-
ed by the speakers, a spirit of broth-
erhood and co-opcration, Mr. Harkey
said at the outset that his desire when
he accepted the Bay City Chamber
of Commerce Secretaryship was to
serve, not only Bay City, but the whole
County. This has been evident ever
since he took office in March last.
There are 700,000 acres in Matagorda
County and only 18,8GG people living
within its bounds, together with about
3,500 boys and girls attending its
schools. Suppose the readers of this
column make a guess as to the number
of thousands of acres adjacent to Pa-
lacios that await settlement? The
statement was made that Mr. Walker
at El Matan had started out by settling
each farmer on 80 acres, but that now
he had brought it down to 40 acres.
However, this does not seem enough
for diversified farming.
One class of citizen came in for at-
tention from the speaker, and that is
the man who is- called a 'knocker.'
Mr. Simm3, of Collegeport, emphasiz-
ed the true spirit, when lie said that
the way to treat a visitor if he comcs
to Palacios first with a view to looking
at some land in Collegeport, is to say
to him:—"If you don't find what you
want at Collegeport, come back to Pa-
lacios and we'll try to please you."
One of the speakers said that just
as soon as the Valley is filled with
sufficient citizens to cultivate t.he soil
there, the trend of immigration will
be from Corpus Christi to Galveston.
Another gave as an illustration of the
value of the coming of the Intra Coas-
tal Canal, the fact that it costs $1.40
to send a crate of grapefruit from the
Valley to New York City by rail, while
by water the cost is only 40 cents.
The speaker said that today they were
hauling grapefruit by automobile
truck from one part of the Valley,
and loading them at Corpus Christi
to be shipped by water to New York
City. Mr. Anderson, County Com-
missioner, in an enthusiastic speech,
confidently asserted that five years
after the road system is completed,
Matagorda County will have doubled
her population.
* * ♦
George Adam Smith says in one of
his books:—"the possession of an ideal
does not mean, as so many fondly im-
agine, work accomplished; it means
work revealed." These words apply
to the meeting held at Blessing on
Monday. The enthusiasm and good-
will manifested there will have to be
translated into deeds. How" is the
first impression made on visitors
when they first enter a towp? It is
made through the eye, and the first
impression is likely to be a lasting
impression. What is it that first at-
tracts tourists when they enter the
Valley? It is it's beauty. How*"arc
visitors impressed when they enter
Palacios for the first time? What
do people get when they enter the Val-
ley ? They get ideas. Who ever
heard of the beauty of the town of
Palacios,—apart from its Bay. A
speaker from one of the other dis-
tricts mentioned the striking improve-
ment that had been made in the ap-
pearance of Bay City because of the
ipaving that had been done there.
The streets are much cleaner, the
■whole town looks better—and now they
are building a new hotel.
* * ♦
A friend has asked that mention be
made in this column, by name, of
those who have cleaned-up and beauti-
fied their homes and adjacent lots.
The writer thinks this would hardly
be fair, since there are many in Pa-
lacios who have always had pride
enough to keep their homes looking
clean and tidy. Some of them may
have been too poor to afford a coat of
paint, butthey have mowed their lawns
and brightened them with flowers and
Another Parent
Makes Reply
A pupil's class ring from a school
vouches for the fact that he has fin-
ished the course of study required by
that school. Second only to his Di-
ploma is his class ring, as a credential
for further advancement.
The Diploma goes into some safe
place at home, the ring he wears be-
fore the eyes of the world. When he
applies for a job and shows his ring,
the prospective employer has but to
ask the Superintendent of that school
to verify the statement that such a
one was a member of the class of that
date. He will know just as well as
if he had looked at his Diploma, that
he had earned at least a passing grade.
No impostor can be traced as easil>
as that of a fake ring. Only gradu-
ates are eligible to wear such a ring
as their own.
It was foolish in the Class of '28
to purchase their rings so early in the
year. How embarrassing it might be
to explain the possession of a ring,
one does not deserve; or that bears
a wrong date, if, by any chance one
should fail to pass; and have to make
it up another year.
I think that if our local jeweler
can make arrangements to get this
special make of ring, that they should
be purchased through him: very likely
his taxes furnished more schooling than
the taxes paid in by any one of the
parents. This schooling matter is a
Community affair and cannot be car-
ried on without reciprocity. Very few
of us could give our children four
years of such school work without it.
Far better to give your child a class
ring, to wear through the years as a
trophy of achievement; than costly
dresses, expensive invitations, or some
graduation present which has no sig-
nificance afterwards.
The money accruing from the play,
above the said play's expenses, belongs
to the Class to purchase something
for P. H. S. as a thank-offering for
some unpaid training rendered them;
to stand as a memorial to the Class.
I congratulate former classes on the
way they have used this time-hon-
ored custom. It was never intended
that this fund should be utilized for
current expenses.
My children met their pro rata of
all such incidental expenses out of the
family pocket book.
Our School is efficient and deserves
all of such aid that we can give it.
The grades U3ed to put on a little en-
tertainment occasionally, which was
quite educational as well as remuner-
ative. —Another Parent.
Mrs. C. B. Nelson was made very
happy Thanksgiving by having all her
children with her. Those coming from
Houston were Mr. and Mrs. D. R.
Baxter and son, Nnylnnd, Mr. S. H.
Baxter and daughter, Thelma Evange-
line, Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Dow and two
children, Meta Evelyn and Milby, Mrs.
J. E. Anthony and two children Nadyc
Belle and Vesta of Wharton, and Miss
Meta Baxter.
shrubs. The pity is that more resi-
dents have not this wholesome pride,
a pride that brings much pleasure not
only to the householder, but also to
the passer-by. Where there is most
untidiness is certainly in the business
district. And by the way, why don't
more Palacios people plant crepe myr-
tle? It is one of the most beautiful
flowering shrubs in South Texa3. If
the readers of this column think that
honorable mention ought to be made
of those who keep their places as they
ought to be kept, will you not write
to the Editor giving your opinion.
The writer of this column does not
think so, but a list could be made out
by a Committee appointed for the
purpose, and printed in another part
of the paper.
• * »
Mr. W. H. Hill, of Dallas, read the
following poem at the lunch in the
Blessing Hotel the other day:—
YOUR TOWN
Real towns are not made by men
afraid
Lest someone else get ahead;
When everyone works and nobody
shirks
You can raise a town from the dead.
And if while you make your personal
stake
Your neighbor makes one, too,
Your town will be what you want it
to be—
It isn't your town; it's you.
If you want to live in the kind of a
town
Like the kind of a town you like,
You needn't slip your clothes in a grip
And start on a long, long hike.
You will only find what you left, behind,
For there's nothing that's really
new;
It's a knock at yourself when you
knock your town—
It isn't your town, it's you.
To the Voters of
Precinct No. 3
It is with reluctance and a great
deal of consideration, and the insis-
tence of a great number of friends in
Palacios and throughout the Precinct,
that I again offer myself as a candi-
date for re-election as Commissioner
of Precinct No. 3.
The next three years will no doubt
be move important in the progress and
advancement of Matagorda County
than any like period in its history.
Feeling the great responsibility as I
do, of the Commissioners' Court in
the proper expenditure of the funds
intrusted to their care, also their abil-
ity to cope with the many situations
| that arise, and ability to co-operate
with the State Highway Department
and the Federal Bureau of good roads
in order that we may get the maxi-
mum amount of aid for the several
projects in the county,—the position
of Commissioner requires a fcieat
amount of work and study.
Looking back over the past three
years of my tenure in office we see a
great change in Matagorda County,
so far as good roads and progress are
concerned. Where we had the several
disjointed road districts in the county,
with gaps in between that were im-
possible to fill, and, too, dissatisfied
citizens, it. looked impossible to work
out any plan for a unified system of
good roads. However, we did the best
we could; some districts voted addi-
(Continued, to page 6.)
The New Ford Car
PUBLIC RECEPTION SHOWING
FEATURES OF NEW CAR AT
PALACIOS AUTO CO.
A public reception is to be held at
te Palacios Auto Company as part of
the National introduction of the New
Ford Models Friday, December 2nd,
and will also remain open Friday night
to accommodate those who will not
be able to come in the day time.
Doors of the show room will be open
promptly at 7 a. m. and attendants
will be on hand throughout the day
to explain the new and interesting
features of the car, which is expected
to make a new chapter in automotive
history.
New Ford cars arc said to be a
production of several years of study
and planing by Henry Ford and his
Engineers in the great Ford labora-
tories, there is nothing quite like thg
new Kord car. Company officials at
Detroit also repeated their early an-
nouncement that production of the new
Ford line will not make the Model T
line obsolete, the manufacture of new
parts for the Model T replacements
will continue and be an important
factor at the Ford plants as long as
any of the Model T cars are still in
operation. Because of this policy,
present owners of Model T cars will
be able to keep their cars in perfect
order as long as those cars remain in
commission.
Unusual speed acceleration are
among the outstanding features of the
new car, the car will make from 55
to 60 miles per hour, with ease. Ap-
preciating the constantly increasing
importance of acceleration, the Ford
Motor Company has given a great deal
of study to this feature, of the new
car. In high gear tests with two pas-
sengers in a Tudor sedan it has shown
an acceleration of from 5 to 25 mile3
per hour in 8V> seconds.
The new Ford car also introduces
a new type of four wheel brakes. The
engine that is practically vibrationless
develops 40 horsepower at 2,200 rev-
olutions per minute. The bore is
3% inches, stroke 4% inches.
I could write several columns de-
scribing this car, but do not want to
impose on the kindness of the Beacon
Editor, and trust that you will visit
our show room to learn all details
about the wonderful car.
C. LANGHAM ANNOUNCES
Mr. C. Langham requests us to
place his name in the announcement
column of the Beacon, as a candidate
for re-election to the office of County
Treasurer.
Mr. Langham has filled this office
in a very satisfactory manner the past
two terms, courteous and obliging at
all times, the smallest item being look-
ed after with as much care as the larg-
est one. He feels that the knowledge
required for the duties of this office
he has gained the past four years
more ably fits him to serve the people
another term and he asks and will ap-
preciate the support of the voters
throughout the County.
Mr. Langham's candidacy is subject
to the action of the White Man's Un-
ion Primaries.
CHRISTMAS CASH SALE
For one week only, Dec. 3rd to 10th.
Get your Christmas Outfit Now! 2%
discount on all Coats and Dresses.
This includes our Beautiful Printzess
Model Coats and Levine Dresses. All
Velvet and Velvet combination hats
at half price. One table of hats, $1.00.
It will pay you to look these values
over. $8.50 and $10.00 shoes, $5.98,
one lot of $2.25 and $2.50 hose for
$1.49. Nothing charged at Sale Priccs.
No Approvals—No Exchanges. This
Sale applies to both my Shoppes, El-
Campo and Wharton.
THE TOGGERY SHOPPE
Mrs. J. W. Menefee, Prop.
HORSE THIEVES?
In these days of fast autos and
motor driven farm machinery, horses
are becoming so scarce that the horse
thief is one type of criminal that is
becoming almost extinct. However,
it seems that Palacios was recently
visited by one of these rare reptiles,
according to Mr. J. F. Barnett, of the
Palacios State Bank and Trust Co.
One Monday morning, some five or
six weeks ago, Mr. Barnett found the
gate where he pastured his horses
open and his two horses, one a chest-
nut sorrel, "Fox," and the other a dark
b(rown paint pony, "Nappy," gone.
Thinking some one had carelessly left
the gate open and that he would soon
find the mising animals grazing on
sorrie of the nearby highways or by-
ways, he began scarch for them, but
after combing the entire country
around and advertising in different
papers for information, without a sin-
gle reply of anyone seeing them since
their disappearance, Mr. Barnett has
reached the conclusion that some thief,
or thieves, must have loaded them on a
truck and transported them to some
distant section of the State and dis-
posed of them, together with a John-
son outboard motor that was taken
from a boat in East Bay belonging
to Mr. E. R. Allen, as both horses and
the motor did the disappearing act
on the same night.
It is to he hoped the criminals may
yet be caught, and they deserve to be
punished as horse thieves were pun-
ished in years gone by.
County-wide Organization
Formed Monday Morning
A. J. BEARD ANNOUNCES
FOR CO. COMMISSIONER
The name of A. J. Beard will be
found in the announcement column
this week as a candidate for Commis-
sioner of Precinct No. 3, subject to
the action of the White Man's Union
Primaries.
Mr. Beard has been a resident of
Matagorda County for the past eight
years, coming here from Fort Bend
County, where he was born and raised.
His farm is five miles southeast of
Blessing.
Mr. Beard says he has considerable
experience rn road work, and feels
competent to take care of the duties
of commissioner in a very efficient
manner, should he be chosen for the
office.
He asks us to assure all that he
will appreciate any consideration of
favors shown him in the race.
DEMISE OF CHARLES A. TURNER
Charles A. Turner passed out of this
life, the 30th inst., at two o'clock that
morning. Mr. Turner had been in ill
health for a very long time and the
past month had been confined to his
room and bed the greater part of the
time.
Iljs sister, Miss Matt.ie A. Turner,
and he came to Palacios about two
years ago, in scarch of relief from the
colder climate; but with this improve-
ment there was a phase of Mr. Tur-
ner's disease that was of uncertain re-
sults, arterial sclerosis being of a ser-
ious nature. Mr. Turner fought a
brave fight and had no word of pom-
plaint scarcely—when the hours were
laden with bad feeling and discourag-
ing outlook. He kept a steady hold
on himself ana remarked to his phy-
sician, Dr. Wagner, upon his last pro-
fessional visit: "Dr. you have done all
you could for me and everyone has
done all that could be done, but I am
dying happily." Friends of Mr. Tur-
ner appi-eciate his being able to carry
a clear understanding to the end, and
his cheerfully withstanding the on-
slaught and raveges of the disease,
and, as he knew, the approach of death.
He possessed an enviable chai'act'jr,
steunch, quiet, unassuming, and though
lashed with dire misfortune in the af-
ternoon of his life he was optimistic
in the beautiful things of life in gen-
eral. He made many friends in Pa-
lacios, and the watchers at his bedside
in his last hours, reported that he
looked up and smiled three distinct
smiles just before he went out of this
life, as though he saw someone in
that other world whom he knew, or
else with the utmost faith felt he was
about to be rewarded for living his
life here as he had lived it.
Beautiful services were given in his
funeral. Dr. Driskill having charge
at the home and Rev. Derrick and Rev.
Gillespie officiating in turn, at the
grave, and the final service by the
Eastern Star Lodge, which is always
beautiful and a solace. Earnest words
of condolence and sympathy were ex-
pressed in obituary of "Uncle Char-
lie' and prayer that surely reached
where it was directed.
Mr. Turner's going will prove a loss
to the community, of which he was
fond, and they proved they were fond
of him; the many and beautiful floral
offerings carpeted the mound where
he was laid to rest and it was as one
voice among the friends:—"He lived
a Christian and died a Christian."
His remains were interred in Pala-
cios Cemetery. —A Friend.
MANY ATTEND ENTHUSIASTIC
MEETING IN BLESSING
MONDAY A. M.
Mr. R. M. Harkey, the efficient Sec-
retary of the Bay City Chamber of
Commerce, summoned a meeting of
representative men from the different
districts of the county to meet at
Blessing on Monday morning. The
object of the meeting was to take some
concerted action on the part of all
the county to advertise the oppor-
tunities that are to be found here, es-
pecially from the point of view of
agriculture. The meeting was called
to order at 11 o'clock and there was a
large attendance of men from all over
the county, with two ladies also in
attendance, Mrs. J. F. Burnett of Pa-
lacios and Miss Metzger of Bay City.
The following were present from Pa-
lacios, Messrs. J. F. Barnett, Duncan
Ruthven, Carlton Crawford, Joe B.
Feather, G. F. Gillespie, G. A. Sals-
bury, P. F. Campbell, and Hugh Dis-
mukes. The meeting was welcomed
to Blessing by Mr. C. E. Duller, and
Mr. Harkey, in taking charge, explain-
ed the necessity for bringing more
farmers into our county. There are
700,000 acres of land in Matagorda
County, much of it awaiting develop-
ment. He said that with the coming
of the Hug-the-Coast Highway many
thousands of tourists would pass along
the coast; he stressed the importance
of the coming of the Intra Coastal
Canal, and the bearing cheap transpor-
tation would have on the development
of agriculture and industry. He em-
phasized the necessity for diversified
farming, and incidentally quoted from
the Beacon in saying that 14 farmers
had raised 484 bales of cotton in the
neighborhood of Palacios. An up-to-
date Creamery would be built in Bay
City within the next twelve months
to take care of cream from the neigh-
boring districts. Mr. Harkey said that
what Matagorda County needed most
of all was more production, and there-
fore more wealth and more prosper-
ity. To this end it was necessary to
bring in more farmers of the right
kind, and the time was ripe for some
form of co-operation and organization
to represent the whole county.
The speakers from Palacios were
J. F. Barnett, Duncan Ruthven, and
speeches were made by, amongst oth-
ers, Messrs. Abel Pierce, Paris Smith,
S. B. Simms, H. A. Clapp, T. A. Wal-
ker, Geo. B. Culver, B. W. Trull, and
and one lady, Miss Metzger, of Bay
City, who was no whit behind the
others in her desire to help.
At 12:15 the meeting adjourned for
lunch at the Blessing Hotel, where
the delegates were served a sumptuous
meal as the guests of Mr. and Mrs.
Pierce. Here speech-making was re-
sumed, and it was decided to form a
county-wide organization; with Mr. J.
F. Barnett as temporary Chairman,
one man was nominated as represen-
tative from each district. These dele-
gates are to meet in Bay City on Fri-
day, December 9th, at 11 a. m., to com-
plete the organization and draw up
hy-laws. They will be the guests of
t.he Bay City Chamber of Commerce at
lunch on that day. G. F. Gillespie
was named as the representative from
Palacios.
SWEENY READY TO FINANCE
LAST GAP IN HUG-THE-COAST
ROUTE; CHANGES NECESSARY
Houston Chronicle:—
Sweeny, Nov. 20.—Through the ef-
forts of citizens or road District No.
27 of Brazoria County, the: money is
now available for the closing of the
only gap in the Hug-the-Coast High-
way that has up to this time been un-
provided for.
The people of this district have
floated a bond issue sufficiently large
to take care of this gap and are ready
to do their share in cooperating with
the state and federal governments.
There is no possible means of financ-
ing this portion of the Hug-the-Coast
Highway locally as it now runs, but a
few changes in the route of the high-
way so as to serve Sweeny and the
district which has created this bond
issue the money and the righ-of-way
would be available to the highway de-
partment for the completion of the
highway.
Sweeny is on the Brownsville rail-
road and is in line with Bay City and
Palacios, should a road be built from
the terminus of the West Columbia
project to Palacios, and the distance
by the way of Sweeny to Bay City is
practically the same as the present
route through the western end of the
county.
A new route as suggested would
serve three purposes: Offer the only
means of closing the gap in the Hug-
the-Coast Highway, serve a commun-
ity of 700 people and open up one of
the richest agriculture trade territor-
ies in the whole gulf coast section,
local leaders say.
Co-operation is the dominant prin-
ciple of modern life. Co-operation
means conducting yourself so that
others can work with you.
Watch the Road
FOR
THIS
TREAD
| There Is A Reason
GOODYEAR
PATHFINDER
CASINGS AND TUBES
TUBES $1.20
CASINGS 6.90
Dr. Evalinc Gass Powers, of Chilli-
cothe, Texas, spent the first of the
week here with her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. C. L. Gass and family. She was
accompanied by Mrs. Stonewall Builey,
of Vernon, a relative of Mr. Gass. The
ladies made the trip in their car.
30x3
QA„Q1 TUBES $1.45
JUX J2 CASINGS
29x4.40
7.85
I
TUBES $1.80
CASINGS .... 9.85
—THE OLD RELIABLE—
PALACIOS AUTO
COMPANY, Inc.
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Palacios Beacon (Palacios, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 1, 1927, newspaper, December 1, 1927; Palacios, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth411530/m1/1/?q=kitchen+cabinet: accessed July 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Palacios Library.