USA > Texas > A Twentieth century history of southwest Texas, Volume I > Part 42
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candidacy for re-election. Party feeling ran high, and Col. Whaley, who had aligned himself as a vigorous supporter of the administration of President Andrew Johnson, was bitterly criticized and assailed by the more radical element of his party. During the campaign Major Harris made himself particularly obnoxious to Col. Whaley's enemies, with the result that his office was attacked by a mob, his press and printing ma- terial thrown into the Ohio river, and he himself forced to flee to Charles- ton to save his life.
Col. Whaley, however, was re-elected, and in 1867 was nominated by President Johnson for the position of collector of customs for the district of Brazos de Santiago, embracing a large part of Texas and Major Harris was named his assistant. The confirmation of Colonel Whaley's ap- pointment was long delayed, however, and not until just before the ad- journment by Congress in 1868 was the nomination confirmed. Pending the confirmation, Major Harris left Washington and made his way to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he became foreman of the composing room in the office of the Little Rock Republican. In 1869 he went down the river to New Orleans and thence to the town of Beulah, Mississippi, where he established a weekly paper. Here his strongly expressed views upon the negro question was the provocation of a bitter feeling of hos- tility that led to his office being wrecked. While in Mississippi he added some variety to his experience by studying law for some time in the office of General John R. Chalmers, of Bolivar county, later a member of Con- gress from that state.
From Mississippi Major Harris returned to Arkansas and established the Newes, at Napoleon, which place, although not now on the map, hav- ing been washed away by a change in the course of the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers, was previous to and during the war and a few years subsequent, a busy town of considerable commercial importance. It was while in Napoleon that Major Harris was married to Miss Catherine Stuart. They now have eight children living and nine grandchildren.
Major Harris remained as publisher of the News at Napoleon for two. years and then took up residence on his wife's farm. In 1874 oc- curred the factional fight in the Republican party of that state over the governorship, which culminated in the Brooks-Baxter tragedy and filled the state with the fiercest political dissension. It will be remembered that when Baxter was seated as governor, the friends of Joseph Brooks, whose legal election was claimed, raised a military force and moving on the state capitol threw Mr. Baxter unceremoniously out of the window, these scenes being accompanied by much rioting and bloodshed in the streets of Little Rock. Major-General James F. Fagin, late of the Con- federate service, was at the head of the Brooks' military forces and Mr. Harris was appointed on his staff with the rank of major. In this ca- pacity he raised a battalion in the vicinity of Napoleon and started up the Arkansas river with his command, headed for the seat of the trouble. Near Pine Bluff his forces tried to head off a steamer from Memphis, carrying arms to the Baxter forces at Little Rock, with the result that the force under Major Harris fled "to the tall timber," and the Major to Texas. Major Harris started for Texas on horseback, finally reaching
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Dallas, hungry, with not a cent of money and not at all presentable as to his apparel.
Having always been a very rapid typesetter. Major Harris found no difficulty in securing employment in Dallas, beginning work as a com- positor on the old Herald, while later he was appointed managing editor of that paper, a position which he retained for nearly two years. He then embarked in business on his own account by establishing the Dallas Daily Mail, in 1876, and conducted it until 1878, when he sold out. He then returned to Arkansas, and in 1880 was foreman of the Little Rock Gasette for about six months. He next was made managing editor of the Gasette, which position he held for about a year, when he was ap- pointed by Governor Thomas J. Churchill as disbursing agent for the Arkansas share of the fund of three hundred and fifty thousand dollars that had been voted by Congress to the flood sufferers of Arkansas, Louis- iana and Mississippi.
In 1883 Major Harris went to Hot Springs, where he purchased the Hot Springs Horseshoe, which he conducted until 1884, when his office was destroyed by a mob, after he and his force of twelve men had been besieged therein for several days. This slight disturbance was caused by Major Harris having bitterly assailed the methods of private parties in connection with the Government's undertaking of arching the creek running through Hot Springs Valley. He went from that place to Chicago, where he became a reporter on the Inter-Ocean, under the editorship of William Penn Nixon, which position he occupied from March until after the Republican national convention that year, in which James G. Blaine was nominated for the presidency. Here his knowledge of Arkansas affairs and people came into direct use. In a speech, Senator Boutwell, referring to the empty sleeve of Powell Clayton, of Arkansas, spoke of the martyrdom of Mr. Clayton in losing his arm while valiantly fighting for the Union cause. Major Harris called Mr. Nixon's atten- tion to the fact that Mr. Clayton's arm was shot off while he was on a hunting expedition in 1868, and the story was printed next day in the Inter-Occan, much to the amusement of the public.
Subsequent to the national convention of 1884, Major Harris re- turned to Texas and established the Fort Worth Mail, the predecessor of the Mail-Telegram, and at the present Telegram. He sold the paper in 1886 to George B. Loving and went to Denison, Texas, where he pur- chased the Newes, which he published for a while and then removed to Austin, where he established the Austin Call, the first number of which was issued April 1, 1887. Later he consolidated. this with the Austin Dis- patch. In 1888 he disposed of his interest in this paper and returned to Dallas, where he purchased in that year the Evening Journal, con- tinuing its publication during the presidential year. In 1889 he went to El Paso, where he assumed editorial charge of the Evening Tribune, and in 1890 he returned to Fort Worth, where, in connection with R. A. Hamilton, he established the Evening Journal, which he published, how- ever, for only a few months. He then accepted a position with the Es- puela Land & Cattle Company, and was with that company until 1892. when he went to Waco and assumed editorial charge of the Waco Times-
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Herald in the interest of George B. Clark's candidacy for governor, con -. ducting this paper during the famous Hogg-Clark campaign.
In 1893 Major Harris came to San Antonio and purchased two even- ing papers, the Star and the News, which he consolidated under the name of the Evening News. Previous to this, however, he had once before been in San Antonio, in 1889, and for a time was editor of the San Antonio Times, previous to going to El Paso and after selling out the Journal at Dallas. He published and edited the News of San An- tonio until the inauguration of the Mckinley-Bryan campaign of 1896, when he sold the paper, owing to disagreements with his associates as to the policies to be advocated and accepted a position in Houston, where he did general editorial work on the Evening Herald and was also cor- respondent for a number of papers. He continued at Houston until 1901 and on the Ist of March of that year he was appointed to his present po- sition of deputy collector of internal revenue, with headquarters at San Antonio and with jurisdiction over the entire division extending over the southern and western part of Texas and from Brownsville to the mouth of the Rio Grande west to El Paso and comprising forty-seven counties.
Major Harris is said to be one of the best writers in Texas, his work being characterized by an aggressiveness that never fails to com- mand interest and attention, his editorial remarks being clear, clean-cut and positive. It is this that has always made him an effective campaign factor and he has never faltered in his championship of what he has be- lieved to be the right side of a question. He is a Republican of Repub- licans, though distinctly and distinctively opposed to the negro-equality policy of some of the more radical followers of that faith. He believes in America for Americans-white-and though for some years affiliat- ing with the Democratic party was always emphatic in his advocacy of strong protection policies. He believes in sound money, in extending the flag wherever American interests dictate or suggest, and believes in a tariff that will practically exclude from our ports of entry any product that our own people grow or produce. Protection to American capital and American labor, he contends, is the surest and safest guarantee to the growth, stability and prosperity of our country.
ROBERT LEE WITHERS, M. D. San Antonio is particularly fortunate in the high rank of her medical fraternity. Engaged in practice in this city there are and have been men of distinctive ability, recognized as leaders in general practice and along special lines, who in their chosen work have maintained a high standard of efficiency and of professional ethics as well. Dr. Withers is numbered among the younger representa- tives of the calling who have won creditable and gratifying success in recognition of thorough understanding of the underlying scientific prin- ciples and accuracy in the administration of remedial agencies.
A native of San Antonio, he was born July 20, 1869, his parents being Colonel John and Anita (Dwyer) Withers. The father, who died in San Antonio in 1892, was a prominent and well known citizen here for many years and earlier won distinction in military affairs. He was born at San Jacinto, Tennessee, and after acquiring a good preliminary education was appointed a cadet at West Point and was graduated there- from in the class of 1849. Following the completion of his academic
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course he was assigned to duty in the Fourth United States Regiment and went with that command for service to the far west, being principally engaged in Oregon and California. He traveled westward by way of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at which point he was stationed for a brief period. In the '50s, however, he was transferred from California to San Antonio and upon locating here was promoted to the rank of captain and assigned to duty in the adjutant general's department under Gen- eral Twiggs, one of the heroes of the Mexican war. Upon General Twiggs' retirement to Georgia, Colonel (afterward general) Robert E. Lee be- came his successor at San Antonio and Colonel Withers served in the ad- jutant general's office under Lee, with whom he was later closely as- sociated in military and personal interests while in the Confederate serv- ice at Richmond, Virginia.
In 1859. Colonel Withers was married in San Antonio to Miss Anita Dwyer, a native of this city, to whom we are largely indebted for the material in this record. With his wife Colonel Withers then went to Washington, where he had been ordered on military duty with the ex- pectation of remaining possibly for some years in that city, for war be- tween the states was not considered a serious proposition at the time, although a few people here and there prophesied that it would come. In Washington, Colonel Withers was assigned to duty as adjutant general to take the place of his good friend, Colonel Thomas G. Williams, with whom he was later closely associated in San Antonio. Just prior to the inauguration of the Civil war he resigned from the United States army and returned to San Antonio to cast his fortunes with the Confederacy, as did many other of the southern people then in the north. In this city he joined the Confederate troops and upon the request of General Cooper went to Richmond, Virginia, to serve as adjutant general with that officer and was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the Confederate army. He remained in that service at Richmond and vicinity throughout the war, making his home in Richmond, and Mrs. Withers, who was with him at the time, tells many interesting incidents of their life there during the period of the war, particularly during the exciting times when the city was besieged, followed by its final capture just before the close of hostilities at Appomattox.
When the war was over Colonel Withers and his wife returned to San Antonio, where he engaged in the commission business, but after a brief period he became associated with George W. Brackenridge in the San Antonio National Bank, serving as cashier of that institution for twenty-one years and occupying a most honored place in financial and business circles. He was a man of irreproachable private life and busi- ness integrity, a gallant officer in the Federal and the Confederate armies and a man whose loyalty to his honest convictions won him the unquali- fied respect of all with whom he came in contact. He died in San An- tonio in 1892. His wife, a native of this city, is a daughter of Edward Dwyer, who came from county Limerick, Ireland, his native place, in 1840 and was chosen the first mayor of the then newly incorporated city of San Antonio. His wife was of the Spanish Leal family, a descendant of the original Spanish families who came from the Canary Islands and were the founders of the villa of Fernando. He was a wealthy man and
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left his family in excellent financial circumstances, affording to his chil- dren facilities for acquiring high educations. He died in San Antonio at the comparatively early age of foity-five years. His son, Major Jo- seph E. Dwyer, who attained distinction in public life, is mentioned on another page of this work. His daughter, Mrs. Withers, was a student in a college at Bardstown, Kentucky, and is a lady of wide cul- ture, resulting from education and from extensive travel in this country and Europe and also from association with many of the prominent peo- ple of the United States, particularly of the south, beginning with her life as a young wife in Richmond during the period of the Civil war. Not as a matter of history but as an actual experience and from per- sonal observation, she relates many most interesting incidents concern- ing military experiences and associations with the distinguished men and women of the south. Her elder daughter, Josephine, is the wife of Gen- eral John L. Bullis, of San Antonio, now retired from the United States army. The second daughter, Anita, is the wife of Robert Reid Russell, a business man of San Antonio.
Dr. Withers was reared in the city of his nativity and for four vears was a student in St. Mary's College, while one year was spent in the Jesuit College at St. Mary's, Kansas, and four years in Spring Hill College, also a Jesuit institution, near Mobile, Alabama, from which he was graduated in 1888. Returning to his home he was employed for a year as bookkeeper in the wholesale commission house of W. J. Mc- Namara of this city. He afterward pursued a course in medicine in Pennsylvania University and was graduated with the class of 1893. He inaugurated his practice in San Antonio and in 1894 was appointed county physician of Bexar county by the county commissioners, acting in that capacity for a year. In 1897 he was appointed assistant city physician of San Antonio and thus served from 1897 until 1899. In 1903 he was again appointed assistant city physician and retains the office to the present. This is merely secondary, however, to his general pri- vate practice of medicine and surgery, which has now assumed exten- sive proportions as his ability has been recognized. He is a member of the Bevar County. Texas, State and American medical associations. In 1896 he traveled in Europe, taking advantage of the clinics of Lon- con and Paris and thus acquainting himself with the most advanced methods of practice of eminent physicians and surgeons of the old world. He returned to San Antonio well equipped for his chosen life work and the consensus of public opinion regarding his ability is altogether favor- able.
CHAPTER XX V.
SAN ANTONIO: THE RESULTS OF THE LAST THIRTY YEARS.
The description of San Antonio in 1877 would do justice to only part of the city of to-day. Not only have the material features changed, but an equally great change has been wrought in the spirit and ideals of the civic community. San Antonio is a railroad center ; is a military headquarters; is a focal point in the live-stock industry, and is rapidly becoming the market of an immense agricultural area; is a manufac- turing and jobbing center ; has schools of every kind and grade; and in many respects its public improvements and service are not surpassed in any city of the south. This resumé, with a few variations, would fit other cities in the United States. With such a list of attractions be- fore him a stranger could hardly make a choice between San Antonio and a dozen other cities.
Yet, as "San Antone" was quaint and distinctive before the rail- road broke its isolation; so now, after thirty years of "modern prog- ress" there is only one San Antonio. "Business" tends more and more to make things uniform; to a tedious rectangular architecture; to a division of industry and trade into departments; to system and means and methods that can be duplicated all over the country. But despite the invasion of San Antonio by this overmastering influence, the city re- fuses to be conquered and reduced to a department of American busi- ness. The old and the odd-the rare and artistic, if you choose-are still conspicuously prominent.
Houston and Commerce streets are most typically business-like in appearance. In this respect either might change places with a similar street in other cities. But even with such environment, it is doubtful if a stranger, whose first view of San Antonio was granted him on one of these streets, would not at once perceive and delightedly acquiesce in the individuality of the street. The difference is in the spirit, and spirit prevades and gives tone to the entire city. It is the spirit of buoyant independence, without lethargy, without rashness; of cheerful reverence for the past, equally removed from forbidding idol-worship and from iconoclasm; of determined hopefulness, that sees ideals and follows them. Such an impression is quickly fastened upon one who studies this interesting city; it finds exemplification in a thousand ways -San Antone is self-sufficient, yet most hospitable and generous ; loves its shrines of history and relics of heroism, yet is proud of its business blocks, its sanitary wholesomeness, and modern charms; never entirely unconscious of the beauties of the past, it proceeds with practical energy to the realization of a greater present.
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· LIFE
ICK OUYER
NOA SPEARS
- COMPANYI. SURGICAL DENTAL &
HOFF KAN HOUSE BAR
ERA
CKAUTETE DRUG STORE
UGGIST.
View of San Antonio business district looking West from Moore building on Houston Street.
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The Inheritance from the Past.
San Antonio began its modern era, we have said, with the build- ing of the first railroad in 1877. Yet it is not to be inferred that the city has become completely revolutionized since then. This was a pros- perous, a growing and a substantial city during the stage coach days. The activities that made it prosperous then have not disappeared. New ones have come, and progress is to be seen along all lines, but much of San Antonio's present greatness originated in older days. The mili- tary post and department has, for half a century been a source of steady income and one of the chief props of the city. As San Antonio was the outfitting and supply point for all the country between here and the Rio Grande up to thirty years ago, so now it is the chief market and metropolis of that district, although railroad facilities have completely changed the methods and many of the characteristics of the business. As the principal city of the "cattle country" San Antonio is still without rival in Southwest Texas. Yet that means both more and less than it did thirty years or more ago. With the developments of the cattle in- dustry and the introduction of "live-stock farming" and its more effi- cient if less picturesque methods, the cowmen are hardly to be distin- guished as they mingle with the other cosmopolitan elements of San Antonio's populace. A vaquero, accoutred in the old-time manner, at- tracts more attention as he rides down the street than an expensive limousine motor-car. But behind San Antonio lies one of the largest expanses of real cattle country now to be found in the United States ; in its production of wealth the city naturally shares.
Such are the three largest elements of San Antonio's prosperity which have continued from the past. Leaving these aside, what forms of resource and wealth-producing activity have sprung up since that time ?
The Advent of the Tourist.
Unquestionably, in this consideration, first place must be given to the tourist business. Up to thirty years ago San Antonio attracted travelers-some of them wonderfully observing, too, who contributed something of permanent value for future knowledge of the town. Ob- viously, however, only those impelled by the real spirit of travel would dare the rough riding on a stage and the multitude of other incon- veniences that went with a visit to the Alamo City. The inconsiderate tourist was probably less in evidence then. The speed and luxurious appointments of modern railroad trains have bred a new race of "trav- eling public," and the annual rush of travelers to San Antonio is a phase of history belonging entirely within the railroad era. There were hotels in reasonable assortment and number before then, though the cattleman, the homeseeker and business man were entertained as fre- quently as the casual stranger. But there was then nothing to com- pare with the conditions as we find them at present. It was estimated that during the past winter (1907) the transient and visiting population of San Antonio was at least 10,000; meaning that each day during the tourist season (October to April) found ten thousand persons in the city in excess of its normal or permanent population. Taking into con-
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sideration the well known liberality of American travelers, the luxuries and comforts they demand and are willing to pay for, it is very obvious that a new and immense kind of business has grown up in the city since the coming of the railroad. It brings into the city, by a conserva- tive estimate, four or five million dollars each year, being by far the most important single source of wealth .. Furthermore, it requires a city within a city to care for this throng. Block atter block of houses on several streets are devoted to the accommodation of the annual vis- itors, besides several dozen hotels and large rooming houses-still, stories are told of many who walk the streets all night unable to secure bed and shelter.
And the profits of the tourist business are not confined to those who provide shelter and food. Besides the special shops that cater to the trade of travelers, the large retail merchants reckon largely on this class of patronage. There are many channels through which the wealth of the visitors is diffused, and many trades, professions, and classes of business are benefited by it.
Besides the commercial features, the tourist business has affected San Antonio in other ways; more than any other, in increasing its cos- mopolitan life. In its permanent population, San Antonio has interest- ing variety, with Americans, both from the north and south, Germans, Poles, Jews, Mexicans, each class contributing its special social attri- butes. But when added to these are travelers from all lands and all cities, the result is a populace that represents the world, in the latitude of its interests if not in race and language. This same cosmopolitan character gives San Antonio a free, easy-going air. In a city of strangers, the visitor feels at home because he is undistinguished in the rest of the bustling humanity; moreover, he is received as an equal, without condescension or suspicion.
Not all the visitors to San Antonio are the so-called "tourists." A very large per cent of those who spend from two weeks to three months in San Antonio each year are attracted by the city's advantages as a health resort. Sixty years ago, George Wilkins Kendall quoted the saying, "If you want to die in San Antonio, you must go some where else," and every writer since that time has referred enthusiastically to the climate as one of the city's chief charms. To assist nature's reme- dies, many institutions, some of them notable for the resources behind them and the capable men at their head, have been established to treat and care for the thousands who come every year for healing and restora- tion.
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