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In that very fine article on Texas and the Texas Centennial you had something nice to say about every city in the State and about many of the smaller towns, but for some reason you gave Galveston a dirty dig. The effect of your comment on Galveston was that it was a sleepy old town whose only shipping business was derived from the intracoastal canal, Houston having taken all the deep sea business.
While Galveston has not made the rapid growth in population in the past 20 years as has Houston, Dallas and a number of other Texas cities still it is a live wide-awake town of 58,000 inhabitants and going strong.
Had you investigated you would have learned that during the cotton year 1934-35 Galveston again became the largest cotton port in the world; that thus far during the present year Galveston has received 1,700,000 bales of cotton, just slightly under Houston's receipts, and that by the end of the season on July 31 will surpass Houston's receipts for the second successive year.
That Galveston is now and has been for a number of years the world's largest sulphur port.
That the medical department of the University of Texas is located at Galveston and that this school in connection with the John Scaly Hospital under the patronage of the Sealy-Smith Foundation is the leading medical centre of the Southwest.
That Galveston is recognized as the most beautiful city in Texas. . . .
A. J. LEONARD
Galveston, Tex.
Sirs:
We have read in TIME an article in which the State of Texas is given some very splendid publicity. Many of our cities are described in a most favorable light.
We regret to note, however, that El Paso is referred to as being the largest border city "crowded with Mexicans, tourists and consumptives." We feel this is a most unfair statement. It is true that El Paso is the largest city on the Mexican border. It is also true that many thousands of tourists visit El Paso and enjoy the splendid hospitality that prevails at all times. El Paso is located across the river from Juarez, the largest Mexican City on the border, and has as high a type of citizenship as can be found in any city in the U. S., many of them being of Spanish American descent. We have culture, refinement and all of those elements which go into the making of a fine civilization. It is true that many people who are so unfortunate as to contract respiratory troubles in the sections of this country where the climate is conducive to such diseases, come to El Paso because we are located in a section where the sun shines 80% of the time and where thousands have been restored to health; but the very large majority of our people are healthy and vigorous. . . .
A. B. POE
President
L. P. BLOODWORTH
General Manager
Chamber of Commerce
El Paso, Tex.
Sirs:
City not only overcrowded with Mexicans and consumptives but three large hospitals overcrowded with sufferers of apoplexy, appendicitis and alcoholism. Mexicans dying of malnutrition. Red Cross unable to cope with situation. Immediate cash donation care of the writer urgently requested.
A. Y. GIBB
El Paso, Tex.
Popeye Park
Sirs: