Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-05-09
For the standard.


the question. But there is no use debating the
question now, for my pentin its haste to scribble,
has already decided it. E~,YH confess, however,
that the many blunders c5mmIrsed by youthful in
discretion, which generally prove to be fruitful
source Of annoyance in more mature life, have been
great terror to me- and were no little objection to
my taking ND She quill For the history OF every
age is full of striking examples to prove the fact that
too many young men are seized with the "kakocthls
serebendy" as Major Jones calls it, and under its in
fuence do many things of which they afterwards
seriously repent. But as never expect to be can
didate for the Presidency or to become eminent IN
the literary world can seize my old quill and scrb
BILE away without the least fear OF having the record
plead on me, or inconsistency charged against me-
Bound by no party affiliations and trammeled by no
platform, can, unlike Douglas, Seward, or Bates
thunder away against this that or the other party,
clique or principle without the least fear of being
called to account by my constituents, or excommu
nicated by the terrible bull of the wlseacres. HaV
ing nothing, can certainly lose nothing and being
an irresponsible character l can say and do what l
please regardless of the consequences. Don't con-
clude however that am trying to come the Juvenal
or Junius over mysel-far from it. only wish to
have little contab with my old North Carolina friend
and it's nobody business but our own whatwe say.
I am, then as you see, away here in Texas, and
some Of your readers may think, right in wide
wilderness, exiled from society and civilization, with
horses, Mustang mules, and bowling wolves. Though
far away from what every little tow-head thinks is
the centre of the world, his fathers hearthstone,
and in few days travel of the Camanches toma-
hawk and scalping knife, or Cortinas maraudins
band yet am not altogether, as some may conclude,
stuck upon a pole out in boundless prairie with
horde of savages and ravenous beasts bowling at its
bottom. Popular opinion in this case, as in many
others, is not correct The trite expression, dis
lance lends enchantment to the view does not hold
when applied to your sand-hillian's idea Of Texas,
but on the contrary robes the scene in hor7ad hue
am not therefore most of you think, lost in the
labarynthan of deep forests or boundless
praires, but surrounded by intelligence and refine
ment standing on the Lexington of the Texas rcvo-
luton, the place where the sturdy actors in that
eventful drama, nerved by the love OF liberty and
| independence, struck the first blow at tyranny and
| oppression. And while the old Texan acknowledges
with pride his ancestors of '76 and claims share in
the glory of their achievement yet his heart beats
with enthusiastic throb, and his blood quick
ems its flow when mention is made of the l4th day
| of October 1886, day on which was proclaimed
the death of Spanish oppression and the birth of
| Texan freedom. Gonzales, the place hOnored with
the opening in that memorable drama, is stu
ated in beautiful valley on the banks Of the Qua
dalupe river, about sixty miles east OF that world
renowned city, San Antonio. Like the Guadalquiver
which flows silently in its wndlngs through the
beautiful valley of AndaluSia, where 1ourished the
brave and redoubtable Ganzave de Gordon, the Qua
dalupe in its quiet through cool wales and love-
ly praires, brightens with its limpd the hucs
Of a Thousand flowers and coos the parched tongues
countless cattle that browse upon its scented banks
Like the Guadaquiver it too can boast of its heroes
and herones and could it speak narrate many ro
mances in which the red man of the forest inspired
by the moons silver light "wooed his dusky bride"
or nerved by the passion Of revenge, drove the gilt
d. IL.
invoke the poets pen or the pencils stroke; little
boats like mine must keep near the shore.
As is the case with every other interior town, the
citizens of Gonzales think that there is bright fu-
ture ahead for them But really Gonzales is now
second to no other place in western Texas except
San Antonio, and her prospects in the future are
brighter than ever for she will soon have connection
by Railroad with the seaboard and the lucrative
trade with Mexico The elegance, neatness and taste
displayed both in public ard private buildings, is
unsurpassed by any inland town in the State. 1t
has the finest college west of the Colorado if not in
the whole State, and her citizens intelligent
fined and energetic In fact no county has such a
large number of industrious, intelligent and social
farmers and stock raisers and such large body of
universally good lands for both purposes. And yet
in the face of all these great resources not only this
section but many others of Texas have been laborng
under great disadvantages. While the dry weather
has nearly starved the people of sections,
the Indians and Cortina have been ravagng others,
and between the three she has had hard road to
travel But Notwithstanding the dry weather and
the outrages committed upon innocent women and
children by the savage Camanche and the desperate
Cortina, together with the indifference manifested by
the federal government, have, all combined, presen-
ted prospect sufficiently gloomy to discourage per-
severance ITSELF yet her energies have not been Grip
Pied and the pi,ture with all its appalling features,
has not been sufficient to check the tide CT emigra
ton. Within the last year fifteen thousand slaves
and treble that number of whites have been intro
duced into this State and the cry is still they come
1t is the innate advantages Texas has that is the
of all this. 1t is her capacity for producing
the great staples of consumption-cotton, corn
wheat and sugar. This is the cause of the far see
ing planter of the other States emigrating thither
And he who considers her capacity for producing
variety of soil and climate and does not see the
bright future that awaits her. is blind to the natura
advantages of any country, and certainly ignorant o
what constitutes the wealth and prosperity of peo
pie In fact Texas has, in spite of the drought ir
spite of the Indians and the indifference of the gen
eral government, which she has only known and fel
, by its exactions, by her own inherent power ant
resources rendered herself the most prosperous an,
promising State in the South. In her resources TO-
wealth and means for Development she is without
rival. Her wheat growing section is destined sool
successfully to contend with the fertile praires
the northwest her cotton region with the fairies
portion of Alabama, and Der sugar plantations witt
any that lie along the Mississippi or its tributaries
Such to be the destiny Of the Lone Star State
who is not proud to be her son?
The promptness Of Capt Turner in capturing tn
y. vessels of Com. Marin, meets the appreciation q
every one and universal shout of praise for tn
gallant navy has gone up from the heart of ever
Texan and made the welkin ring with rejoicing
over the prospective overthrow of the church part
and the establishment of the liberal government
Miramon has abandoned Vera Cruz and departed, a
is supposed for the city of Mexico where he has Dc
creed the expulsion Of every American citizen an
the coniscation Of their property direct vioat;o
of international law and open declaration of wa
against the United States. The Governor of Tamat
lipas has ordered that Cortina and his band shall
destroyed, which, together with the cooperation {
our own troops will, think, be very likely to &c
the gentleman, unless he fees to the interior an