The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1871-11-09
HelD at Last.
From the Louisville COurier-Journal.


present condition of political affairs
in this country that the very prin-
ciple of its organization is overridden
and the spirit of its existence as
sailed in one of the principal States,
and that tho people of that State
appeal to their fellow,citizens of the
common country without a hearing.
Though not 80 immediate in their
operation, the violations of the Con-
stitution and the disregard for the
freedom of the citizen which exist in
Texas are of equal Importance to
the whole country. The present
condition Of affairs there is danger.
GUS to the very existence of the
American system, and should give
occasion for alarm to every Ameri-
can citizen. If this is not remedied
early, its evil will grow and spread,
permeating in its stealthy and
treacherous advance the government
of State after State, and sanctioned
by the unmistakable tendency of the
present administration of the Gen.
eral Government, until it takes pos
session of and undermines the or
ganism of the Constitution, and de-
Stroys the chartered rights of our
free government.
This is no sudden outburst of
alarm sounded at the sight Of some
questionable act of partisan legisla~
ton or partisan administration. Our
convictions in regard to the ten
dency of this Texas matter are
founded upon a close watchfulness of
four years of oppression and despOtic
misrule in one of the most promising
States of the Onion, and that by a
single man, who is encouraged by
party leaders who were put in
power by the people on tho strength
Of their protestations to protect and
preserve the very liberties which they
are now destroying. And this is not
the first time we have spoken out in
behalf not only of the people of
Texas, who are now suffering, but in
behalf of those all over the country
whom this evils sure to reach in time
if it is allowed to so on unchecked and
unrcbuked. We have called atten-
ton to it repeatedly, and it has come
to be a grave matter when such
things are carried on in open day
light under the eyes of the whole
country, and the people are so slug
gish of their rights, and the press so
dead to its province and It's power as
not to raise hand or voice to re-
buke the offenders or defend the in
situations under which they have
lived and prospered.
The people of Texas recognizing
in Senator Schurz, the leader of an
element of the Republican party, lib
erai enough to listen to them, wrote
him long letter several weeks ago,
reciting their grievances and calling
upon him, and through him upon the
liberal-minded people of the whole
country, to consider their desperate
and dangerous condition. This let
ter was published by 2 few papers,
and received but a passing notice
from others. 1t was signed by a
large number of the most prominent
citizens of the State, and bore out
fully our statement Of the condition
of affairs there. Yet the press and
the public passed by matter that,
in the old days when the people were
most watchful and sensitive of their
liberties, would have walked up the
country from one end to the other.
It is useless to state again the
outrages which a corrupt Governor,
backed by corrupt and fraudulent
Legislature, has perpetrated in Tex
as. They have been published over
often. The hypocritical acts es-
tablishing State Police; o reserved
militia; regulating the registration Of
voters; regulating elections; estab-
fishing free public schools; regulating
public printing; leyying and collect
ing taxes; disarming the people; en-
abling the Governor to appoint Off
GERS, and establishing thirty five
official newspapers, have, under the
pretense of preserving the peace and
promoting the interests of the State,
put an immense matter of patronage
and power in the hands of cruel and
INSCRIPTIONS man, and deprived forty
thousand white people of the privi-
lege of voting. The respectable men
of the State have no voice in the
government, but are ruled and outs
ragged by a set of interlopcrs and dis
reputable negroes, who have got into
power by means Cf fraud, and hold
their places by the power they them>
selves have created.
At Groesbeck, during the recent
election, several of the Governors
negro police created a disturbance
and shot an unoffending old man.
The murderers were arrested by the
county authorities, whereupon the
Governor declared martial law, ant
his thirty~fye official newspapers
printed and scattered broadcast over
the country startling accounts of thu
violence that was being committed by
the Democrats. Gen. Reynolds, tn,
military commander, went to thu
place, and, after an investigation, de
clared that martial law was wholly un
necessary. Still he was unable t,
remedy tho matter, and the peopl
are still subjected to the rigors an,
cruelties of bayonet law as executed
by the Governors police. Mr.. W. c
TomlinsOn, editor Of the Groesbecl