The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1871-09-07

weak and narrow-minded opponent,
the poor fanatic who introduced in
the construction convention the
Infamous measure to forever disfran-
chise forty or fifty thousand Of the
free people of Texas, including even
men who, after the war, left the
country, to avoid assassination and
every preacher who ever offered up
public prayer for his sons and
kindred while in the army. No one
doubts the election of Conner by a
large majority, unless the State PO-
lice or some other armed body, act
| ing under the Governors authority,
wantonly interfere to prevent fair
election.
Most devoutlY do We desire the
| election of John Hancock in the
Fourth and. Dewitt G. Giddings in
the Central district. We know them
to be old, honest and able citizens,
wholly identified with Texas, and
having no home or investment in
Connecticut or elsewhere to fall back
upon in case of defeat. Hancock,
in either House of Congress, would
be tower of strength to our people.
It's botn amusing and disgusting
to witness the attempt of Radical
papers, pensioned to traduce and
SANDER the bone and sinew of Tex
as. to characterize Col. Giddings as
a carpet-bagger. 1t proves this
fact: that their allegations of Demo-
cratic hostility to Northern men, as
such, is now, as it was before the
war, false. Clint Giddings a carpet
baggerI Well, the first time ever
met his brother, old ]. D., as we
used to call him, It is true he was
something like literal carpet-bag-
ger, he was "wallet" Dagger, astride
of a black mare, carrying a wallet
of-dried beef, parched meal, one tin
cup, a shot pouch over his heart and
a rifle across his lap. That was
when he and 1 were Texas Rangers,
about thirty years ago, out West, in
the days of Caldwell and Burleson,
McCulloch and Hays. He married
in Texas and has grown children
born in the State. His brothers
came on to join him as they grew
up-came from their native Demo
cratic home in the mountains of
Pennsylvania-till they numbered
five or six. Two of them, sixteen or
seventeen years ago, were running
the first overland stage from San
Antonio to Ell Paso. At the same
time, Clint was lawyer with J. D.,
in Brennan. The history of our
State gives the lie to the charge that
the Democratic party ever prescribed
northern men on account of birth.
They elected Governor Pease twice,
Judge Wheeler to the Supreme
Bench for many gears, gave their
votes often to the Hartleys. M. M.
Potter, Ashbel Smith, David s.
Kaufman, Timothy Pilsbury, Volney
E. Howard, A. H. Phillips, and
scores of other men from the north,
for the highest places in the gift of
the people. Go farther back to the
old Republic, when we had David
G. Burnet and Arson Jones, both
northern men, for President.
No, the people of Texas have been
grossly slandered by hired scribblers,
whose income and profits depend on
their success in defamation. They
charge us with taking up Conner as
a carpet-bagger. We deny the fact
as charged in the bill. In the sense
in which the term has been coined,
Conner is not a carpet-bagger. He
came to Texas young officer in the
army, long after the war was over.
He became satisfied from observa-
ton that our people were being UNI
justly prosecuted and outraged by
the military and the agents of the
Freedmen's Bureau, and he openly
denounced the wrongs. He was a
Democrat in principle before and
during the war, but a Union man.
The war being over, his principles
forbade his being prosecutor. To
vindicate the oppressed, while nearly
all our prominent men were disfran.
chised, he showed his moral cour,
age in becoming a Democratic canA
didate for Congress. That moral
courage was necessary, was abun-
dainty proven by the fact that while
a candidate, addressing the people,
he was seized by military authority
and ruthlesSly cast into the infamous
military prison in Jefferson. The
people-yes the noble and generous
people of north Texas-in the teeth
of threats and bayonets elected him,
and as in the face of the military
there, so in the citadel of Radicalism
in Washington, he manfully defend
ed the people of Texas against the
thousand false and base charges
hurled against them. Now, Messrs.
Editors, in all these particulars,
John G. Conner has proven himself
to be as unlike the odious, profess
ional carpet-bagger, as light and
truth are unlike darkness and willful,
selfish error. And hereafter, as all
ways heretofore, we, the people of
Texas, which means substantially
we the Democratic party of 1871,
composed of old Democrats, old
Wings and Union menr and the vir~
tue Of the State in the aggregate,
will always take by the hand, uphold
and defend, all northern men who
come among us to be citizens in good
faith-but the professional, inter-
meddling, negro deceiving carpet
bagger-neyer! We regard him as
an enemy to our pockets, our rights
and our safety; an insidiOus, walk
| -. 1900 81 ounpinp dooa;F ond