Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-09-28
For the Dallas Herald.
The Capital Question.


For the Dallas Herald.
The Capital Question.
The Houston Telegraph in q late issu
says that the citizens of Houston hav
guaranteed that the removal Of tho Capt.
tai to that place shall cost the people o
Texas not one dime.
We will just assume that this is correct
and that the guaranty il valid and will
be complied with, or could be enforced
should the Capital be removal to Hous
ton. Under this state of facts, then VIII,
should the people vote for Houston.
can see no reason why they should, but
can see several why they. should not 81
vote.
/. The State has already near $200,0 ,00(
in public buildings and grounds in ant
near Austin. This amount must, by tn,
rules of political economy, be charged tt
| the cost Of removing the Capital, fol
should the Capitol be removed from Aus
tin, it will be in the end dead loss t
the State. Has or can Houston guarantee
to make good this loss also. Let the Tele
graph answer direct, and not beg the
question by denying that the State will
lose this amount by the removal of the
Capital. To say that Colleges, Universi
ties, etc., can be es tabished to occupy the
present government buildings, is all very
pretty, but it is the merest clap trap. Ev.
cry one knows that there are no such in
stitutions in Texrs able to pay an ade-
quate price for such buildings, and the
result is that if they were occupied they
would be MS donations from the State.
2. Unfortunately for Houston, it is so
situated that "King Pest" has often, in
the past, and will again in the future, es.
tablish within its limits his Capital for
months at time, and where he reigns
Death holds such mad revels, and the air
SO reeks with the fumes of the pestilence
that no Texan from the interior would
dare visit the Capitol of his State. For
should he do so, there are nine chances to
one that within twcnty-four hours from
his entrance, tho Death-cart would be
rumbling along with his livid corpse to-
wards the Potters guild. The statement,
unblushingly made, that the Railroad will
render Austin subject to the sway of
"King Pest" is entirely gratuitous, and
rcfuted by positive facts. During the
terrible summer of 1867 when the yell
low fever sceurged SO mercilessly the
coast counties, numbers fed to Austin
with their wives and little ones from the
pestilence. All who thus come, with their
system untainted with the virus, passed q
healthful and invigorating summer. 9th
ers, not SO fortunate, brought the poison
with them, sickened in Austin and died
and did not cause single case among its
citizens or visitors. The fact is thus estab-
lished that yellow fever cannot exist in
the pure mountainous air of Austin.
8. Austin was selected as the proper 10.
cality for the State Capital, because Of its
marvellous healthfuluess; because it is
near the geographical centre of the State /;
because Of its beautiful situation, and be-
cause Of its abundance of pure water.
These causes all exist in as full force to-
day as they did in 1889, and neither
one of them can truthfully be said to be-
long to Houston.
4. 1t follows then that should the good
people Of Texas see proper to remove the
seat of government from Austin 10 Hous-
ton, they must prepare themselves to have
no Capital for four months in the year, or
they must compel Houston to guarantee
the building of two sets of public build
ings. One set to be erected amid the ma
larial bogs of Buffalo Bayou, and the other
set to be built on wheels, like Pullmans
palace cars, so that they can be run up to
Dallas or Austin whenever "King Pest"
demands the former set to establish his
government in it.
But we deny that Houston has or will
guarantee that the removal of the Capital
shall cost the people nothing. The Telel
graph says so. Now who will guarantee
the Telegraph ? The radical city govern
ment of Houston may say SO, but who will
60 security for the city government Be.
fore brother Webb launched into this
Capital ques ion, and could arise from
his prayers and piously assert that IIous-
ton was as healthy as any town in Texas,
he kept statement Of the Indebtedness Of
Houston standing in his paper as an evil
dence of the financial ruin overhanginp
the city, and Of the fact that the debt was
too large to be paid without bankrupting
the city. Now, however, the keen old fox
has not one word to say about the debt of
the city, and his standing balance sheet
of the city 's.indebtednes has gone 10 @pi."
Print the balance sheet again, General,
and right under it say that Houston guar
antees that the State shall lose nothing by
the removal of the Capitol. But if Houston
was serious in its proposals, aud financially
able to comply with its guarantees, does
not every man know that such an under
taking would be illegal and void ab inito,
being nothing more than a bet on an elec-
tion, or bribe to influence an election,
which ever town will suit best fastidious
ears. II the people do not know that such
a guarantee would be void, they can rest
assured that the citizens Of Houston do.
Now does not every man know that Hous-
ton, tax-ridden and overwhelmed in debt
as she is, cannot and will not should the
Capital be removed to that place, build
without charge to the State all the neces-
sary public buildings7 Houston cannot
do IL. Her citizens know il, and all such
boasts are but change on the song Of the
spider TO the fly. As sure as the people OF
Texas vote To remove the Capital, be it 10
Houston or Waco, so sure will they be
to pay the expenses out of their
hard earnings.
People Of Texas. are you wiling 10
debt Of $500. 600 OF Si00.O05
simply 20 crafty The citizens OF any one
town in The STATE IL you are, then vote
sKAinst Austin IN ihe NoEenbsr sisction.
We here spssk only Of Hoaston a. q
proher locality for illessat of Cievsrnmeut
AZ csnmeroial ciiy re are proad n Der
progress and the frrrgy of bef citizens.
lrsrs mas or rity has destiny y te f,il-
Tiled. Let Hoas.1A press feruarl in lhs