The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1873-12-07
l17l 0Il0T 0TIIm0. 10 NV undor frc-

"''l ellorl az lcyas 10 llyeunder q ire,
o0.'''ui p.. yb
austin, the father ~ Ameucau,sm m
ms country was deputcd TO bear the
proposed constitution to the city Of
Mexico aud mk It's acceptance by the
releral government Instead of u
friendly reception, he was cast into
prison aud there held for. two years
20 Texas began early loaruthe value
OF liberty and to desplsc tyranny,
When the revolution began In 1883,
Texas again elected u convention to
form u free constitution, ~ nm lnde.
pendent Republic, In defiance Of Mex.
lean despollsm, To that illustrlous
body, which assembled In the town OF
Washington on the first day Of March,
1888, the people sent Sam Houston,
Thomas j, lIusk, james Kerr Daniel
Parker John A, Wharton, Chnrlcs u,
Stewart aud n second array otnoblc
patriots aud statesmen, fully equal TO
the great c0ayocation In 1873, Men Of
chat and superficial attamments were
rejected In both eases, and only the
choice spirits Of the land selected to
pioneer the ship Of state through those
perllous periods. These noble men
enacted the constitution Of 1880, an
instrument which won admiration
from every State in the American
Union, and from the wiscst statesmen
in Europe.
Next came the convention Of 1915,
connected with annexation, to form u
constitution for Texas az u Suite IN thc
Union.
In that third convention Of lSi5,
Texas again shed lUster on her Ugnc
by sending to itmcn chen iamou 20.
wisdom and purity, and some Of them
afterV ards known TO thcwhole ndioa
rs eminent statesmen among uucm
Thomas j, lusk, jaime, Piuckucy
Henderson, Chief Justice John Hcmp'
hill, Judge Lipscomb, OchlltVH Van
Zandt, Volney Il. Howard, George
William Brown, Charles u. Stewart,
and others. The work of their hands,
the constitution of lSio, was regarded
in all parts of the Union, by mony OF
the ablest men In the land, rs an linz
provement on ANY state heretofore
adopted in the United States. Iowa
largely copied her constitution liom
this one of Texas,
The next constitutional assenlblagc
in Texas was that in connection with
secession in January, 1861, composed
Of about one hundred and eighty mem
bers, embracing as much talent eX'
perience, integrity and patriotism as
ever assembled in the State, But
their labors were rendered null and
void by the fall OF the Confederate
States government, and need not 0t
further mentioned.
The next assemblage OF the KIND
was under President Johnson's recon-
stru ton plan In 1866, whose labor'
also fell to the ground. Ii was also al
able body of men, but, at the SAME
time, chosen under circumstances o.
more or less confusion and mental III
limitation. That is to say, the people
were fearful of federal interference n
their action and Were not intrinsi"alll
free, in their own belief, to elect whom
soever they thoght proper,
The next and last constitutional con
vocation of the State, was the conveh
ton of 1868, elected under the recon
struction laws of Congress, superln
tended, directed and. in a measure
overawed by the army of the unl'e'
States. 1t was in no honest ana JUS
sense. a representation of the voice o
Texas, but packed body OF merceha
ries, interlopers, enfranchised negroes
and n few really representative men o
tbo neople. In its councils ignorance
hatred revenge and cold-hearted sci
0shness were predominant. The re
snlt of its labors was the present ms
cradle budget of inccngrultles caiie'
our State constitution. Some OF IL
provisions are copied from all the pre-
ooodinp instruments and are satisfac
tory but the animus of that body o
men was to enchain the bona fide peo
nile of Texas and fasten upon US as ru
iers a set of imported creatures, WIN
boped to maintain their power III u"
State under the forms of Repuoiica'
government, by ab olutely cohtroiii'
the negro vote and rendering me III
telligence of the country powerless'
Under this system we have i'Ved 10
four wears, until, by dint OF perSeVe'
nnce and without any thanks 10 III ~
who nave refused to register anu N'''
the majority of our people nav G c'e.''
a f,ll set of ST .te oilicersand a Leslsio
ture solemnly pledged to undo ines
iniouitles and take all necessary '.ep
10 restore the people to the null ENJOY
ment of their rights as freemeh Oh
free State in a free confederation :
States. ,.,or,