The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1873-07-03

ILILoss -lIIf1 re.-In November last FoI
selected As Eli Chambers. % Collin
i. n Van 1anlt 81 Taranl and nilsel
to represent geu IN the Legislature. IhcuEl
an old citizen 81 Texas. was neV one d
tins part 81 the State, and consented TO b
candidate only on condition that I should
De tie free choice 81 the Democrats party
7 never solicited the support 81 any meuhel
u the County Conveution, oE of 6 single
man III the county Or district prior 90 u,
nomination. ], therefore, felt truly grate
iul for the nomination, and doubly grateful
for triumphant election.
Returning home after an arduous session
Of nearly FIVE months, had promised my.
self the pleasure of visiting each county,
and rendering an account Of our action
to my fellow Citizens, face to face This
pleasure was forbidden By finding, on
my reaching home, a long absent son, my
first-bon child, on the bed Of death, in 4
few hours to be consigned to his last rest.
Thus stricken by the hand of providence,
may be excused for remaining in the bosom
of my family. Yet, keenly alive TO the
welfare, rihgts and liberties of those who
so generously repOsed their confidence in
me, feel impelled to address them in this
the only mode left II is due to the people
have acted as their Representative
Fellow-citizens, remember our condition
for several years past. Remember the gal
ling despOtism under which we lived; the
various tyrannical laws enacted by AM ire
sponsible and INSCRIPTIONS party to destroy
our inherited liberties; to tax us in order to
enrich alien enemies; to tyrannize over our
actions; to destroy the rights under which
we were born, and to place us and our prop
erty and rights at the mercy of desperate
political faction, composed chiefly of an ig-
norant negro population, controlled and
misled by white adventures from distant
States, and few recreant natives of the
South. Yon cannot forget these and other
facts. They are too recent. The blood of
men murdered by the State police; the cor
ruptions under the school law; the infa-
nous outrages in Limestone, Hill and
Walker counties; the infamies Of numerous
judges on the bench; the robberies by the
late Adjutant General and Chief of Police
the fraudulent certificate given to Clark
over Giddings; the old-blooded murder of
Jack Mitchell, in Ellis county; the conduct
of Police Sergeant Hill, in Denton and Tar
rant; the arrest of good citizens in Tarrant.
to be dragged to Tyler to crafty the black
malice of one man; the marching of eur
people like whipped ours up to the polls,
through files of armed men, to vote; the
villainies of registration and election officers
in large portions of the State; the corrup-
ton of the Radical Legislature In 1870 and
1871; the enormous taxations fastened
upon the people; the briberies charged
upon members of that body; the expulsion
of Democratic members fairly elected by the
people; the rewards bestowed upon desert
ers from lifetime principles; the moneyed
railroad subsidies fastened on the
people, to tax the whole State for the bene
fit Of mere corporate individuals contrary tC
all constitutional principles and public jus
tice; bringing the courts of justice in many
districts, to stink in the nostrils of the peo
pie, sand making them engines of oppression.
But the list of wrongs is too long to even
recapitulate.
Under this state of things, with election
and registration officers appointed by Ole
Grand Head Center-the people compelled,
like Turkish slaves, to assemble only at
county-seats to vote, the Democratic party
last fall succeeded in electing about sew
enty-six of the ninety members of the
House of Representative and enough oil
the new Senators to give them something
like an equal showing in that body; the
power vacillating from side to side, accord
ing to the course of two or three members
but never, as party, having anything like
two-thirds; while, as you well know, we
had no rational ground for expecting any
favor from the Governor.
Thus constituted, the Legislature assem-
bled on the fourteenth of January. / dare
assert before my fellow-citizens, that never
since our independence In 1886, has there
assembled more honest, conscientious and
patriotic body of men than were the Dem
ocratic Senators and Representatives elected
last fall, in which number / include the
holding over Senators, Pickett, Evans,
Swift, Latimer, Dohoney, and others.
It is true these Democrats often differed
in matters of detail; differed as to the best
mode of accomplishing a common object,
and sometimes differed as to mere questions
of expediency. But in all matters affect
ing the rights and liberties of the people
the essential principles ofsfree and honest
government, they stood with arms inter
locked in defense of right and truth, jus
tice and liberty, and in solid phalanl
against the corruptions and tyrannies Of tn,
last four years.
Now, acknowledgements judge the 'Tret
by its Fruits" Let us examine the fruits
1. We repealed the dishonest printing
law, with its State organ, and enacted
simple law to have the public printing
done cheaply, saving probably $50, 600 {
year to the people.
2. We repealed the despotic law by
which the Governor could land did) sus
pend the writ of hdbeas corpus, suspend tn,
courts, organize and try citizens before mil
itary commissions of his own appointment
and levy taxes at his will on the people, Il
pay the police and negro militia employed
in thus degrading and eutraging the PEG
pie. We also repealed his power to keel
up standing army, called State Guard,
to be paid for by the people.
3. We repealed and utterly abolished
the law establishing a State police, 81
universally detested as to need no further
notice.
4. We repealed the enabling act, undei
which, in violation Of the Constitution, thu
Governor appointed district attorneys and
great number of county officers whS
should have been elected by the people.
5. We repealed the foul registration Law
under which crimes enough have been com
mitted to consign their perpetrators to ever
lasting infamy. In lieu thereof we enacted
a plain and simple law, by which the peo
pie can register, and under the new cleo
ton law vote in their own neighborhoodi
before officers selected at home, and with
out the dread of being insulted or outraged
by policemen armed with six shooters.
6. We repealed the equally foul election
law, and enacted in its stead a simple pre-
cinct law, to be executed by officers Of on
own election or appointment
2. We repealed the pretended so-calleC
free public school-law, with its swarm o
useless middle men, called supervisors, in
spectors, ETC., whose duties in most case
consisted in living on the peoples money,
organizing the poor, deluded negroes intC
loyal leagues, and tanning the flames Of dis
cord between the white and black people
In lieu thereof we passed a new law unde
which each county elects its own school di
rect0rs, the faithful use Of the money i
secured, and a vast sum Of. money saved Il
pay honest teachers, instead Of floating IN
termeddlcrs with the peace and good VII
Of the white and black races
These arc but few Of the most important
laws Of reform, enacted 10 knock the chain.
Il. a..