The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1874-07-23

Fac Pom, Bosavr cOuSrr,

the innumorable horde Of cut-throaf1 tho
Davis administration turned loose on "a.
without having to war with the press Of the
State. Should Coke's administration turn
loose as many more hungry iitnls for blood
and plunder upon as, / am Of opinion you
would change your front and view crime in
the same light We do. The press at a dis
tance seem to have q great deal Of horror Of
crime, and q great deal Of sympathy,
but It all runs the wrong way - an
Tor the desperado and outlaw, aud not
q bit for the citizens who have been
robbed, murdered and raped by them,
and who yet have a speck Of manly feeling.
LETT to defend theii rights where the courts
and law have proved insufficient. You nc
cuse us Of lynehing without Judge or Jury.
The good people may have had Judge and
jury both, so far as / know; but suppose
they were guilty as YOU say they were, are
You not thrice guilty in c0ndemnino them
outright, without even hearing the evidence
for or againstl You type men seem 10 be
somewhat on the style Of the United States
Congress, that is always bloated with sym-
pathy, but its all for the foreigner, tho In
dian and the negro, and not q speek of
feeling or sympathy for the taxpayers, whose
substance they feast upon. In reply to
your editorial Of July 9, No. SO. this mob
law you say is to be regretted; but who Of
us is to regret itl Shall it be those COM
posing the mob, as g0u caH Il, who have
stood for four or more years as lamb be-
fore the butcher, tied and gagged (by those
who robbed them Of theirpolitical fights),
and saw the last COW that gave their chill
dren milk driven of, their women raped
and their neighbors killed, because he at
tempted to enforce the little shadow Of law
pretended for his protection, or should Il
be regretted by those whom the press seem
to be so much IN sympathy with, because
they occasionally meet with Just verdict
of a jury, rope or a bullet Or should
not those OF the legal fraternity regret this
state of things still more, who have filed
our legislative halls since the late war; who
have muddled up our statutes with so much
unequitable stuff, that the laboring man
looks for oppression rather than protection,
justice or equity VIII you not allow Us
all to regret this state Of things, for il is IS
hard TO tell who is most entitled to regret
it as it is I'd tell whom you call the yiolators
of the law-whether il be the first aQgressor
of robbery, murder and rape, or whether it
be the substantial citizen, who dares to de-
fend his family and property in the absence
OF other or legal power. You know Il Is
the first law of nature and Of God, 20 de-
fend ones self or property. and il really
seems that desperate win fight with more
VIM over property he has stolen than q quiet
citizen will over that he has honestly OBJ
tanned.
see no chance to keep people Of other
States from forming just such opinions Of
these things, only as their imaginations OF
fancied notions dictate. Suppose this state
of things sets our prosperous State back
fifty years, OF drifts il into the lowest state
Of anarchy2 We can all regret It, but see
no chance to help it. Governor Colxe's pro
clamation, which seems TO have been issued
with all the good intent and feeling becom-
ing so good q man, cannot stop II any more
than It can stop the cholera or yellow fever,
for 1t really seems that crime has assumed
both epidemic and contagious form, for
see you and the press even encourage in
your columns the organization Of a third
party TO war against those already IN the
field. This is the meaning Of the press as
we understand il up here. We would all
have reasons indeed to dread this third
party, as we do not know whom they would
he 40 an GOOD citizens in this section have
pledged themselves to support the officers
Of the law, and in some instances have or
ganized for that purpose. i think I can
speak for tho people in the border counties
in regard to Governor Coke's proclamation !:
there arc no people in the State Of Texas
who viii respect it moro, for nearly every
man is his warm friend, both personally
and politically.
There is not q sheriff or peace officer Ia
my knowledge but what has the utmost
confidence in every citizen assisting him ~
enforcing the law, but what does all this
amount to- when the slow and uncertain pro
t.1
an army Of men now incarcerated in the
prisons Of Texas, more than ever was be-
fore, and yet they cannot be missed from
the ranks Of the outlaw; jurors and State
witnesses have been fored TO attend courts
so much without any remuneration, even 70
pay their tavern bills, and crushed down
beneath the relentless wheels Of moncycd
Juggeraauts. They seem TO have lost the pa
triotism that our fathers had, when a juror
or State witness received near the same per
diem pay as a legslatOr. In those days a
laboring man could adond 70 appear "a the
prosecution and conviction Of criminals
I see in your columns great deal Of con-
plaint AID sympathy expressed IL behalf 81
the felOns ia yourja even in your corporatcd
city. They seem to be piled up until the
sympathy Of your good citizens has become
much greater for the fei0n than for those be
has robbed and murdered. and yet. perhaps.
not over one-half the criminals of your
county have been arrested ~ your officers
with your city police to help them. Pluck
the beam from your own eye and yOu viii
see more clearly the mote ia ours Whg.
sirs, after the well-timed proclamation of
the Governor, and the backing you gentle
men Of the quill gave It. ! would call you
ell miscreanls and towards were you 20
stand By and witness your neiQhbor rebbeo.
his life taken, his women rnViahed. and not
use your manly strength b aycnqs his
wrongs In the most certain way 70 expedite
justice. ] think you would not even wait
for the vigiiant policemen Of your corpo.
rated city, who watch over yOu whilo yon
sleep, much less were you 3 citizen ~ this
sparsely settled country, where your neigh.
boris friendship gives more protection than
the law could. however vioilant ite officers.
This Governor Coke'g Veiiant eye saw. -
proof Of which be rendered Major Joncsa
battalion 70 the civil service.
You call on the press 70 assist vor
IL getting up this third party that they
must 60 70 work in earnest. let tie con
ducfofs speak out, call OlIonaes bV fhe fiqhf
name. The press is all powerful. mIchf|er
than tho sword others say & Is tie lover
by which the world Is moved and cf4iliza
ton kept 10 It's proper orbit; this e aIl 81 s
should Be, but Il looks 10 3 man from fbis
stand point, that these levers haFc somehow
got foul, some on the WfonQ side 6hnt causes
u 70 move backward in some inslaDccg
Why not faatea your levers 81 % tie right
side and keep the world moving % IA iio
orbit of tru4h, justice and equity. a patron
Of the ST1TEsHhE.
>. B. BAlnT.
WATEn. W1IEn EyKnHHnEnE. - The
rain. after flooding the city during lts dar
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