San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-11-16
DO We Want Crime Reprs..s,
Houston Tolerant

hundred men, employed principally i,
pursuing and arresting criminals an,
doing the duty which in other States !.
expressly delegated to sheriffs and pe.o.
officers. The appropriations for kesp-
ing up this armed soldiery are being a.
hausted, and already the force has bee.
reduced, with prospect of further NJ
duction, for want Of money to mainis;,
it. In view of this fact, tho Adiuta,k
General of the State has addresssa
judges and sheriffs in various parts Of
the State circular letters inquiring il il
were possible to maintain order and thu
supremacy Of law without the assistance
of State troops.
To these inquiries, the judges and
sheriffs of sixteen counties and thu
judges of two districts have returned
answer to the effect that without tlm
protection afforded by the State SOL
diery there would be no security for
life and property in their counties; but
that the country would be overrun by
desperadoes and lawless men in such
force that they could practically oxey-
else complete control of these parts al
the State. The following is an extraes
from one of the statements made bv
county and district officials. The shsr-
if of Arkansas said:
"The great demand which existed
east Of the Mississippi for Texas csttls
and horses enables these thieves to do
lucrative cash business in driving
away to market the cattle and horses
belonging to our citizens. So extensive
had these organizations become that
there is an abundance of proof and no
denial that their connection extended
throughout Texas and beyond, and that
even in high places they had their agents
and accomplices. They bid open def
ance to the officers OF the law, and thor
oughly armed, they were prepared at al
times to resist feuds, the extent of which
embraced on opposite sides large bodies
OF armed desperate men, and still fur
ther, the very sparseness of settlements
and the easy method of procuring sub
sistence invited outlaws and despera-
does from all parts of the country to
find refuge here. What could sheriff
do? Alone, he could accomplish moth
ing, and if he summoned posse to e1-
ecute a process or make an arrest, the
act was u nullity.
"And the fact is true and patent to
all that these men had their spies in
every town, and whenever a civil officer
sought to make an arrest the birds were
notified by their spies in time to fly, OF
to organize for an armed resistance and
intimidate by overwhelming numbetS
as was frequently the case in severd
counties that we could mention"
This is fair sample of the condition
Of things depicted by the law officers Of
Il large portion of the State, and the fac4
is shown that sherifs in those sections
are utterly intimidated and acknowi-
edge themselves unable to execute the
law and unable to secure from the citi-
zens the support they are bound by Law
and by every consideration of selt-de'
Tense and self-respect to render.
To keep standing army, a gems d'ar
merle to enforce the law and protect the
lives and property of the people is en-
tirely contrary to the institutions Of an
American State, where the people, re-
sponsible for their own rights and safe
ty, create their own officials and are IN
an emergency empowered to take 'iN
law in their own hands and vindicateie
majesty and supremacy. When, then
our officials declare that they canno'
execute the laws, and that they can ge'
no aid and comfort from the citlzeN
the question naturally arises, do !"
people want the law executed?
This is question they must ansSH
for themselves. 1t is question OF 'n'
greatest moment to the whole SiaH'
and it is question which in the hg'a
of the many crimes that are comml'
and the few criminals that are punisneu'
many an observer will naturally SO
If the people of Texas really s
4 Al --..slAr- raIInlkl-l1