The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1878-11-14
THE PEOPLE AND THE NEW
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OBLE-
CATIONS AND DUTIES.


CATIONS AND DUTIES.
Now that the end has come, and the
bottom rail is on top, and Loo is high,
and the ''scent of the rose fingers there,
Still'-now that the personal asperitics
OF an empty partisan conflict and the
passions it engendered are as utterly
forgotten as If of fifty years sgo, the
people will surely address themselves
to practical questions. Good and
great men, who sought honors and
offices, whether winners or not, will
tell OF accidents by flood and field and
OF hairbreadth Escapes encountered,
and when this il done in the corner
grocery and while the suffering listener
is still button-holed, his thoughts are
directed in other channels, and the
dead past is burying its dead. Its
graveyard is full of late candidates.
To be confessedly incapable and thus
unworthy and also beaten digs q grave
and claps on tombstone, and there is
no Gabriel's trump of partIsanship to
effect resurrection. Well, therefore,
it is that sadness broods over disaster
by the modest fresldes of the fallen.
1t is also true that party conventions
and caucuses have forced small men into
conspicuous positions, and parties, hav-
ing confessedly the least possible power
oyer individuals and this growing
steadily less, have done themselves, by
these nominations and elections, IT.
reparable injury. People, therefore,
are very glad to forget events of the
past two months. Several excellent,
able and honest gentlemen have
been clothed with Office, but
conspicuous failures are by no means
pleasing subjects of reflection, and
1t is therefore with infinite sat-
isfaction that we begin the new
week with new purposes and aspira-
tions. The griefs of the defeated are
intolerable, and gladly would we turn
away into oblivion the thoughts and
passions and rivalries of the by-gone
month. We would forget individuals
and contemplate instead the needs of
a county and city. We would inquire,
now that the offices are filled, whether
those selected are worthy and wise?
Will they so direct the course of events
that the capital may grow rich and
powerful2 We have no access to cheap
fuel, and the use of steam and estab
lishment and growth of manufactures
is impossible. Winters are brief, but
remedy. The whole trade of the
country north aud west of Austin
will be diverted by steadily progressive
railways projected in the interest of
other cities. We need manufactures,
but these cannot exist. We have no
fuel or cheap food or cheap raw ma
terial. These are indispensable pre-
requisites to the establishment of sue
cessful manufactures of any descrip-
ton. The order of events is immuta-
BILE. Fuel and food and raw material
must prccede manufactures and density
of population, and the cItY's prosperity
depends upon the construction of
cheap railway towards the northwest.
Without it Austin is hopeless and help
less. Everything else must be post
poned to this achievement of popular
energy and enterprise and with it
everything that we talk about and
dream about, as sources of prosperity,
will be given US.
Turning away from struggles of
parties and party-leaders and office
seekers let these men now under
take to serve the city and county
as earnestly as the city and county
have served them. We have been idi-
otically frantic in promoting the per-
sonal ambitions and purposes of indi-
viduals, now let these individuals, thus
made conspicuous and invested with
influence, serve the people with honest
zeal and unfaitefing fidelity. If they
do this they will SO direct the forces of
public opinion and Of public and private
wealth that the cheap railway to-
wards the northwest will be speedily
begun.