The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-08-29
THE LONE STAR STATE.
Something About the Past and Pres
ent condition OF Texas,-Her
Strides to Greatness and Her
Promise of the Future.


From this place, on the Both of August
1871, through your columns on the 9th Of
September, jointly signed by large number
of honorable gentlemen, addressed an open
letter to the Hon. Carl Schurz, then a Repub'
lican senator from Missouri. 1t was an ap.
peal through him to the fair-minded Repub-
licans Of the east, north and west, setting
forth The terrible grievances then existing in
this state under the laws and administration
of the RECONSTRUCTED" Republican state
government, which WAS in power from April,
1870, to January, 1874. 1t recited the laws
enforced upon us by three sessions of Re-
publican legislature, largely composed of ir-
responsible men Of both colors, in no true
sense representative of the virtue, intelligence
and will of the people. These laws, in part,
covered the questions of registration, cleo
tion, mischevious state policy, pensoned
political newspaper organs; the power, at
the governors will, to declare and enforce
msrtia law and try citizens by military COM
missions; the powers of appointment,
amounting to thousands of officials, vested in
the governor, dependent upon his will, and
covering state, district, school and even town
officers. 1t narrated from the law the erec-
ton of a vast partisan free school system,
bottomed upon ruinous rate of taxation and
organized MS q monstrous one-man despotism,
the whole upon its final analysis vesting for
life and being upon the will Of the governor
alone. In this, as in the right to register and
vote, the appointment and control Of the
state police; an army Of reserve, called the
state guard and state militia, the former un-
Limited and responsible to no tribunal on
earth, was vested in the governor to do as his
Will, passion or price might dictate. The
whole system, of which only the more i'm
portant are here named, placed the people
at the mercy Of this
UNBRIDLED POWER,
and, to a very large extent it was executed
by an INSCRIPTIONS, ignorant and venal set
OF officials scattered over the state. Honor.
able exceptions existed, but the rule was as
stated
The Republican, always the defender of
political virtue, published that letter, and it
was widely copied into leading journals of
both parties in the east, north and W, st, caus.
Ing many hitherto Republicans to look with
more fraternal eye upon the outraged and
people of Texas.
Nine years have since been added to the
scroll of time. From few hundred readers
OF the Republican in Texas at that time, il is
nov, regular and welcome visitor TO the"
sands OF our hresides, and fe v old Texa
remember that thirty.seven years ago, under
the guidance Of the lamented Chambers, it
wa; the only paper west of the Ohio that
opened its columns to defence of the
Texsn.Snively expeditions, when dsarmed
by military power and carried into Missouri
An expedition lawfully organized by Presi
dent Sam Houston to operate against the
common enemies-Indian and Mexican of
the republic Of Texas.
Again, ask space in your columns to say
something in defence of Texas; to explain and |
vindicate her policy; to remove many mis-.
conceptions abroad, and, to some extent,
among our new fellow-citizens at home. |
shall speak in no vindictive spirit, but in the
owe of truth.
ln January, 1874, thereconstructed Repub-
mean state government, bya majority over
whelming in a peaceful ballot, ceased and |
was succeeded bya Democratic administra.
ton, with Richard Coke as governor, Grip.
pied by the constitution then in force, the |
finances In state of chaos, a large audited |
debt on hani, and an unaudited debt to BIO |
ascerlained through the intricacies of badly |
prepared official statements or no statements |
at all. Vast piles of political rubbish were
tie be examined, and great time and labor
used to ascertain the unknown quantity of |
Legitimate floating debt much due to school.
teachers. A
BONDED DEBT OF SIX MILLIONS
the Southern Pacific railroad had been
avoided by the Democratic action in tho pre-.
ceding legislature of 1873, and similar
obligation for another six millions was swept
away by substitution of land under Coke's |
hrst administration. The debts already rec
ognized or subsequently audited were met to
save the credit Of the state by the issue of
bonds, and, despite all efforts at reform.
30 cumDrous we're the laws and political
machinery inherited from the Republicans. |
some additional debts were created.
a new constitution, materially modelled |
upon the recently revised constitution of
Fennsylyania and Missouri, went into effect
on the 18th of April, 1876, Coke baving been
rejected. 10 readjust the laws in harmony
win the new constitution was the responsible |
laDor imposed on the new legislature that day |
assembled. A little later Governor Coke,
after laborious labor to the state, was trans
ierred to the United States senate. His
iabors and duties deyolved upon the lieuten.
ant-governor, Richard B. Hubbard. n man
whose talent is now we'll known beyond our
borders, and who faithfully labored in the
cause of reform and good government until
succeeded by our present executive. Hon,
oran Al: Roberts, in January, lS79-a man
whose. fame is honorably interviewer with
our civil, military and judicial history for
NOR than thirty years pasta man whose
wisdom as jurist has been recognized Nv
Almost every supreme court in the union:
whose honor is as stainless as Alpine snow,
and whose patriotic devotion to Texas IA
worthy of the Gracchi
In the meantime our statute laws, without
any authorized revision, had accumulated
l IRON our frat revolutionary assembly in
TEN YEARS OF WAR
with Mexico, fifteen years as a state of the
Union Tour years as one of the confederate
s.ates, i've years under United States mill.
.ary power, four years under Republican re-
construction and three years under Coke-in
all forty years-until, without thorough
revision and codiacation Of the laws. civil
Snd criminal, reform and united action in