The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-03-05
INDEPENDENTS AND sTRAIGHTs,

There is no little talk now in political cir
c,cs about n certain tllss Of Democrats
boiling the Democratic nomination unless the
State convention enuucates platform OF
progressive principles and places thereon n
progressive Democrat as n candidate for
Governor. There ia some music in the nil
beyond cavil and there are thousands OF
Democrats who are sick and Ii ed of the old
time notions of Democracy clung to by so
many of the party and SO thoroughly mani
tested in the policy and administration
Of Governor Roberts. The spirit of those
principles Of which the Democratic party was
born and which has given it life for so many
years, still remains, but that spirit is not in
form now, as it was half a century ago. For
instance, it is now, and has ever been since
the party first had being, principle of
Democracy that there should be no taxation
except for the legitimate support of Govern
ment. That principle is founded in the
genius of our Government, and is the
embodiment of that idea that
the Government is the peo-
pie, not that the people are the creatures
Of the Government In the olden time the
doctrine was that public free education WAS
no part of the duty of the Government, and
that taxation for such purpose was illegal
and unjust. AS time has sped on and en-
lightenment has begotten q higher state Of
civilization, it has become apparent to the
great mass of the people that provision for
the education of the children of its citizens is
part of the duty of each State in
this Union. Now, must tho Democratic
party stand still, like a fossilzed relic of other
days, clinging to effete ideas and lingering in
the shadow of years that are dead, or must
it keep pace with the times and advance as
other things advance, and enlarge the scope
of its principles as the world progresses and
necessity demands Governor Roberts,
when he assumed the reins of the State gov
ernmcnt, defined policy as far behind the
requirements Of the day and of this young,
rapidly developing State as the
facilities for transportion enjoyed by our
great.grandfathers are behind those of this
date. That Governor Roberts had and still
has near to his heart the best welfare of
Texas, we have never once doubted; that he
is gentlemen pure of purpose in the private
and public relations of his life, we know of
no one to gainsay, but he has pursued
policy that in the judgment of a
great many Democrats has been detrimental
from its inception to this time to
every interest of this State, just now
blessed TO so great an extent with bounti-
full prosperity occasioned by good crops and
by an unprecedented era of internal inn
provements. His opposition to free schools,
manifested by his veto of the bill which APP
propriated the Constitutional limit of one
fourth of the ad valorem tax for the mainte.
nance of public schools, and the .called .es.
sion of the Legislature occasoned thereby,
has begotten dissatisfaction the Democratic
party never before witnessed in this State.
The injury done to the credit of the State by
the veto aforementioned, which also killed
the appropriation for the interest on the pub
lie debt his lukewarmness if not positive OPP
position towards immigration, and his ex-
treme leniency to criminals, have but added
fuel to the flames of this dissatisfaction. We
are not prepared to say that this dissatisfac-
tion Is SO widespread and SO deep seated that
it has created schism in the party, that it
has formed two wings, one of which is likely
TO split off as an independent Democratic or
ganization il its demands are not acceded
70, butwe do say that there Is much talk OF
itinpolitical circles and the signs of the