The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-08-08

much attention to the insinuations that thi
inconsistency business was meant to furnish
argument for your friends, whereby with {
two-edgea sword ability they might NEE
and cut right and left at your opponents whC
should attempt to define your position
In Goethe's Faust you will recall the invisibl,
character of Mephistopheles,. whose bushes
was to ward off by his unseen hand ever.
blow aimed at his master by Lis antagonist
so that strike where the latter might, Mephis
topheles had furnished "material argu
ment' that parted the thrust. Now, it i
verify our belief that some persons do reall.
suspect that what theyare pleased TO denomi
nate your recent conversion on the immi
grafton and free school questions, for ex
ample, were intended for just such use "a
that to which Mephistopheles put hi
scimetar. At any rate there seem
to be some misapprehension among your
opponents as TO your true, present position
on these vital questions. Some contend thai
they.support you because you are in favor o.
/ them, and that it is all mistake about you
being hostile to these interests, while others
equally ardent in their devotion, urge that
your opposition to them is founded on cor
rect views Of public policy and true econo'
my, and others in like manner oppose you.
Now, what you wrote in your inaugural
what you have done or what you have omit
ted to do as acting governor, and what you
have avowed during the period of this recent
canvsss, "puzzles the thought and gives u'
pause" aud makes as think, indeed, "there are
more things in heaven and earth than was
ever dreamed Of in our philosophy
In this condition of affairs, while many Of
your personal followers are willing to take
you entirely on trust there be thousands Of
people that would much prefer, and, if we
mistake hot the temper of the times, that re-
quire some authoritative exposition az to how
you do stand on the imports mt topics which
have been so much discussed of late. And
these thousands Of our people, governor, are
not only citizens in good standing, worthy
and well qualified, but Democrats tried and
truc. Surely these, be they majority or mi
nority, are as much to be credited with in.
tegrity Of purpose and enlightenment of view
of what they conceive to be their own and
the states interests as are any of your ad-
herents, and as they are expected to support
the nominee of the party and as you are an
nounced by your friends as that probable
nominee, they have right to request and to
know your real status on those matters be-
fore they shall be asked TO do that which. as
true citizens ard honest men, might
be q violation of their con-
sciences and degradation to their
manhood. Nor is such request any
imputation upon your good faith. You
were judge not very long
ago, and as the respected head
of the highest state judicial
tribunal, you can appreciate the necessity of
being possessed of all the facts before a deci-
sion DO arrived at. If this is good law, if it
be admitted equity in the case of an humble
individual on trial, it is certainly aproper
rule when the question is one between the
citizenry and the chief executive aspirant
who asks to be entrusted with their dearest
interests. A governor is supposed to be the
impartial official friend of not only every
section Of the state, but of every
individual citizen within its limits.
This Is the modern and
democ-stic int rpsetat'on of popular gov
eminent, q government where the people are
aovereigns, regarding political office as a
trust" For the due enlightenment of those
of US seeking light on certain important sub
jects, we have, after the manner of the law
yers, framed some interrogatories to which
could there be given responses by yourself
or yorr authorized friends, responses that in
the judgment of those now opposing you,
would be in the true interests of our beloved
state, we are satisfied you would win at once
thousands of the ferventest supporters. There
-e,we would ask whether or not you are in
favor of immigration to the state? In other
words are you in favor Of any expense being
incurred to secure immigration 1t is urged
against you that you do not wish to see peo-
pie coming from abroad to settle in our
midst and make homes with us, it having
been 81 d that you had, even during your
canvass for governor in 1878, said you did
not want any more immigration from the
north and that you said to General r, NJ
Gano during the session of the last legisla-
ture, that YOU would not give
him 81 so head for all the
people he could bring from Kentucky.
The constitutional inhibition against the
legislature expanding any money for the
maintenance of an immigration bureau and
for the purpose of bringing immigrants to
Texas is interposed by your friends and sup
porters as the only reason why you do not
favor immigration. Do you believe with
the attorney general that this clause in ques.
ton in the constitution does not inhibit the
legislature from expanding money to adver-
tise Texas and all its advantages Ifyou go
believe, are you in favor Of the legislature SO
II