The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-10-15

the State by Governor Houston. Thereup-
on he removed, from Henderson TO Austin,
assumed the duties of his new Office, bought
an inter st in and became one of the editors
Of the Austin Intelligencer, his co-oditor be-
ing Judge George w. Paschal, The consti-
tuition then in force, provided in section q
of the legislative department that "No Sen
ator or representative shall, d..ring the term
for which he may be elected, u y be
eligible TO any Office or place, the appoint
ment to which may be made in whole or in
part, by either branch of the legislature;
nor shall the members thereof be capable
of voting for member Of their own body,
for any Office whatever" except, etc, mean
ing officers of their own bodies.
In the General Provisions section line,
tho same constitution, said "All civil off
GERS shall reside within the state, and all dis
tlct or county officers, within their districts
or counties"
So when Mr.. Norton accepted the office Of
Adiutant General, bought newspaper in
and removed 20 Austin, the people Of Hen
dorson and VarZmdt very "constitutonally"
though. his place rs representative was there
by vacated. But whom Governor Houston
called the legislature together in extraordi-
nary session in January 1861, to consider
the secession crisis then upon the country.
Adiutom General Norton, editor of the
Intelircncor, ut Austin, claimed and actually
took his seat Representative Norton, from
Henderson, and Van Zndt-not only took, but
held it throush that called session, and also
through an adjourned session, all the while
holding the salnrod flee Of adiutant general,
H. 20 continued till the 10Th Of April, 1861,
when Governor Houston declined to conform
to tho now order of things, and quietly
vacated the Office of governor to his lieutCn
ant who took the necessary oath and became
governor. Then it Was, and then only, that
Mr.. Norton vacated the Office of adjutant
general, and disappeared from the public
mind in any important relation, as completely
as if he had never been born. Socially he
had no enemies, and many friends. Politically
no was simply looked upon rs being as nearly
harmless Ms wild, eccentric, long time
uushavcn. kind-Aoarled, bcluddled little old
man could be II kind of third rate, soft shell
Ground Head" who had slept ever since the
days Of the Rump Parliament and Praise
God BarCbones, and had row just partially
awakened in land Of Cit up and GIT
thoroughly bewildcred and added by his
long suit of hair, grown since the year of
grace 1860 Round Head inside, the grand
father Il Prince Rupert outside. A. B. wes
bofogged, and rs no Delilah has
come to his relief, he remains
in about the mental condition of Rip Van
Wiulilo when he awoke in the ka-ats-kill
mountains, and found lis dog Snyder non
est, and his gun.stock deceyed into dust.
1t was in tho era referred to when a great
change had come upon the public mind,
that the people of Henderson, and the free
state of Van Zsndt petitioned our ancient
friend to resign hi: seat and let them elect
ono of their own people rs their representa-,
tive. They only peacesbly exercised right
recognized by the meauest tyrant England
ever had in Magma ChNrta.
With all due Difference to the age rare
gifts and miraculous memory of this venOra-
bic survivor of antiquity, we confess to as.
constituent at the greed with which his in
congruous and ser.contrNdicted stories are
swallowed by even u Republican editor on
the banks of the beautiful, the classic ana
the limpid Wabash, which doth ever rush in
laughing foam aud silver current on its on
ward course to the embrace between the
crystal mouth Of the father of waters and
that sky,bue mSilen, the Gulf Of Mexico
The plMndealer, of the Wabash, iuspirled
by such ETHEREAL visions, should rise out of
the valley at least to the summit Of ayca-
moro stump and try to bohold the Guitar
world to the first rise on tho cast or the west
a, least that fur, MS the distance is not over
one mile and six furlougs
Now would ask the Wabash Plaindcsler
q question. Iras Mr.. Norton says, in his
day of military iudFc'hip, "dcspcradoes
oyer.,un the whole country, and HancocEs
order turned judges and all over to their ten
der mercies," how was it Mr.. Plain
dealer that in all that
terrible time, no Judge, Prosecuting Attor.
ney or other important officer, holding Office
as Mr.. Norton did, was over killed? Will
you please explain and harmonize this with
Mr. Nortons assertion! Only Judge Hart
of all the number, was waylaid and lost an
arm by two miscreants wholly disconnected
with politics and wholly from a personal
feud, and detested by every manin the land
For years afterwards Judge Hart resided in
Dallas and presided as Judge, respected by
the very men so grossly misrepresented in
Mr.. Norton's Wabash speech, and his is the
exceptional case in all Texas. The only
other Judge killed in Texas since tho war
was the lamented Howard in FL Paso, by an
imported Mexican MOB some two years ago,
not unmixed in the complaints against the
Federal government for pormittingit
We. the citizens of Dallas, challenge Mr.,