The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1881-01-20

continent are combining their CAPT
tai in the construction of perfect
network of railroads throughout the
State. See their competing lines in
the race across the State TO the Rio
Grande, and thence to the Pacifi,
coast See what vast interests wealth
and power is thus being concentra
ted upon our soil, to be fostered
. protected and controlled by appro.
pirate legislation in the interest OF
: the people of Texas, as well rs OF
: the corporations to which they be-
long; and here too comes a mighty
tide of immigration, pouring into
our State from every land and coun
, try, unequalled in volume at any
time in the history of Texas. These
, immigrants are not brought here al
the expense of the State to increase
the ranks of the indolent and sloth-
full and finally TO fill up our jails and
. other prison houses at the expense
of industry, as is too often the case
with those who depend upon the
bounty of the State to secure trans
portation hither, and homes in our
midst, but relying upon their own
energies, muscle, brains and means,
They are here to build up their own
fortunes and to add to the wealth
and social condition of Texas, and
with Outstretched hands we well
come them to our shores and bid them
enter the race of life upon equal
footing with our own people who
have borne the brunt of the battle,
and are now willing to share this
lovely land, the fruit of the victory,
with the civilized people of the
earth, who are willing to tax their
own.energies and industry instead of
ours to secure for themselves homes
and fortunes among us. Such as
would add to the wealth and social
tcondition of Texas ask no more, and
with such rs these many of our new
counties are doubling their popula-
ton in q single year.
See our frontier as il fast recedes
before this mighty army Of civila-
cation, armed with the Implements
Of husbandry, a. It goes forth to
conquer the wilderness, and to build
up the waste places upon the border.
and wonder not at the demand
for an increase Of the judiciary, and
other officers and facilities, for the
protection of the lives, liberties and
property Of the peOple.
Would YOU increase the volume Of
this mighty tide without corrupting
the purity of its watersf.'rhen let the
reading world through channels
opened up by private enterprise and
| capital. be furnished with correct
official information concerning
the condition, resources and pros
perity of the country, and pri-
| vate enterprise and capital seek
| ing safe Investments will do the
rest, and soon crowd this vast terri
tory with an Industrious, intelligent.
and thrifty population, seeking per-
manent Investments, homes and
! employment for themselves and
their posterity forever, and
to their demands az husband
men our generous soil will weary
not in yielding its annual fruits,
| while the hum of the spindle along
the banks of our beautiful streams
scarcely audible nOw-must i'll
| few years increase in volume until
| the sound thereof, as it leaps out
from the hillside, with the mountain
stream. is taken up and borne along
the tide, and re-echOed from factory
to factory until it dies away amid
| the troubled waters Of the gulf.
And with this coming prosperity,
this mighty rush of business life, we
most not forget that Texas is pre-
pairing to take position beside the
proudest commonwealth in the
Union in the development of her
EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.
We may not be able to provide
a free school system sufficient
with the means at hand, ana
without the aid of private schools
| to in fact educate all the children
| within the scholastic age in Texas.
Such Il comprehensive common free
school system has perhaps never
been attempted upon this continent,
| but there is no good reason why we
may not provide a system which
| will insure to every child in the land
n sufficient amount of learning to
enable him or her to read, write and
| to transact the ordinary business
/ affairs of life.
To this end the common free
| school system WAS first inaugurated,
and if confined within this narrow
limit no child in Texas need grow
up without the benefits of q "com-
mon free school education" and
| when child can read, write and
| calculate the interest correctly up
on an open account or promissOry
note with partial payments, he
| should be educated no further at
| the expense of the common school
| fund any effort beyond this should
be regarded as an unWarranted
| expenditure of the fund.
The field above and beyond this be-
longs To energy and private enter
prise, where alone in educational
matters Self-rcliancc asserts its SUI
prcmacY and scholarly attainments
are reached and appreciated. This
field should not be.inYaded by any
pretended substitute. There is none,
and he who would divert the com
mon free school fund from its pro-
per channel i'll an attempt to secure
a higher and more advanced order
OF learning, ii seeMs to me, bGi frit-
tiers away the fund, and thereby
shortens the term or sessions of the
school and necessarily 10 that cK-
tent destroys the efficiency OF the
| system.
Ii seems to me that we must
either abandon this idea of educat-
ing our children in other aud higher
branches il a common free school"
or else we will be forced. for
;h- want 0f IneSns, to atan-
lna ttr - stem stoQeth-r .p1
~ hf fond - ~ III: j., Ii.
srtSd IF : .-s'L~'fgnfr 10. pr.ssie
| schools.
un Th" contrary, If aohe but sncb
Us are learning 70 read. write and
cipher" were permitted TO enter
our free schools, thousands of chill
dren now attending the public free
schools in Texas would be stricken
from the pay rolls, and in this way
the sessions could be extended so
that instead of an average of
four months we might have from six
to eight months session in the year
1t is not SO much the want of
means, in my judgment. as it is the
want of disposition on the part
of Legislators and school official TO
cOnfine the operations of the COM
mon free schools within the narrow
Limits to which they rightfnlly be-
long. Again. we are expecting and
demanding SO much of common
free schools that we are