The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-09-28
" PRINCE OF POLITICAL
FRAUDS


PRINCE OF POLITICAL
FRAUDS"
The above heading is a quotation
from the headlines of an article on
ex. Gov. E. j. Davis, taken from The
Grand Army Journal, of Washington,
D. g., of the 10th of September.
The article begins with the declara-
ton, that "of all the unfortunate
states in the late slsveholding galaxy
of our national constellation, the
Lone Star, Texas, has pre-eminent
claim upon the sympathy and sub
stantial aid of this Repub-
lican administration, and should
receive it" 1t is declared that the
greatest calamity to Texas Republic
cans was the fact that Mr.. Davis was
permitted ito steal from, or rather,
defraud, General Andrew j. Hamil.
ton out of the governorship." The
Grand Army Journal should state
facts. 1t was not Mr.. Davis who
defrauded Gen. Hamilton, but it was
a noted general, PANIED Griffin, who
as an officer in the army, resorted to
the basest frauds in counting votes,
and who carried out, simply as sa-
trap does, the behests of centralized
Republican power. He it was who
counted fraudulently the vote of the
people of Texas, and declared Davis
and not Hamilton the governor of
Texas. He knew and his directors
knew that they could not control
A. j. Hamilton. He was a great
man and an honest man, and, fear
ing such. the gubernatorial mantle
was placed upon Davis by military
power, and he became the autocrat
that sat in injustice on the destiny
of Texas, and upon the lives and
property of Texans. But here is the
manner in which the Army Journal
continues:
Had Hamilton been placed in the
executive chair, to which he was
fairly elected by large majority,
Republicanism would long ere this
have became the adopted creed OF
the vast majority of the citizens of
Texas. Hamilton was an able jurist,
Il man aud N trna anA ,,nro
patriot. His love of country alb
sorbed all consideration Ofself. He
was always true to the Union, hence
his purity.
With Davis it was, and ever will
be, the very opposite. His espousal
of the Union cause was the result OF
desire for revenge upon the &c. S.
A" because it declined to recognize
in him that greatness which his con-
celt and egoiism claimed. There is
no patriotism in his nature. Such
god-like principle is never found
possessed by the vindictive and sell
fish. In May, 1861, at Corpus Christi,
Davis addressed the people of that
place in a red hot secession speech,
speaking of our governments as "the
4
as property in the same sense as
horses, cows, and other stock, and
as such had no more right to rep
resentation than any other taxable
property"-see Galveston Neaos OF
November 26, 1873. But his speech
not securing for him the object fol
which he had delivered it, he OF
course, Immediately changed base
He merely wore our livery, how.
ever for perverse history fails to
show where he ever fought any bat.
tie, or participated in the achiev.
ment of any victory. But, true to
his kind, when he became governor
he never failed, whenever permitted
to do so, to patronize his first
love. He persistently prosituted
his powers and privileges as
chairman of the Republican
state executive committee to
promotion of the interest of his tools
and the qualification of his mali.
cious hates, always regarding and
treating as of no consequence the
welfare of the Republican party
wherever his pernaclous selfishness
was to be gratified. 7 his we speak
from our own personal knowledge
having resided as Republican citi.
zen in Texas during the period oil
and for sometime since his fraudu.
lent and disastrous governorship.
On the occasion of his second run
for the governorship, finding him.
self defeated, he called upon Presi
dent Grant to be furnished with
troops with which to defeat
the will of the people, but the
president, who by this time had
measured his man, promptly de-
clined by telegram, to do anything
of the kind. 1t has
always been advertised by Davis
tools that seven his most bitter en-
emies give him credit of being, as he
is, perfectly honest man." Well
as to that, our personal knowledge
of his official history most emphat
ically forbids our acceptance, as q
fact, of the proposition. Why, Davis
was so perfectly impecunious, and
out at the elbows and toes, when
eccentric dame fortune nomi.
mated him for the governor
ship, that the funds necessary
to defray his expenses in the can
vass had to be raised by his
Republican friends. But, upon his
four years. salary as governor he has
managed to not only support a large
family in high life, but he has so con.
Quoted his little money affairs as to
be able to pay recently $4,000 for q
homestead. Yes, but he is a lawyer,
some say, and from his practice
he, of course, has an income. Ee
claims to be lawyer, but he has
never been known to practice in any
of the courts of Texas.
1t is a fact, though, that short
time before the close of his fraudu-
lent govenorship, his Adjutant Gen.
eral of State. James Davidson,
mysteriously disappeared from the
country with large public treasure,
and that Davis made no
effort to apprehend him. Many
people even 20 this day have their
own opinion about the large sums of
money said to have been carried of
by the absconding acknowledgement.
II has even been publicly mooted
that Davidson carried off not more
than half of the stolen state funds.
Since we come to think of it though,
Davis may, in his fraudulent capaci-
Ety as chairman of the Texas Repub-
lican state executive committee, have
been enabled to expedite" from the
individuals he has toisted upon the
good people of Texas as federal Off
GERS, we know that he has permitted
no man to occupy federal appoint
| nnant in Taxaa nndisfurhad who did