The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-10-19

and fifty men and officers, to prey
upon the people, the expense and
maintenance of which alone will cost
two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars. This force is chosen by the
executive and placed under his COM
mand; is always ready for action,
having for its duty the part of spies
and detectives, whose very vocation
renders then odious and unprin-
cipled, and dangerous as hirelings,
both to our regulations and our
lives. Their pretended authority is
co extensive with the state, to arrest
and hold in custody the people of
the state.
6. They have individually recon-
mended and aided in the organiza-
ton of secret political societies,
banded together by solemn oaths
to assist each other, and thus have
provided, encouraged and fostered
secret bands of men unused to liberty,
that stand organized to assist in
rendering permanent the despotic
powers of the executive and his sub
servient legislature, and through
which secret bands in darkness,
under solemn oath of secrecy and
obedience, devilish plots can be con-
cocted and executed by base and in
famous men who are rousing the
negro element to deeds of hostility
and violence, and melting them to
suspicion and hatred against the
whites.
z. They have established laws for
registration and elections which
give the executive power to appoint
all the officers and managers there
of, and clothe him and the secretary
of state with the power to cast away
the returns of any county they may
find necessary to retain the control
of official positions in the state gov
ernment, and extending to all officers
elected by the voice of the people.
8. They have, in the creation of
offices for the administration of the
military, civil and police affairs of
the state, in every instance, taken
the election of such officers from the
hands of the people and given the
executive the power to appoint
large majority of such officers, with
out the ratification or approval of
the senate or any other deliberative
body, thus further increasing the
patronage and power of the execu-
tive, and leaving it in his hands,
without any check whatever, to eX-
ercise his own will in all depart
ments, by means of his tools and
hirelings, dependent on him for po-
sition, and the only measure Of
whose qualifications is the capacity
and readiness TO carry out his de-
sires, whatever they may be.
9. They have taken from the hands
of the people the election of officers,
elective under the constitution, and
placed the appointment in the hands
of the executive; thus further CEN
trallzing his power and giving him
unlimited control over the citizen.
10. They propose to establish news
papers in the several districts of
this state to advocate their political
heresles, disseminate their doctrines
and bolster up their despotism and
force a support cf such partisan
journals by requiring the publica-
ton therein of all legal advertise
ments.
IL. They have passed through the
house of representatives, and are
urging before the senate, bills in
effect extending their own terms of
Office beyond the limits prescribed
by the constitution, thus depriving
US of representation in congress
after the 4th of March next. And
fh NV ,,nb m inolD prooIoipo fbronoL
their recognized official organ, their
intentipn that we shall have no con
gresslonal election before July, 1882.
IL. They have arbitrarily and with
out lawful authority placed senators
and members under arrest and de-
prived them of a voice in the legis-
lature. They have held them so sus-
pended, illegally, improperly and
by force and violence, without justi-
fication or excuse, and heaped indig-
mites on them as men and legislators.
And during the time such senators
were thus deprived of voice in our
behalf, without cause other than the
most paltry pretext, which even by
the hired detectives they were una
BILE to substantiate, the despotic fac
ton in the senate assembled TO-
gether and passed the militia law,
the police bill, the enabling act, the
registration act, the election law,
and other odiOus measures; and,
also approved of executive nomina-
tions of judicial and other offices of
great importance and responsibility !;
all of which measures go to our op-
preston, while many of the men
nominated and confirmed for Office,
are unqualified as to capacity, charg-
ed with high crimes, corrupt as to
morals, strangers to our soil and
willing tools of the executive despot
who is grasping for all power.
IS They are passing laws for the
support of their establishment that
will involve the state in an enor-
nous debt. To support the hordes
of offices they have created, un-
known to our system, to carry out
their plans and to provide for their
extravagant administration and
schemes that are looking to the in
terests of their party and of
individuals, instead of the state, a
great debt will burden the state, the
payment of which with interest will
cause people to groan under oppres-
pressive taxation and bring the state
to bankruptcy or reputation. The
ordinary appropriation for per an
mum expenses of the government
heretofore has not exceeded $400,-
600, exclusive of the frontier defenses
and other extraordinary expen-
ses of the government.
IA. They have arbitrarily, in time
OF profound peace, passed unconsti-
tutional laws for the immediate or
ganization of the people in stand
ing army, to be under the command
of tavorites and tools of the execu-
tive, and through the machinery of
a war department put actively on
foot measures for drawing men from
their peaceful vocations and arous-
ing the spirit of war and violence.
They have affixed q heavy penalty
for the non-performance of duty
under this law, expecting that the
greater part of our people would
prefer to pay the penalty to enroll
ment, and intending to use the large
sum of money thus raised to carry
out the odious military and police
laws.
Is. They have provided for the
organization of state guard, the
men and officers of which are TO be
chosen by the executive, and subject
to his command; thus creating a
special organization to be composed
OF tools of despot to protect him
in his usurpations and to enforce his
odious and oppressive laws and die
tatoFial mowers.