The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-02-23
AN ADDRESS
Delivered Before the Texas Stock
mems Convention, by Hon.
d. VI. Roberts, Gov
ernOr of TexaS.

FettOW CitizeHS-I am delighted (
appear before you to-day. l al
glad of the opportunity which
have upon your invitation of ad
dressing you upon the subject O
the schOOl-chIldreD's lands in th
stock country of Texas. That will
be the subject mainly that | will
discuss before you to-day.
Millions of money have been made
and are being made, off of theI
property by the grazing of stool
upon them The time has com,
when they need some profits
from it-when they can get it-anC
must have it, in order to advance
the great interests of this country
The question as to how that is TO be
done consistently with the great
stock interests of the country
the farming interests of the country
Is the most important question OF
! this daY
in the spirit of consultation, 10 kuow
how that thing is to be done rather
for the purpose of getting informa-
! ton than to give it to you, who
! have an interest in this country, not
only as stockmen. but as patriots,
identified with the present and fu-
/ ture prosperity of Texas, and all of
/ its great interests. Texas abounds
in all parts of its territory in varied
interests, which, when they are
| fully developed, will mature into a
country of vast strength, intelli-
gence and prosperity. 1t is due to
all of them that they should be pro-
tected and promoted so far as they
can be consistently with the general
welfare of the state.
We have great cotton interest.
We have a great wheat interest.
( We have a great stock interest.
The feeding producers should
recollect that there is never any clog
on meat, if you can get it into the
market. You cannot make too
much of it. You may pile up and
increase your stock until they will
| fill every acre of stock country in
Texas and you have not halfsupplied
the world with meat; and so it is
with wheat.
We have our great mining inter-
ests in the west they are to be de-
veloped.
| We have our great manufacturing
interests, which will soon be de-
Veloped and attract attention from
every quarter of the world, because
of our great water power in the
west and in the east. We need IT
now.
Every country is poor, relatively,
that does not manufacture some OF
the raw materials produced by its
industry And with that very view
asked the last legislature to
make move in the way
of changing the constitution
that by releasing manufactures
/ from taxation for a certain period
so as to induce capital to develop
our manufacturing interest.
wanted to follow the example ol
other states who have proved the
wisdom of this measure by the
wealth their manufactures have pro.
duced. But :he legislature failed to
make such changes as l suggested
and urged.
1t will yet be done, and we will
I be manufacturing people.
We have a great mining interest
i'll the country.
| was told last summer a year
ago, by the most learned scientest
and geolOgist that has ever lived in
Texas, Mr.. Ball, who had explored
| the country in the northwest, that
our mineral interests, as coal, iron,
copper and other metals, were more
valuable than all our, agricultural in
terest in the state of Texas. This,
too, must be protected. In the fu-
ture the orchard and grape interest
will have to be protected and ma
tured.
Mark il, there is not wine grow
ing country on the face of the earth
where the people are not sober and
where drunkenness does not pre-
vail; and think in the whole region
of Texas, there is no part of it that
does not produce orchard fruits and
grapes of some sort.
You have a great railroad interest
in this country, and there have been
more railroads built since | have
been governor, for the last three
years, than were ever built before
in the state; and they SUBJ
serve your interest and the
interest of everybody. They are
great power in the country.
They should be fostered and
protected. They should be har-
monized, just as the other
interests are. And we have q
great public school interest. This
interest ought to be fostered by the
government. When Ispeak of the
school interest, / mean the COM
mon schools that educate all of our
children four months in the
year, and the university and
other high and intermediate schools.
Allow me for a moment to dwell
upon this subject, as this will be the
main theme upon which will ad-
dress you, and in which L hope to
enlist your sympathy. And L am
glad that speak to body of men
constituted of gentlemen, whose
faces, whose character, known
abroad, will give encouragement to
the idea that money is not all they
| Scch, COIn pdIO GU W tuC NOfOlOPuACh'
ofthe great intellectual and material
interests of this country.
/ Suppose you have vast endow.
ment, as you have for common
schools, and that you provide for il
in the utmost degree possible. That
you donate thirty-tve million acres
of land, as the state has done, anC
you have no higher education. YoI
are subject to the importation of {
higher education. You are subjec
to be misled. Suppose you have th'
higher education of great univer
sity. You are still deficient. YOl
) make statesmen and lawyers. Ye
there is a vast amount of interme
diate culture that is needed. w,
need education in agriculture, IL
stock raising. We need it in tn,
mechanical arts. We need it in tn,
normal schools. All of these com
ing up together will increase the de
gree of intelligence in all tn
departments of life, and will de
velop all the interests that hav
mentioned to you.
Among these great and varied IN
terests will necessarily arise con
fiicts. 1t is the business of the gov
|, ernment, SO far as it has any righ
, of action, to regulate and harmonic
! these conflicts. so that each grea
interest will be protected and ad
vanced without hindering or di
minishlng the advantages of othe
interests any more than necessary
For instance, we are liable to hav
f a conflict rise up between transpoI
: tation and other interests-for wha
:. is the nae of the aOricnlfnrisfs rais