The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-05-25

that the "pale monster" beats with equal
footstep at the palace as at the hovel-at
the high as at the low places of
earth, and that all said, at last, the path
of glory also leads but to the grave.
Ector and %Ninklerl WinkIer and Ectorl
HOnored in life! honored in DEATH these
two, indeed, trOd the ways of glory and
sounded all the depths and shoals of honor
along the voyage of life! Identified in
the last years of their usefulness and
laborS, it is a melancholy pleasure to re-
member many striking similarities of
character, and dwell upon the singular
condolences which marked their careers.
Twin brothers in the proudest heritage
of honor, it is mourntul privilege to con-
slider the two together.
AS private citizens, none were ever
held in higher or more deserved esteem.
Twice was each of them called to serve
as leg slators; Judge Ector once in Geor-
gia before immigratIng to Texas, and
once here in the state of his adoption;
Judge Winkler served both times in
Texas, first in the second legislature
after annexation, and again IN the thir-
teenth, quarter of Il century afterwards.
How truly and we'll each of them per-
formed their parts as lawgivers, contem-
pOraneOus history and our just and equit-
able system of laws-in part their handi-
work, deseryedly the pride of our own
and the admiration of other states-suffi-
clently attest.
As soldiers both did honorable service
for their country, and won high distinc-
tiOn as military men, the one welding
the sword of brIgadier-general, the
other that of u colonel, at times COM
manding his division When quite a
youth Judge Winsler united his fortunes
with the young Republic of Texas. LO-
eating upon the border, he never failed as
a bold and daring young frontiersman to
respond, in those early days, to every
call made by Texas, when her infant
civilization or bleeding frontier demand
ed protection from the merciless savage.
Many the time and oft, with the gallant
rangers" of those days, did he endure
all manner of self-imposed hardship, that
the cabin of the pioneer might be saved
from the blazing torch; that his cornfields
might not receive baptism from the blood
OF his sons, and that the Graded sleep of
his infant might not be disturbed by the
war-whoOp of the blood-thirsty Indian.
To him, as much as to any single private
individual, Texas owes the peace, quiet
and success of the efforts at the permanent
settlement and the extension of eivlliza-
ton over the northwestern domain.
But we might pass by those times of
trial and danger-than which none are
fuller of glory, or more entitled to hon.
orable mention, since to them we owe in
no small measure the prosperity and
greatness OF our grand empire state-We
might pass these early days, and, coming
down to the war between the states, con-
slider Judges EctOr and Winkler with just
pride and admiration, as heroes
and soldiers of the 'lOst cause.v From
subordinate positions both rose TO high
rank in the two principal divisions of the
Confederate army, the former losing leg
while in his native state, Georgia, the
latter twice staining the soil of old Vir-
ginia with blood from wounds which he
received on historical battlefelds under
the leadership of Hood, of jackson and
OF Lee.
Whilst Ector, with all the impassioned
energies of natnre ever devoted to
duty, was maintaining to the best of his
abilities the unequal contest on the
bloody fields of the southwest, the manly
form of Winkler in the army of north
ern Virginia was ever to be seen tower
ing, like that of Saul, above all his fel-
lows in the forefront of the fight, and
wherever deathshOts were thickest and
danger greatest, there he was wont to
lead and animate the van with that same
reckless courage with which 80 of old
twas said the gay. white plume of b epry
of Navarro danced ever on the surge of
battle" The soil of old Virginia, which
contains within its ancient bosom more
buried honor than the sun, III all his
shrined In glory no more chivalric soul
or knightly spirit than those which nerved
the arm or throbbed the bosom of an Ec-
tor or Il Winkler. They were marked and
noted soldiers amongst the hundred
thousands where every man was SOL
dIer, and every soldier hero. To ap-
preclate their worth as soldiers, you
should have seen. us I did, the streaming
eyes and mourning cOuntenances OF those
few surviving comrades who followed
each TO the tomb, Scared veterans, whose
devoted love for their old leaders the
many changes of time had scarcely tenn
pered, much less Obliterated.
The bloody, but fruitless contest end
ed, both returned with broken, ruined
fortunes, to begin again thes contests OF
life, each accepting the inevitable with
manly submission, and by his energy
and devotion to duty attaining the high
est rank in the noblest of all professions,
and proving by successes that "peace,
too, hath her victories, no less renowned
than war;. "
No TWO men in the private walks of life
did more by counsel or example to revive
the hopes and confidence of a ruined peo-
pie, or to restore Texas to her former po-
sitlon as state, entitled to all her just
and proper relations in the Federal gov
ernment. Those objects being at length
fully accomplished, and our people, bav-
own choice, by their free voice
called them to occupy seat
upon the new court of appeals to
be organized under its provisions. How
well they have performed the high trust
thus coDtided to their keeping, how we'll
they have administered the law In be-
half of the life and liberty of the citizen,
is matter for others to discuss and de-
termine. We know. of a verify, how in
cessantly they toiled night and day, how
earnestly they strove for justice and the
right, how the consciousness of an ever
present sense of gravest responsibility
never deserted them, and we know that
for them it can be truly said whatever OF
error may have crept into the decisions of
the court, has been error of head and not
of heart. No man can ever truthfully
question the eincorruptibility of their acts,
or purity of their.mOtives.
An eminent divine of Richmond, Vir-
ginia, the Rev. L. V. Moore, ON an occa-
sion similar to this, paid so eloquent and
appropriate tribute to the blessings of a
pure judiciary, that 1 cannot resist the
temptation to reproduce it. He said:
Next to pure gospel, in any country,
is pure judiciary, without which it
must perish. The executive and legisla-
tive departments of government repre-
sent the people, and OF course must re-
fleet their changing phases but the
u.
justice, which is His awful prerOgatiVe
and itrepresents law. = An upright
judiciary is the last protection of the
helpless and friendless against the mad
clamOr of passion from below, or the
tyrannOus grasp of power from above
the poor mans portion, the Widows
shield; the Orphans protector against
outrage and injustice the vindicator of
injured innocence, the strong arm thrown
ar a n M faf Hoo
secution, the very cftidel of public
liberty, the very palladium of private
right. So universal is this truth, that the
inspired Psalmist many generations ago
declared that where the judiciary were
venal partial or corrupt, 'all the foun-
dations of the earth were out of course
Hence, an upright, inflexIble Judge,
whose mind is clear and whose heart is
pure, who knows no man after the flesh,
who hold the scale of justice with hand
which neither fear or favor can cauae to
swerve, who dwelis in an elevation of calm
dignity that knows not and feels not the
swayings of lower passions and influ-
ences, and who never descends to lend
himself to any unworthy scheme, is q
blessing to any community, the priceless
value of which can only be Known by
reading the history of the unhappy peo-
pie who have been cursed by those
names of judicial infamy that are pill
loried in the history of the past"
Here in the midst of their Iabors, here
from the bench they occupied, we feel
that it is not fulsome flattery to declare
that, in our estimation, the judicial lives
OF Judges Ector and Winkler filled to the
fullest measure the high and true stand
ard of excellence thus so beautifully ex-
pressed and portrayed. Two such men
cannot easily be forgotten; their work
and their example must live after to re-
mind us always of them.