The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-08-24
JUDGE IRELAND,s SPEECH.

hour in the county convention yes
terday, Judge Ireland was Invited to
address the audience, and responded
in substance as follows:
There is a disposition on the part of
some gentlemen to work free
horse a little too hard. | just arriv.
ed In your city an hour ago, and am
not here on politics, but understanding
that you had a lull In your proceedings
and that 1t was your wish that would
entertain your convention, / am here for
that purpose, it can. This is your coun-
ty convention, and it reminds me of a con-
Yersation that occurred between myself
and a resident of your city, half an hour
ago, in which he reminded me that in this
state, claiming to have Democratic ma
jority of a hundred thousand or more, the
county in which the capital of this great
commonwealth is situated cannot elect
Democratic members to your legislature,
or county officers. 1t is very fine
and, 1 expect, unfavorable criti-
cism on the part OF your brethren
in other parts of the state. L do not be-
lIeve, however, that your past elections
are fair representation of the senti-
ments of your county. While L am not
over anxious to see politics run into
county minor offices, yet it Is desirable,
at least among Democrats, that the county
uared should at least in general elections
show its colors and carry them with a cry
of victory. / am not here to lecture you
on your local politics. l am not
here to beg for or pull down anybody.
l am here by accident, and l don't wish
to be understood as being in favor of CIV
ing any nomination, for 1 do not know
who your candidates are. know. how
ever, that they are good men, for know
that you have good material in your
midst. [Applause.1
Inregard to the Democratic canvass that
is before you for your state officers, do not
expect me to say much on this occasion;
but do wish to allude to one or two
matters which concern the Democratic
p rty and my own candidacy before the
people Of Texas, and one is matter
especially alluded to by the journals OF
your state in regard to some of the re-
marks that made at Gonzales some days
ago, about free schools and denomina-
tional schools. l will state here that
there were two reporters sent to Con-
Zales on that occasiOn-one by the HOus-
weston NeaOs-to report my speech.
1 DID not go there to make politi-
cal speech; l went there on the
invitation of my friends to attend the
opening of a railroad to Gonzales, the
Lexington of Texas; but | could not help
making some remarks about politics.
Among other things [ spoke OF the I'M
equal and awkward school law as it now
exists, and the difficulty in determining
what is and what is not ectarian school,
difficulty that is left to a county school
board or board of education [ suppose
/ know there are denomInational schools
allowed to draw from the school fund,
and others equally entitled to it
are denied that right. In expressing my
"A lGa a q aRhnnl Ia w
and the difficulty of administering it, 1
| took occasion to say as far as L was per-
sonally concerned,s where these schools
| were organized, where their property was
owned by churches, where the teachers
abstain from teaching peculiar religious
| doctrines and did not undertake to instil
into the minds OF the children their doc
trines, saw no objection in their receiv-
ing their part of the school funds. That
| was q personal remark of my own. l
know the Jesuit sisters in my town re-
| ceive their pro rata OF the school fund,
and so does the large, fiourishing school
| at san Marcos uuder the patronage of the
Methodist church. That was the whole of
| it, The reporters did not hear
until after it was delivered. They
did not get word of it from me, and the
| reports you saw in the Post and NeaOS are
entirely false.
The speaker, continuing, said he was
| told that this (TravIs) county was going
to have an independent ticket. Exactly
| what an Independent ticket was he was
| not informed, but he knew that Charles
John Fox once said that an independent
meant a man who could not be depended
| upon at all. Judge Ireland did not mean to
| disparage any gentleman who called him
| self independent in politics, because there
were good men Independent, but he did
not understand any man to be
Independent In politics who is piedg-
ed 10 party, whether it be
called the Republican party, Greenback
| party or any other party. Such q man is
as much wearing the collar as he who
| pledges himself to support the nomi-
nees of the Democratic party. He
had not yet learned What COM
have against the Democratic party. They
say the free school system is not what it
ought to be. This the speaker admitted,
| and also that some Democratic officers
don't always do their duty; but could
anybody tell him that the officers of any
state do their duty without exception
| If these defects are to be remedied,
where do you expect to get your material
to build up your party? 1t is to be OBJ.
served where these independent gentle
men criticise any party they commence on
the Democratic party. Admitting that
| the free school law is defective, did you
ever have q better system2 In one re-
spect, yes. You had q government that
| required you to pay more money to the
tax collector than has the Democratic
party, but if the children of any section
| of the state received the benefit of
the school fund they did better than
the children of his (the speaker's) section.
| The fund was paid out to hangers on,
supervisors, superintendants, etc., who
l ., tor. ri of hn 10
| would like to see the school system better.
ed. There is great Improvement to be
made in it, and will continue to be as long
as Texas has vast territory to be peopled.
At present free schools can be organized
| in the cities, but in vast government
like this, where the population is spread.
ing, it is d iiicult to organize free school
system thai will give educational facili-
ties to all the children of the state. This
| Is a great difficulty you have to encounter,
| and will encounter, for the 1eXt twenty
| years, let your state improve in pOpula-
ton and wealth as 1t may. In regard to
| the education of the negro, he said
if there was a colored man who heard
him he would ask him what the Demo
cratic administration of this state is do
ing for his race, and If he knows OF any
administration of any state that Is doing
more for his racer Are the negroes to be
driven into antagonism with that govern
1
them every two years for the purpose OF
getting something out of them and making
them believe that they are going to get
| something very sweeti Are the negroes
| to be driven into ansagonism against the
state by these people, when they know
that the state is doing all in its power to
| educate, elevate and make them intelli-
gent voters? Let them reflect on this be-
fore allowing themselves to be carried
| away by some Republican who says that
the Democratic party is war
party, a sectional party, a
party hostile to the government. He
did not knoW anybody in Texas who was
hostile to the government. He knew that
gentleman in congress preach love feasts
and forgiveness, telling us they want
liberty, peace and order to reign between
the sections, but they want their own
way of doing it and If you humbly
bow your necks you will have peace.
They reminded him of the two little
brothers sporting in the grass. The
bigger brother had a hammer with
which he whacked his little brother every
once In while. The little fellow would
bawl out and the big brother would want
him to keep quiet. Finally the big
brother called out. "Ma, 1 wish you
would halloa out to little brother. Every
time ! whack him over the head he
hollers." Thus It is when you stand up
like a freeman five or six feet
high, seeking free expression of opin-
ion, they cry out, "Ma, 1 wish you would
keep my little brother from making a
fuss" You had peace in congress few
days ago-the peace of death to free gov
ernment, and 1t is the kind of
peace you will always have If
these gentlemen have their way.
The speaker advised Democrats
| when they came to nominate their con-
| gresham not 10 have any quarrel and no