San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-06-08
TEXAS.
What Northern Architect Says About the Lone
Star state.

Star state.
Detroit Free Press.
Sol. Myers" said Free Press re-
porter, as he sauntered into the once
of that builder of state capitols IN the
Moilat block, "you have been down IN
the land of Judge Lynch, cowboys and
Spells Flanagan, and the readers oil
the Free Press would like to know how
a Northern Republican is treated down
there"
"Well, sir, i never was treated better
in NV life than / have been in Texas
A better, more civil, sober and honest
people 1 never met. have been there
i've times within year, something
over two months in ali, and have never
heard au uncivil or discourteous word.
! Have never seen but one intoxicated
person, and he was negro. L have
! been brought into connection with
nearly all the prominent men OF the
state, including both houses OF the leg,
islature, in which there are several
negroes, and, speak now as Kepuo.
lican, never met more lntelhgeht
class of men in my life. No one has
even asked me my politics. They don't
appear to be interested in mans poll
tics: his mental and business worth is
what they inquire about. A finer coun-
try man never saw. Flowers grow wild
there, as weeds do here at the North.
Yerbenas, moss roses and magnollas
are more common than dandelions, but
tercups and daises are at the North.
Texas is a garden of flowers"
what have you observed in regard
to race Distinctions"
"That the colored people in Texas
are treated better than they are In De-
troit. They don't deserve 1t, however,
for they are indolent, lazy and shiftless.
They can get from 81 to 50 per day as
farm laborers, but they won't work over
two days in a week, because they can
live O week on the wages of two days.
The usual price for picking cotton is
SO cents per 100 pounds, but last season
I saw planters offering 81 per 100 lbs.
to negros in Austin, and they wouldn't
90 to work. In short, they won't work
onlv when their necessities compel them
to-"
elbow about the capitol you are build
ing at Austin?"
SWith the single exception of the
capitol at Washington it is the largest
in the United States. The national
capitol covers three and a-half acres OF
ground, and this will cover three acres.
It will be 5S4 feet long and 2o9 feet
wide, and from the ground to the head
of the female figure that is to surmount
the dome and support electric lights
will be 311 feet. The foundations are
now being laid. The estimated cost OF
the completed structure is $1,750,O0O."
At this iuncture Mr.. Myers intro
duced the reporter to a keen-eyed, IN
telligent-looking middle.aged gentle
man, who was in the office:
"Col. 7. J. Goree, superintendent OF
prisons of Texas"
"Now, colonel" said the Southern
colonel to the Northern colonel, r" IF
Won get me into trouble by introducing
me to reporters III hold you respon-
sible."
Gall right"
81 am pleased to meet member of
the Free Press editorial staff" said
Col. Goree, extending his hand. at
is a paper largely read in our state. 1
think its humorous department is
superior. We have funny paper, but
one soon tires of paper that is all
fun. It tries to ridicule everybody and
everything"
"What is the object of your visit
North?"
"I am going to Baltimore to attend
the supreme lodge of the Knights OF
Honor, which meets in that city on the
9th instant. There are three delegates
from the state, of which Flanagan, he
of the Chicago convention 'what-are-
we-here for. if-not-for -spoils Speech is
one. am taking advantage of the trip
to visit the prisons and kindred insti-
tutions Of certain Of the Northern
states. I aH1 going out to the house OF
correction this afternoon"
How many prisons have you in
Texas?"
"Only one at present-at Huntsville,
but we are building one at Rusk that |
will be organized by January 1. They
will accommodate 500 each.
How many convicts have you in
your state?"
about 1900"
"Of whom 500 are at Huntsville.
Where are the remainder"
Hired out to contractors. They are
building our railroads and makingpub-
lie improvements. With the exception
Of certain classes of convicts, we find
it better to hire them out TO contrac-
tors as they become source of revenue.
The present price received by the state
for the work of convicts is 50 OIL per
month. The state furnishes the guards,
md even then derives a revenue of
$40, 900 per year from their labor"
"But don't a great many of them es-