The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-05-10
THE SPECIAL SESSION OF THE SEVEN
TEENIH IEGISI ATTIRE

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body they were equal to the
emergency of the call faithful chronicler
would stultify his record if he said so.
True, they were asked to do a great deal,
but they closed by achieving but very
little to their own credit or the states
veal, They were not noyices in the legisla-
tive forum, nor in the needs Of the
country and the people. They were
therefore supposed to be less fertile
in errors Of omission and commission, and
to pass beyond the limited area of a narrow
jurisprudence SO as to conform their ac-
tlons with the perfection of the spirit of
faithful legislation rather than to go astray
through loopholes of ingenious device. Did
they Justify the expectation? Alas they com
menced most ungraciously, and in a peevsh
moment rendered to the chief executive the
extreme discourtesy, not to say insult, of
declining to read his message, the map, the
programme under whose alignment they
were summoned to the tabernacle to work
by. This was the act of the house, where
silly speeches of greater length were more
appreciated in the midst OF the other smoke
that emerged from enormous pipes, cigars
and little cigarettes. They there
fore commenced bottom end up
and started to legislate on matters at the
heel OF the message and of minor moment
rather than on the supreme question that
should have employed their first and most
earnest attention. They begun by discuss
ing what railway company should
charge for passenger fare when
themselves had their pockets lined
with annual tickets or trip passes
and left for the last the great subject of re.
districting the state of Texas. Thcyconse,
quently cgregiously blundered in each
case. They degraded the dignity of Their
body by palpable precipitanCy on sub
iectmatter they were conlcssedly ignorant
about and passed an enactment without &
hearing from the other side. They
annihlated by one quick, rest
less, reckless sweep rights ant
privileges the people had accorded SC
gladly, and whose exercise had converted a
wilderness into a bossoming garden fol
them and their constituents. They glored
in contemplate triumph of chcanery
over intricate interests they wer,
not capable enough TO compre
hend of themselves and moi
decent enough to have explained by other,
before they injured them, The spirit o
justice succumbcd to the promptings o
supposed political capital, The discourtesS
to the governor was the correlativc to til,
outrage on the great institutions it was u,
much their duty to protect and care for Al
any Others in the scope OF their possibilities
Nor was it inconsistent with body tina
| had pursued such rctrograde course il
the cause of progress that they shoult
slaughter.thc cause of education. Despisin,
the benefits that come of increased citizen
ship and the means that induce the i'm
migration, it is indeed logical that they r,
fused to recognize the advantages of uni
ycrsity which even the fathers in on
toughest days had so fully provided Tor an,
so appeaingy urged, Hence il was natural
too, that they should have declined to pa,
the honest debts due long since to tina
institution by the general revenue account
when it then was in distress, but now wa
plclhoric with leash balance" An,
their excuse was wholly on the imitaliv
line when they ingcniously commended tina
the common schools should first be care,
for, when they knew that the trouble wa
not in the insuillciency of provision, bu
the inadcquacy of administration and q
| ill-ad iuslments that could have been rene
died by themselves. OF the same coniu
sion of mind, fraud or dopravity of hear
was the opposition TO appropriation
Of adequate funds ior the lunatic asylum
to subsiSt in decenCy aud with the nccessi
Ties of life for humanity's suffering ward
in that enclosure, whore an insuilicicncy o
even water cnlorccS the cleansing OF six
seven or eight lunatics weekly IN the SAM
bath, and where ten and dozen o
these insane are hudled togothc
IN the same small sleeping cell for want q
moro room. Aud this, singularly enough
in the face of the iacl that many of them
selves in their inGrmities might at any mo
ment become inmates. 1t was only whel
another special session was threatened tina
over,axcd and tired brains in Legislative
hallsdeemed itproper to- take water for tn
helpless in the asylum walls. OF pie,
with all this was the apportionment bill
The tortuouS and serpcntinc windings o
this snake in the grass is singing scanda
upon the fair fame of the state. Texas
with the parlizan carving knife, was cut nj
aud parceled out with view to the loayc
and fishes, the spoons aud tn
spoils, regardless OF the constitutions
requirements of contiguity of counties an,
the designated population. The demo
cratic party was again dshonorcd and agai,
injured by such open violation OF right an,
justice, such oppression OF people, coore,
and republicans, by an arbitrary dictatiol
that runs IN all.iours witt
the tyranny of the Dallas convention
OF some two years ago aud which VI
so implOrcd and warned against. The bill
was so Odious that "thc governor who dc
.alt A.. H.. a IA