The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-04-05
IOllNSONlS SPEECH.

of "a sympathiler With the W"rhIhs
northumberland aud Crime
Charity begins ut Home.
Mr. Pfesldent
This question, as well as that OF the free
schools, involves the class OF people which
| claim to representative working clnss-
and when this honorable body takes up any
question that involves the horny hand
sons OF toll, j." | will always be heard III lholr
behalf, tor from their labor comes every
thing thar is valuable TO the human race as
they dig IL from the earth.
Notwithstanding all this, these uniortu-
nate people are less thought OF, anu less
provisions made for them, than any ,otner
class OH the face of the EARTH have heard
the rights of all classes from the governor
uown, argued day by day and by the pes sS
lawyers in the state, and none OF them iall
to have their Hobbies at work for them, save
and except the Taxpayers, and nave never
vet heard single man in this house. WINE
standing upon this floor in behalf OF ms
constituents, utter single solitary sylia-
BILE for the working man. The greatest q ues-
ton to test these men as to WneIher
or not they have any feeling Tor the Hork-
ing class, is now before JUS, ana that Is
whether the conviCts shall be selI-sustaih,
ing or the working man be taxed to ieeu
or numbering our people, as the case mag
be. | shall notice the remarks OF Senator
Davis, of Cooke. lie claims that the con
yicts are the unfortunate ana shouIu Oe
provided for as such, and their conline-
ment is sufficient punishment, without
working the poor creatures. lie says tneS
have been worked out this winter in the
rock quarry and had to sleep on straw beds
at night, which was fearful TO relate, And
he further says they have TO work ten
hours per day. Is that not terrible thlnS
that convict is required 10 work Ten
hours a day and then sleep on straw hed
at night? | will here state That l nave sat
on my horse, herdlng cattle, sixteen hours
day and then glad TO get blanket TO put
between me and the wet ground, anu
l never heard of any one making
great TODD over that, and there are many
poor boys doing the same thing at present
TO earn an honest living, and not word DO
YOU hear in their behalf. Let me say 10
nv friend from Cooke that many OF his
constituents are at this day and time
working twelve hours per day and sleeping
OH q straw bed at night; yes, sir, to pay fo ,T
their pretended protection, but II you Will
lust have a palace prepared for these gen
tlemen of Huntsville, we will soon have
glorious country. We are now slaves for
the professional class, and not only that,
but we must furnish them with clerks ana
porters, which makes pensioners OF all their
kin people. Why is it that my friend from
Cooke thinks so much Of these gentlemen OF
Huntsville? l can only account for IL IN
this way, that from whatever source man
makes his living his heart is with that
thing. | speak from experience. L have
made my living out of cattle, and never see
a fine drove of cattle that | don't feel like
following them, and they are brutes My
friend Davis has made his fortune out OF
the gentlemen of Huntsville (conylcts),
and they are always innocent and have been
prosecuted, and 1t is quite natural Tor any
thing that comes to man for protection, 10
feel near to HIM therefore, a lawyer is ex-
cusable for taking up with that family.
Now, for the state running the penltentlary.
The gentleman from Cooke says the great
state of Texas is too rich to think OF leas-
ing out the unfortunate and dealing IN flesh
and blood in that way. would ask who
MADE this great state, and now dld sne De-
come rich? Was it the thieves and MUIR
derers that did it., or was It the honest,
Woodworking class? Who placed the con-
yicts where they are, did they not sell their
birthrieht? is the law not PLAIN? Are
they not nineteen out OF twenty big stout
young men, too lazy TO work?
Now, as to the sympathy Tor them,
| would ask from whom do they steal I
Nine times out of ten from the very poorest
county five of the poorest men had their
last and only horse stolen from them, and
some of them have large families, forced to
work fourteen hours day to make living
for their little ones. And among those I'M
fortunates is one old man named Scalf,
about 20 years old, who had but one horse
on earth, and it good one, and now he
must dig the balance Oh ms Gays 10 support
an old and decrepid wife. They are now
dragging their chairs after them, picking
cotton TO sustain lie and pay tax on their
little homestead OF fifteen acres OF land.
And now thew ask us to tax these unfor-
tunate people to hep support these gentle
men OF Huntsville, and claim that 1T is
humane to do so. The gentleman from Cooke
says we will lose So 100000 by the state not
running the penitentiary. How long has
ID been since that gentleman said our
capital was to be built with land, |
and not TO cost us one dollar IN |
money, and he says the state has spent |
SAL 500 in money, outside the land appro-
priated for that purpose, the foundation |
not yet laid III addition thereto, the board |
Of overseers now ask an appropriation TO
build a house to keep them out OF the sun, |
while the capitol is being built, and por- |
ter appointed 10 wait on them and their |
81 SO clerk Mr.. Davis, seeing that 1t |
would cost the worth OF the capitol IN |
money, over aud above the land appropri- |
.ted for that purpose, he offered a resolu-
ton to rescind the contract, SAID resolution |
now pending. Then l would ask how |
many such boards OF overseers, how many !
houses 10 keep them out oil the sun, now |
many clerks and porters 10 oversee 2,2OO
,onyicts, two-thirds of them working out |
aide the walls on farms, there not being |
room for them inside, and how much would |
h cost us annually? Taking Senator DAVIS !
.tatement OF the states extravaganza
lain the state cannot run the penitentiary |
or less than 81 900 600 annually, and by |
easing 1t we get $4,000 annually. l
.hipk this senate Is composed OF as
honorable men as you could get in the |
state, and what does IL take to run them; /
as much again as If il was our own money, |
for we had a committee appointed ana |
agreed that three committee clerks we're
sufficient: but In less than three days you |
voted four more on us, and you know II It
had been your own money you would not
have mad more than two. What was the
cause of this? You had friends here, and |
they wanted money, and IL being state |
money. Won employed them on account |
their being your friends. How will IL be |
when these state officers take bold OF the |
They will be there but
short time when they will have their clerks
and porfers. and all Of those frst-class gen.
tIemen conyicts on the inside Of tue walls.
will have Of least porter, and when this y
done sll the kin people of the officers will
be pensioners on the state, and / am not
glliing 10 tax my people for that purpose.
Nos. IN conclusion. let me say that the
working class is loaded down 20 the guards
They have the sxtrsvhgaEt Jaw
makers, the judiciary, the fish c0mmis-
sIoner. the different asylums, the pau
pers. county iails ana county roads all 70
< zen M. and besides this We must educate
nth black and white. aud the suris OF the
Irnitsd states are invited here for that pur-
t,ose and those Who escape from The peni-
teutisrv. or served out their terms are also
iayiIed from other stsies 10 be educated
and made honest men. MOI Only tniss We
sre 40 mild negro colleges aud make col
lert bred gentlemen Of them.
NoU for the cau-sheaf. The senator from
Coote wants us 20 furnish these gentlemen