The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-03-29
JOHNSON'S SPEECH.


Mr.. President
This question, as well as that OF the fire,
schools, involves the class OF people whicl
l claim to representative working class
and when this honorable body takes up an,
question that involves the horny han,
sons OF toll, F." will always be heard in thei
behalf, Tor from their labor comes every
thlng that is valuable 10 the human race a.
they dig 1t from the earth
Notwithstanding all this. these nniortu
nate people are less thought of, and les,
provisions made FOR them, than any othel
class ON the face of the earth, have heart
the rights Of all classes, from the governor
aown, argued day by day aud by the bes
lawyers IN the state, anu none OF them fai
10 have their Hobbies at work for them. save
anu eAcep. the taxpayers and have never
yet heafd single man In this house, while
standing upon this floor in behalf OF hi.
constituents, utter single solitary sylla
bic for the working man. The greatest que,
ton TO test these men AS TO Nhethe,
or not they have any feeling for the work.
ing class, is now before us, and tina, is
whether the convicts shall be seli-sustain
ing or the working man be taxed TO iced
ana clothe them, after their stealing from
or numbering our people, as the case NAV
oe' snail notice the remarks of Senator
DAVIS, OF Cooke. G He claims that the COO.
Vcts are the unfortunate and should be
provided for as such, and their contine.
ment is sufficient punishment. without
working the poor creatures. He saws they
nave been worked out this winter in the
rock quarry and had to sleep on straw beds
az night, which was fearful to relate. And
he further says they have to work ten
hours per day. Is that not a terrible thing
that convict is required to work len
hours u day and then sleep on u straw bed
at nigh2 | viii here state that have SAT
on my horse, herdmg cattle, sixteen hours
a day and then glad TO get blanket TO put
between me and the wet ground, and
l never heard of any one maxim.
great TODD over that, and there are many
poor boys doing the same thing Mt present
10 earn an honest living, and not word do
you near IN Their behalf. Let me say to
my lrienu from Cooke that many OF his
constituents are nc this day and time
working twelve hours per day and sleepin,,
on straw bed at night yes, sir, to pay Tor
their pretended protection, but il You will
Just have palace prepared for these gen
llemen OF Huntsville, we VIII soon have A
glorious country. We are now slaves for
the professional class, and not only that.
but We must furnish them with clerks and
porters, winch makes pensioners OF all their
KIN people. Why is 1t that my friend from
Cooke thinks so much OF these gentlemen of
Huntsville? can only account for il in
this way, that from whatever source a man
makes his living his heart is with that
thing. l speak rom experience. have
made my living out OF cattle, and never see
tine drove OF cattle thst don't feel like
following them, and they are brutes. MY
friend Davis has made his fortune out OF
the gentlemen of Huntsville (conyicts),
and they are always innocent and have been
prosecuted, and 1t is quite natural for any
thlng mat comes to man for protection, TO
feel near to him; therefore, u lawyer is ex-
cusable for taking up with that family.
Now, for the state running the penitentisry.
The gentleman from Cooke says the great
state OF Texas is too rich to think of ieas-
ing out the unfortunate aud dealing in flesh
and blood in that way. | would ask who
made this great state, and how did she be-
come rich? Was it the thieves and muir
derers that did il, or was II the honest,
Woodworking class? Who placed the con-
vlcts where they are, did they not sell their
blrthright' is the law not plan? Are
they not nineteen out of twenty big stout
young men, too lazy to work.
Now, as to the sympathy for them.
| would ask from whom do they steal
Nine times out OF ten from the very poorest
men we have. rOr instance, there in NV
county live 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 II day 10 make u living
Tor their little ones. And among those I'M
iortunates is one Old man named Scalf.
about IN old Ntbg Il 4.
on earth, and it u good one, and now he
must dig the balance OF his days to support
an old and deorepid wife. They are now
dragging their chairs after them, picking
cotton to sustain lite and pay tux on their
little homestead Of fifteen acres Of land.
And now they ask us to tax these uniur-
tunate people to hep support these gentle
men OF Huntsville, and claim that IL is
humane to do so. The gcntleman from Cooke
says we will lose So, 900 900 by the state not
running the penitentiary. How long has
it 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
@l 900 in money, outside the land Bppro.
priated for that purpose, the foundation
not yet laid in addition thereto, the board
of overseers now ask an appropriation to
while the csnitol il boing hniIt sr5 S"o S" or
fer annointed IN wait On thsr, and o;r
sI snb CLERK Nv D,S;s seo;n "" ,h s't'; 4,
wonId cost the worth Of the nss,; ;"J' T., :,
money over and ahove tha Iand "nnr1or ~
sted for that pnrposc he oiereJ app p.sdplr.
tion In re,oind The contrsct said rcsn,u,;nn
now pendjnp. Then / wonid nsS how
many such boards nj nverseers h"~ " ,,, mp"
bonses IN keen them ont ~, 70 V sr, 'u hn,,,
many clerks and norters 70 oversee ra' i 9oc
conv,cts two-thirds ~ ,ho,U rorl;n,, 100 -,
side The walls IN Arms ,horo mo-, e CIV,
room fnr ,hem inside ana hnw nono Js ,n uo
il cost ne annnallvS T.IinS Senotor n nou,
statemsnt ot tbe states e,t ,U, n"ei'
claim the state cannot run tho nan;sar,;ar = !,
for less thnn ri On 0oo annnaIlu enS ny
d easing II We yst con oao annuoi n,u w
think mi, sepat. "a comnnsed ~ a,
honorahie msn ss Won corId "at ~ ,hn
state and what does IL tsIs n e rn, - ,bem.
as mich again 40 If II was onr own r,onau
for we md a comn,;,,oo ann";n,aS a.,
arreed that three COMMITTEE pc,arts u anu
sniicient. hpt in less than tbro. damo WEI nr
voted fonr morr on no and Won nnw ~ !,
had haen vnnr own n,ona,, 10, , nOM - =,