The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1883-11-21

and best man in the State, and no man will
pretend that John Ireland is entitled to any
such pre-eminence. So far, he has made no
notch on the historical stick, though he may
yet do so, as things are in lerment
CHRYsLRR, the veteran topper OF San Anto-
MO, has fought John Barleycorn manful fight
and though often sorely bruised and knocked
down by his own inveterate foe, he has kept
up the unequal fight Lately the police have
mercifully lodged Chrysler, but they are often
compelled to scoop him in" to prevent the
damp ground and the night air from injuring
his health. Chrysler has plenty of brains-too
large a stock for him to throw himself away in
hopeless fight against John Barleycorn, who
has conquered his millions and peopled grave
yards, without number, so we advise and
recommend him to cry "enough" and make
truce with John Barleycom. II would crafty
great many persons II Chysler would back
square out from the fight with John Barley
corn and become an industrious, useful and
respected citizen. Try it, old fellow, be
man, not brute.
SOMETIMES men take up very singular hal
lucinations and astonish the world by their
eccentricities. Adjutant General King has
been overpowered by one Of these hallucina-
tions-it has popped into his head that Gov
ernor Ireland is only a figure head clapped on
the prov Of the "ship Of State" for eSclu-
sively ornamental purposes, and that he, the
Adjutant General is both pilot and master Of
the craft. General King has been beating
about over the State, looking into the causes
of the fence cutting, which has been the chief
employment Of number Of patriotic and en-
terprising citizens, holding meetings, etc, but
as none of these nervous and delicate duties
are imposed upon him by the statutes, good
many persons feel a natural curiosity to know
whether he had a special commission from
Governor Ireland, or was acting entirely as a
volunteer. From his expressions and opinions,
as furnished by the press, General King seems
to entertain somewhat lawless and revolution
airy ideas as to how the fence cutters should
be dealt with, and inelines to the notion that
fence owners should resort to powder and ball,
in one word, kill the pestiferous fence cutters.
That sort of treatment would properly come
under the head of heroic, but it would proba-
bly, end in civil war, and intensity existing
troubles BE that as il may, no officer Of the
State government should sanction or recon-
mend a resort to illegal means in order to re-
dress private wrongs, SO long as Texas
possesses all the machinery Of a State
government, from Governor down to
troops of State rangers, including
courts which are burning with impotence to
pour out the walls of judicial wrath and Wit
riol upon the fence cutters. Adjutant General
King is no doubt palpably qualified to perform
the duties Of his office, but we have no idea
that he is equal to the task OF acting as the
Atlas Of the whole State government, and OF
discharging the duties of the Governor, the
judicial tribunals, and the Legislature. The
job is entirely too large, even for Hercules
Ireland. Even in Delaware, such job would
demand the combined powers of an Argus
and Briareius, with the strength OF Hercules
thrown in for good measure; but in State as
large as Texas, with a polyglot and cosmo-
polite population suddenly brought together
from the four quarters Of the globe,
and with thousand lawless
elements smouldering in the core Of this most
heterogeneous population, the job becomes
worthy OF the Tians Of mythology. Adiutant
General King, with all his aiIluences OF re-
sources, is not equal to this gigantic task. By
energy and good luck, he might, possibly,
manage single beat, or a ward, in a quiet
time, but he should not tackle such State as
Texas when the winds are beginning to rise
and the horizon is darkened with clouds, I'M
less he is so infatuated as to desire to treat the
people to an exemplihcation of a feather
launched in the midst of a storm. Seriously,
we dislike the plan Of militia officers scudding
over the State and dabbling in civil matters,
and acting outside of the sphere marked out
for them by the law. II we are under military
rule, let the avowal be made but il the civil
law is supreme, let the military gentlemen
conhne themselves to their legal duties
Democrats seem to be in love with the rangers
Governor Davis started for temporary pur-
pose.
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