Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-05-12

absolutely forgot, for four years, 10
commit petty depredations on pig
pens and hen-roosts, ana rape was uh-
heard of. 4
Born slave. holder and reared and
educated in the South, never invest
ed largely of faith or hope In the seces-
sion business or entertained any re-
markable degree of respect for the
wisdom of It's leaders, but | was loyal
Confederate. used to spend weeks
each wear of the war period on plan
tation In which I was interested in the
midst of broadcast cotton fields and In
one of the most densely negrO-populat-
ed countries In the Gulf states. l
| talked to my negroes and those OF
other people as freely about the result
of the war as to the whites. ! spent
weeks In the years 1912 3.i.5 alone in
double log cabin, in the midst of
three hundred negroes. Perhaps they
| were slaves. This was their designation
in the state statutes, written, mark
you, by the agents of the Abolitionists,
who were none Others than the furious
Southern "flre-eaters" OF the period.
These negroes, In accordance with the
letter of the law, were "slaves." In
fact, they were only servants They
did Just what pleased them, and were
directed, in ali things, by one of their
own number. or whites there were
only old men and women and children
left by the military conscription in the
country, and never were negroes so
harmless or so useful as when making
bread for Southern armies. The writ
ten laws of the slave states, as did the
of the period, described
represent it, and as philanthropy run
mad imagined it, and / must confess
that am not q little amazed when an
educated, intelligent gentleman like
Mr.. Phelps asserts rs facts the absurd
traditions OF the abolition fathers, who
were the coun.erparts aud neither
better nor worse than the fiery seces-
slonlsts. NE two "lic.sses of enthusiasts
co.operated and were grand co-workers
in the grand cause of human freedom.
Statesinanship and laws of progress
would have accomplished even better
results by slow and sure processes dis
covered In the steadily progressive
amelioration of Slavery that was
already almost merged into serfdom
when the war began. And most for
tunaie for the white racs was this fact.
Otherwise we would have been forced
to leave half the arms-bearing whites
at home to exact from blacks compul-
sorry toll and peacefulness.
MIR. Phelps has not yet risen above
vulgar prejudices generated by ex.
IRENE party leaders of quarter of a
century ago and it is only that he and
many like him, may be induced to in
quire into facts here given that i am
impelled to recite them.
TENOR OF PROTECTION SPEECHES.
The high tariff people tell us that
part of the tariff is paid by the import
er of taxed goods and that this share
of the exacton does not fall upon the
consumer. But by what rightin law
or morals, does our government tax
citizens of friendly nations? They owe
our government nothing, not even al
legiance, and yet there is II
distinction drawn between the
the man and his property. He may
do the country detriment; he may
lessen prices paid our laboring popula-
ton; he may be nefarious dynamiter
and yet passes through the custom.
house untaxed, while his merchandise
must pay tribute TO the lords of looms
and rails and mines. He owes our
government and people nothing and
yet is remorselessly robbed. III our
all-grasping government can take by
force one penny's worth of his prop.
erty 1t has the same right to take the
whole. His skill aud industry may
come, without obstruction, to COM
pete with the toll of our laborine
population: but his goods and wares
must be so taxed that they cannot
compete with like property of mill
owners and manufacturers. But the
general truth Is that the importers
pay the tariff and add the sum, with
interest, costs and the difference be-
tween gold and paper, the custom
mouse demanding gold, to the original
cost OF the goods. When the goods
are sold to the retailer he pays the
whole sum, with profit on the tariff
tax as well ~ profit on the cost of the
goods, and on all these sums the farmer
pays interest and the profits of the re-
taller. The result is, that in Texas,
farmers pay, very nearly, two and a
half times the original cost of all that
they buy and consume.
HON. ID. II. CULBERsoN.
| Texas congressman have surely won
distinguished hOnors. Now and then
a Northern paper, even away down i'm
New England, is moved by Il sense OF
honest fairness To concede the fact. /
was telling you of Wellborn,s and
Ianham's admirable contributions "a
the political literature of the period,
discovered in speeches made by these
gentlemen in the house. 1t was
enough for Texas and the state was
honored enough by these representa-.
tives II none Others had spoken. But
The GAZETTE had said, some weeks
ago, when Mr.. Culberson's opinions in
reference to the Morrison bill were an.
ucipated and criticised, that he was
eminently well qualified to take care
OF himself and that he would speak
on this most prominent of ali
questions now discussed by
the press and people. He has spoken
and have watched the newspaper,
and consulted those who sat near the
burly Texan when he gave utterance
to his convictions, and Il is the unvar
nished truth that the ablest Democrat,
in the house, having themselves made
speeches within the past few weeks on
this same subject, confess that Day,
Culberson, in force of intellect and in
expression, has no superior In either
house of congress. These are
almost Dorsheimer's precise words,
The new members OF congress were
amazed, the old delighted, that theiI
anticlpations were realized. But read
the speech. IL has been stereotyped
and readers of THE n u-r,r,, ~.