The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-07-31
Pretended Craftsmanship.

1T is not all gold that glitters." nor
is it all craftsmanship which is called
10y that name. In nothing, perhaps, are
the people of this country so complete
ly humbugged as in the pretended
craftsmanship of their petted political
idols. When the international settle
ment was up before the legislature |
and it was proposed to pay them mil
lions in bonds, or rather money, for
the bonds were just as good in liqui-
dation of their claim against the state
for $4,000 per mile from Longview
to San Antonio. the funny states
nnanship of that day, at whose head
stood the blessed sage of Seguin, the
governor of to-day, refused to
comply with the contract and
forced upon the company millions
upon millions of acres of land, and to
make the thing go down sugar
coated 1t with a tax exemption for
twenty five years, which altogether
amounted in the aggregate to thirty
millions. This is the craftsmanship
the people of Texas would glorify in
the person of John Ireland. when it
proposes to keep him in office indef-
nitely; instead of charging him with a
lack of ability, which is quite as
serious in its consequences as actual
unfaithfulness, and RELOCATING him to
the profound but grateful obscurity
nf ChodxT Snnoiu NH hn ha1
This is not the character of man
,, who climbs up in any other country
Take France since her last great wal
! with Germany. If she had fallen int
: the hands of such man as the sage
of Seguin, instead Of being able to pa!
her enormous indemnity, she would
S have been framed out to German tax
s gatherers long since Think of it
: paying thirty millions for what sh
e might have had for three-and ye
= asking the state to pile honors upol
honors upon the head of this man.
In pursuing thrs policy, the state O
Texas does herself not only no presen
d credit, but she inflicts an injur
IS upon posterity weIl-nigh irreparabl'
Il Thirty millions, or rather twenty
# seven millions, because the latter SUI
n represents the actual loss, is not pickle
y up every day, and it is taken from tn
It present resources of the state at a tim
re when it is, or would have been wort
lie more than atany other time. PerhaI
it had Mr.. Ireland the taxes which woul
a have accrued from the Internations
d. alone he would not now be standin
lie in the presence of a serioU
If deficiency as he is. This chicke
,e has come home to roost with
ID warrior, it would seem, an
d in way to bring the present execl
1T tives of Texas small satisfaction
le Twenty-seven millions chargeabl
~ against his incompetincy! Can tt
tax-paying people of the state forge
lie it? Are they parblind and moor
AZ struck when instead of honest resen
g. ment, they feel and express onl
* confidence, not only in his integrit
n, but in the soundness of his Statesman
p ship and general fitness for the higl
II est places within the gift of the poop
" of Texas
Or If mercantile house had an en-
x ploye to make blunder only half {
y serious as this, does any one suppos
ID that it would retain him in it's Sc
p vice? Indeed, Texas would not do i
D. either, if the masses of the people on.
~ =. thoroughly understood the situatio
If as Ireland's campaign managers do.