The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-02-21
Reflections on the Legislature

From free grass to free cattle; from
| free cattle to free homesteads; from
| free homesteads to free women, and,
| as resultant, free distribution of
graves. This is the road the little off
spring of anarchy would tread if nour-
ished to its proper and logical proper
tionS.
To disarm good men and to deprive
them of their national rights by COM
pact of law, and then to turn them
over to the mercy of Williams is crime,
and that is what false legislation is
doing for Texas
The peculiar and novel crimes of
new counties, requires origin al legis-
lation, and Of a penal severity proper
toned to the facility of commission
and the difficulty Of detection and
punishment.
Liberty is always accompanied by
the shadow of license, that is even
threatening to materialize and
destroy it.
Do not judge legislators harshly they
are ordinary men, with like hopes, and
hates and fears as yourself, and often
below the moral and intellectual stand
ard of those who send them. Be pitt
full in your Judgment of them, but SO
stern in your judgment of yourself
that you will never again commit the
error of sending them to the cradle OF
Texas shame.
After all, who is to blanche peo-
pie or the legislature? Are not legis-
lators chosen by the people, and if
they "choose and damn and damning
choose again" where lies the folly anu
the blame? 1t is mistake to suppose
that out of aggregated minds wisdom
must arise. The action of sensible
minds in harmonious council is not
conservative action, but distinct men,
tai manifestations meteoric shower
not a comet or an aurora. Even in
physical acts there are some things
where numbers cannot avail, A
dozen men starting at the same time
to walk together an even distance.
can neither by increase or decrease of
numbers shorten or lengthen the dis
lance. Numbers in council have one
virtue and one vice. They can for
the virtue check the results of indi-
v1dual folly and passion, and for the
vice divide responsibility out of ex-
istence. IT body of average men
are acting together and there be one
among them above the average. all
acts of wisdom above the average will
not be the result of the aggregated
minds, but the offspring of that one
mind above the average. The few
minds above the average in the Texas
legislature were stified by the aggre-
gated conspiracy of hearts and minds
of average and less than average
capacity. The mo" of two nincompoops
outweighs in the legislative balance
the "aye" of patriot and statesman.
An axiom never before denied nv
the veriest political tyro or the most
reverend of political nestors is that
marriage and ownership of property
are the foundations of all good govern
ment, and that without both free gov
eminent cannot exist, but the
legislature has found that the owner
ship OF property in Texas is the par
emit of misrula, and if there had teen |
no ownership of property, no proper
ty would have BEEN destroyed. Sic |
transit gloria mundi.
The extra Sc sion h IS been a sens;- |
tive plant shrinking away from the |
rude blasts OF revolution, and CULVER
ing at every approach of r spOnsibil:-l
ty. Let them shrink. The eXigen-
cies require an oak rather than a mi
moSa.
The great bugaboo in the legislature
when matters of vital interest to the
state are pending, is the expense, but
when trivial or sectional matters are
considered the youngest legislative
baby crows and laughs and reaches
out his little arms to hug it.
Texas LONG HORN. ]