The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-07-03
Lawlessness In High Places.

into their own hands, to right wrongs
real or supposed, and do other things
which in their own eyes were necessa-
ry to be done but the doing of which
has caused the goddess of justice to
veil her face and weep because in
christian land-a land whose code OF
laws was modelled from those given
amid the thunders of Sinai, and by
which, and under which, civilization
has accomplished its great work of re-
ducing savagery and of causing the
wilderness to bloom and bios
som as the rose. The wild I'M
bridled passions of the mob, its
convenient limb and short
shrift has done more to keep back the
frontier of the state than all the Com
anches who ever roamed and murder
ed on the green prairies of Texas. No
substantial progress was made in
pushing our borders westward until
the executive of the state sent a
strong force of her citizen soldiery to
act behind the civil law, and sustain
the officers of justice against the
mob. Under this condition order
was soon evolved from chaos, and
men no longer feared for life, and
property was regarded as safe as
though it were held in the middle of
New England. Time went on and
only last winter, fall and summer
the unwonted and shocking specta-
Gle of fence cutting all along the wide
border, was presented to our people.
Property of vast value was destroyed
and unrest and decentralization filled
the land. Values tumbled and a gen.
orally relaxed condition prevailed.
The governor attempted to deal with
the matter by calling the legislature
| together. Instead of increasing his
military and civil force, and dealing
with the evil on a Jacksonian plan,
this weakling of our modern political
system cried aloud for the wrangling
politicians to settle the grave ques
lions which the fence cutters and the
pastoral kings were at war
about. The result was, as
every one anticipated, bungle
upon bungle. Executive messages and
buncombe could do nothing. The
stockmen were in session and called
upon his excellency for advice, and
the best this chief of the law of Texas
could do, the only advice he could Of
fer, was the barbarous recommends
ton to hang the fence cutters,-turr
the wild mob of irritated men witt
their inf1amed passions at white heat
loose to dispense justice and restore
order where the entire civil establish
ment of the state had failed-and
worse than all, this chief execut
i've of the law, in language al
plain as Anglo-Saxon tongue eve
uttered, and well nigh as rug
ged, promised immunity to the
murderers. Lowering his own cres
thus before the lawlessness of tn
state, he would inspire another set O
lawless men to act, to do murder, ant
thus in advance grant dissolution TO
the crime.
1t stretches human credulity to its
utmost tension to receive and believ
this shocking statement. And yet i
is true, alas! too true. We dare no
deny it, because the blood of the vic
Tins cries from the ground. Th
widows and the orphans moan viii
not be stilled because of this 1nhumal
clemency promised in advanc
to those who would do murder
1 Now, then, we would ask, as
in all seriousness, ask with anS
ious heart, and bated breath, ask il
the presence of all the wonderful
costly and valuable principles an
property at stake in Texas, ask tn
manhood of the state, of the democrs
cy-is this the only man within a
our innumerable hosts, the only ma
among the vast army which goes
make up our one hundred thou
? sand majority here-who is capable Q
standing at the head of the state gov
eminent? Must we make hir
governor another term, an
send him from the mansion
: to the senate of the United State
with this cruel jibe at law thi
dangerous threat of murde
hot on his lips, to represent Texa
among those who are the learned an
patriotic ofthe nation.
We say it frankly and with regre
that if this policy is pursued, if tn
ring organization forces the nomina
ton of Governor Ireland over all tn
valid and strong objections whic
have been raised and urged by a fey
papers not afraid to antagonize it an
its organized and disciplined force
there is danger, grave and immediat
danger, that the democracy of TeXa
will experience defeat such as tn
republicans of Kansas and COLORADO
did two short years since. The peopl,
are tired of it, and they are asking i
this is democracy? If this is tn
only hope of the state? anC
when the reply comes back in tone:
and words not to be mistaken, the,
J will arise and administer a rebukt
which will ring in the ears OF tn
state for generations. There is dan
ger that the people will refuse til,
ticket and vote for the opposition
man outside of dem ocratic lines. We
must not rein the high mettled de
mocracy too tightly in this thing
The party is patriotic as well as
democratic. 1t is intelligent and
law-abiding, and it must have man
at the head of affairs who unites
these qualities, else they will refuse
to vote, no matter if his nomination
is m ade unanimous by the convention
Danger Signals.