The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-05-29
W. CLASSCOCK.
HE ADDRESSES THE CITIZENS OF
AUSTIN AT THE COURT
HOUSE
And Formally Opens the Can.
vass for the Senatorial
Nomination.

a large number of the citizens OF
Travis county met at the courthouse
last night for the purpose hearing :
discussion Of the political issues of thu
day by candidates for the legislature.
Col. G. w. Stiles, having stated
the object of the meeting in a few
striking remarks. Col. K. A. Ruther
ford was called to preside, and by re-
quest, Hon. Geo. w. Glasscock came
forward and addressed the assembly
substantially as follows:
Fellow citizens of Travis county
l am grateful to have the opportuni.
ty to meet with you on this occasion
L have been solicited to present nv.
self as a candidate for your Suffraxes
by my friends of Williamson county
so earnestly that have concluded ia
do so, and regret that my official du.
ties have prevented my addressing
you sooner as candidate to repre-
sent you in the 24th senatorial dis
tfict, composed of the counties of Trav-
is, Williamson and Burnet. MY county
has always been liberal to Travis and
Burnet, and has heretofore conceded
the senator of this district to Travis.
In other words, Williamson has advo-
Gated the claims of your county. 1t
| being generally known that Travis
has had the senator for eight years,
| Williamson now demands that you be
as liberal in conceding the senator to
| her in return.
l live in Williamson county. Its
| fields and forests are dean to me, and
| ifC nnnnla hnun oil
and rolled up for me big majorities
whenever my claims have been pre-
| scented for their support, and / will
always feel proud of her confidence.
am confident she will poll
1900 majority for me if
am honored with the nomination
for senator from your district
II l should be elected 1 will give my
earnest attention to the material in
terests of the people of your district
your interests will be looked to with
an eye single to your prosperity. Trav-
is has had most OF the important Off
ces OF the district, including the dis
tr1ct Judge and district attorney
Judge Walker, however, will, 1 am
sure, have no opposition in my coun-
ty. Our county will hail his nomina-
ton with pleasure and give him big
vote. We will put up some one how
ever for district attorney.
All men are, more or less, looking
out for themselves, and / am now
looking out for the senatorship Of my
district. l promise you here, now, l
shall try to take care of myself. 1t Is
generally conceded among the leading
men of my county, and, if 1 am not
mistaken, of this county, that Will
hanson should have the senator.
With this understanding, l have talked
with your prominent men, and have
been induced to run. Before
making any promise, saw all who
were supposed to have senatorial as
pirations, and undertook to get them
to run, because / did not believe
could give the time from my official
duties to conduct the canvass. shall
now have to take the time at the risk
of neglecting my duties at home.
know my friends, who are kind and
generous, will take sensible
view of the matter, and will
make the proper allowances.
Much Of our present grave troubles
have grown cut of the land interests
of the state. Good government is
necessary to make good citizens, and
to have good citizens as many as posi-
BILE should be encouraged to become
landowners. Interest will then make
them reverence the laws as good citi-
zens, don't mean to say that the
poor man is not equally interested in
good government but that he will
be all the more interested when own
ing land here among us.
The state had suffered by bad
land system. Huge land monopolies
and land enclosures had contributed
to the fence troubles. The public |
lands had come to us by Mexican land |
grants, and acts had been passed CIV
ing league and labor, and other do
nations, as Inducements to families |
and young men to settle in the coun-
try. Our lands had been given away |
to the railroads, to the state and coun- |
ty school funds, manufactures, ditch |
ing corporations and various purposes |
SET forth in the several acts of dona- |
ton, since 1873. England had aimed |
to make warriors by vast entailed es-
tates upon her people, 30 they would |
be interested by their possession in the |
event Of war. The same principle had |
been largely engrafted on our land
tenure system, in this state The |
tendency of recent legislation had |
been to depart from the rule and
build up huge landed interests and
monopolies, and the day, l fear, is not
far distant when the people will feel
its effects.
If elected, should certainly present |
a bill to shut them off or restrict them |
from such excessive land acquisitions.
l am in favor of not permitting any |
alien to inherit in this state unless |
the country from which he came per-
mitted citizens from this state to in
herit. There ought to be law pre-
venting foreign corporation from
doing business here, unless subjected |
to Jurisdiction OF our state courts, ! |
noticed recently in THE STATESMAN |
that 20,740,QOQ acres of land |
in this and other states were already |
owned by foreign corporations. / am |
opposed to making nabobs Of these cor
poratlons.
AS to free grass l must say that the
days of free grass in Texas are about |
over. The common pasturage which |
has heretofore obtained in this country |
is about exploded, and parties owning |
large herds of cattle will haveto buy |
land for their pasturage.
Judge Glasscock concluded his ex-
tended address with allu- |
sions to various subjects of more |
immediate local interest in the dis
trict, such as vacation orders and mat
ters of probate, amendments to crimi- |
nal laws, legislation upon matters of |
practice in the courts, requiring some
legislation. amendments necessary to |
the law to prevent too easy escape
from justice, as in the Rothschild case.
and other matters.
The generosity of Travis county,
exhibited to the state when the CAPT.
tai was burned, by affording homes to
her officers, and her expenses in the
trial of the land frauds was alluded to,
and he hoped the same generosity
would be extended in electing him
senator. He did not fail to pay high
compliment to the county judge and
commissioners court for their man.
agemont of the finances of the county,
and the other officers for their official
course.
The speakers remarks were greeted
with applause.
Col. Stiles followed, and the meeting
adjourned.