The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1885-11-19


Texas, in her as yet short career, has
produced many forceful characters.
1t is not our purpose to deal with the
dead. They are gone, and their rec
ords are made up and signed. We
may glory in their history, exult in
their fame, but for all practical pur-
poses they are inert, except that many
of them have left examples behind
by which the men of to-day may
profit. At the head of the forceful
men of the state stands Richard Coke.
Rugged, stalwart, able, alert, broad
viewed and successful, be has stamped
himselfindelibly upon the past and the
present and his views and policies
will reach as far into the future
as those of any man who
is now at the surface. Coke
has many years of usefulness before
him yet, aud IL would be unwise to
write him up now and close the book.
Next to Coke among the forceful
forces of the state stands his excel
lercy, Governor John Ireland. We
do not regard him as, the equal of
several of the leaders of the state in
ability, but in his power to combine
and use skillfully the means at hand
he is the full peer Of any. From
humble beginnings he has by
the sheer force of an indomitable
will, raised himself not only to the
first positions in the state govern
mcnt, but to consideration second
TO no other man in the common
wealth. He is an honest, faithful and
sincere man of the Lang stripe, with
this important difference, that where
as Lang has always failed, Ireland has
always succeeded. This is an import
ant difference, and the difference is
competently exhibited in the career
of the two men. John ii Reagan is,
perhaps, next, and he would be q
great man in any age, in any country
and under any circumstances. He
has long stood at the head of our con-
gressional representation and has
been singularly free from all
those tortuous aud scheming
policies which so often mar the char
a,ters of the great. Like Coke, his
career is not half run out, and the
future has big things in store for
him. Culbertson is another of these
great forces. Perhaps he is the supe-
rior of any we have yet named in nat
ural ability. But, to all this, is joined
a veteran inertness, which has opera
ted SO far to side-track him in con-
gress. He has the ability and all
other qualifications to fit man for
the highest positions In the public
service.
John Hancock is perhaps next in
ability and forcefulness. An admira-
BILE, well-halanced man. Honest in his
own heart he cares little
for what men may say OF
him. His career has been high and
honorable Que, aud the people Of
Texas honor him. Throckmorton IL
another of these forceful men. A man
every inch of him. Great from hi;
very simplicity OF mind aud the
simple honest integrity of his charac
ter. Ii will indeed be a dark day fol
Texas when "Old Throck." steps
down and out. General Maxey ID
another of our forceful men. He has
held his place more because of the
admirable poise of character than by
actual and commanding ability. lie
is most admirable gentleman, and
his career is not yet ended. General
Ross is younger than either of the
illustrous men we have named. But
he stands at the very threshold of a
career which promises 10 equal, il
1t does not surpass, either of his pre-
decessors who are now living. Col
onel A. II. Belo, OF the News. is also
strong man, one of those silent,
string-pullers who are seldom seen
but always felt in the public policy
ofthe state.
Indeed, Texas is rich in the number
of able men she has at the front in
her public economy. Her great future,
as well as her present, is safe in the
hands of patriotism which is uplIfted
by au ability altogether creditable TO
so young state.