Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-11-11
THE GAZETTE. FORT WORTH TEXAS WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER

recently published from Gov. ireland In
MIR. Horace Baker, relative to bringing
immigrants into Texas, and especiallv
into Northwest Texas, which so much |
needs the character Of immigrants which
Mr.. Baker proposed to bring into It. n
say blindly, because you evidently had
not taken cognizance of the facts or care |
fully read the letter you attempted TO
defend.
What are the factsg Mr.. Baker pro.
posed TO bring into Northwest Texas, I'M
der contract, with persons that needed
such Ii Dor, lot of men and women as
farm hands and house servants. You
will certainly concede that this character
OF labor Is needed here aud will be cor
daily welcomed. And you will certainly
admit presume, that such people, sim
ply because they are poor and have to
work for a living, are not TO be classed as
idlcrs, loaiers and paupersy
Mr. Baker did not ask for any state
aid or for any individual assls.
lance from Gov. ireland. The an.
swer of the governor shows this. He
simply desired a letter from him, as the
governor of the state, stating what kind
of country Texas Is, and how they would
/ be received and treated here as honest
laboring people, giving perhaps, an ac-
count of the soil, climate, and products of
| the country, of the vast bodies of
unoccupled lands and of the facilities
/ for poor people and persons of
moderate means in acquiring homes here.
/ Surely you do not thlak Mr. Baker was
wrong or committed any offense in ask
ing for such a letter. Ii you had been
personally requested to furnish such a
letter, You would have done so without
hesitation. But as popular as you are,
and as influential us you are at home,
abroad letter from you would not have
had the same effect, us one from the
governor Of the state.
How did GOV. Ireland meet this rea-
sonable requestY Have the kindness to
read his letter 1t is very plain, and has
but one meaning. He says nothing about
paupers, idlers and loafers. In your
anxiety to defend the governor, doubt
less from personal motives, you have per-
mitted your Imagination TO run away with
your usually excellent judgment What
he does say is this; That he cannot see
that this character Of labor would be OF
any advantages that we have people
enough here already, and that in the neal
future the state Of Texas viii be so over
populated that they will be following
each other into the sea-"
There are two points in the context Of
his letter: First, his open hostility 80 inn
migration, no matter how organized, and
second his contempt for honest, laboring
people.
lie says distinctly, as plainly as Ian
euagc can express it, that that character
of labor is not needed and will not be wei
come, at least by him, and that he is mo-
prepared to do anything, even to writing
a letter, TO induce immigration. If thi'
. is not ox-cartiSm and unworthy of th,
spirit of the age and unworthy OF TeXat
governor, what is it? And you say he oc
: cupied this ground throughout his publi'
lie and especially during his candidac.
Tor office. Certainly you are mistaken
= While not pleased with many of his posi-
, tions on state questions, / never knew
u him before to take such grounds.
There is not county in NorthWes
= Texas that would not gladly welcome
= thousands of such worthy class of people
5 especially if brought here as Mr.. Bake
proposed to Introduce them, under con
tracts with farmers and citizens IN towns
q And there Is not county ia the stat
e that has not hundreds Of citizens tina
came here poor, some OF whom had to b
helped to 80 to Texas, but who are nov
well off
j The letter OF the governor speaks 10
usclt There is no explaining IL away
j., And every Texan reading il will blush 70
Il IT. LEMON.