Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-12-01
..rnr pRoanEss or rExAs.D
GOV. Ireinnd's Contribution 20 the North
American Itsyiow--A 'RevisiOn OF
stntesmnnaiip."

American nsyiow-~A "Hevision OF
stntesmabship."
rtiov. John ireland In tho Norih American
icvlcw
IL il beautiful tradition that, when
the Spanish explorers fret landed on the
shores Of Matagordo bay they were met
by tho natives with cmblcms OF peace, and
that the arst word spoken by the chief, as
| ne advanced 70 meet the holy father who
stood under the banner OF the cross, was
aTpkas,n meaning welcome. by easy
| transition Texas becomes Texas, an .
! thus named the province which ~ now th q
/ state. when pronounced IN The language
Of the Cid, TEXAS (rahaD Is soft and
musical, and lts significance twelcome) is
symbolic Of the generous hospitality Of
the people that inhubit the state ana
form her governments audi surely, no
state or nation has u history more re-
splcndent with acts OF true hospitality
and genuine welcome.
cIben follows a brief epitomc OF the
history OF the settlement OF the state,
after which the gubernatoral historian
continued
In 1865, at the close Of the war, Texas
was demomlizcd and almost ruined, II
lis true she had been spared the
tramp of hostile uruie-i yet, her ma
torlnl wealth was zone, her loss In slaves
alone being $4,000, 600 Her labor
system had been destroyed, confidence
had ncd aud hope had departed. The
pursuits Of the people, be II remembered,
had been essentially agricultural nud
pastoral but agriculture lny p1talylodi
and the nocks and herd, oi tie gralrr
were scattered and loot-addcd TO such
misfortune, the iron heel Of the COnqucrOr
came to crush the really brave aud gen
uinc manhood OF Texas, But the men who
had strongly met the storm OF war were
prepared to meet lls consequences the
placing I'M their stead the selfish stranger
aud the Ignorant negro. Governed now
ever by a class that only sought the
deeper degradation Of the people, we eau
understand that Texans naturally re-"
ycrtcd TO the oppression Of McNi-
can rue, and found no consolation by
} comparison The dHys seemed dark IN
decd This state Of things, amelturating
gradually but with agonizng slONncss,
came TO an end in A. Reason resumed
her throne. Aitcr nine years OF cNpetl'
. Cncc those who controlled the govern
4 mcnt Of the nation realized that the way
, to trent brave men waB TO trust them,
and $50 restored TO the people their po-
q ltica rights. Upon this restoration
o. Texas entered with bound, as IL were,
upon her no " career,
And what Of the state to-day?
Imperial IN her domain, attractive In
tho variety of good and rare things she
j possesses, she Is again able 10 shy,
, "1ckas" "Wccomc." And 20 what
n does she invite?
J., Embracing an the territory between
Al ia. q
y ludc aud the goth aud 86th degrees Of
j, north latitude 70 territory Of "a 00l
c -qunrc miles -nrgcr than New York, New
England, Pennsylvania, OHIO and Mary.
% land combined larger than the half OF
&, Europe emitting Russia, She can support
Il o population equal to the present pOpu.
IA lUtion OF the United Nntcs aud yet not
crowd her people. She has goniu
~ climate, whose uniformity of tenn
II penturc gives health aud comiur
10 and does not shut up labor iui
If six months of the year with Ice anl
snow. She hus a soil rich and dWcrN
" fed, producing wheat Ms IN California
" cotton M IN Egypt, aud corn ns IN III
10 uois. She IL the Rrn1lng ground Of I
, continent, whore within the memory o
man countless herds Of buffalo ronmcC
u over her prairics, from her northern I,
i her southern boundary hut whose tran.
m are now covered with mclOsures breed
Ing cattle with which to feed the world
Let me call earnest attention 10 few
10 remarkable facts, which take from IN
r Official reports OF the state. oar table
m of statistics show that In S3G the popu
q, lntion numbered about 10000. In forty
nine years II Inns increased nfty-iold, an,
NC we now have 1000 900. Fifteen year
a. ago, ~ 1870, the assessed value Ot prop
Ne crty was little lcss than $3.50, 600, OOl
100, II Ia now GGO8 O0O000. Yet the tax rat
for $50 Is only twenty-five cents on th
nr hundred dollars, Onc-haf OF which rs iu
ice the public schools.
of In this important matter OF publ
a., schools and the education of our you'll
wy 1t must he remembered that the fathers {
n 1886 sct aside onu-tunth OF the gcncr'
m revenue of their republic for porpctu,
OR school fund, and also granted 10 enc
county four leagues of lnud, &
Wv 10000 acres. Stlll In addition, they y,
no aside ntty lGagucs--more than $1,000
an acres for a university. Subsequent
he the state of Texas donated to railroad
sixteen alternate sections Of lHud TO III
we mile, and coupled this donation with u
ga obligation to survey an equal nrcn for n
Is school fund. This fund now owns, fro
nj. that source, ~ 600 Of acres wort
at the minimum government price, SGi
no 600, 900. II has, besides, S7,000OOO
hat cash, bonds ana stocks, which yield moi
ra. than S2,60O,O 600 as an available schu
ms fund for the year 1886, allowing enc
child In the state 80 for six month
vas tuition The iOcrcaso In value Of Il
res school lands whether from lease or fro
&c. sale TO actual settlers, will In a sho
do. time relieve the people from paying ~
doh. t.N a. a..
Of. noarIv hnndrod mIIIioms "t "snit"i i
MS vested, there viii DO enough revenue I,
IN the grandest lrco-school system cy
~, known.
''' have stated the taxable value of d
I'M the property Of Texas at sG03 900, 90
has Let me cnumeratc Ia round numbers,
nv. tow Of the ltema which 20 10 mnkn /