San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-09-10
Beautiful Consistency.


deem Il appropriate ~ bring him again be-
fore our readers. In one point Of view We
have for good while felt that this was de-
manded Of us by justice 10 all whom II may
concern. Various circumstances have con-
spired to cause us to postpone this work;
now we propose briefly to address ourself TO
II.
Our purpose is to show the beautiful
consistency Of those Of our county officials
who have preferred tins man McLemore TO
us and mado him their favorite, out of re-
venge because the FREE PREss presumed to
criticise some of their public acts. II he
had been man anything like as long set
tied in the county, located in the county
seat, with reasonable facilities for doing the
public printing, and of even average good
moral character, We should have said moth
ing. But he can claim none of these rea-
sonable qualifications. On the contrary his
brief sojourn in this county has been dis
tinguished by all manner of crookedness.
As newspaper reporter he early became
known for his disregard of the truth. Both
had trouble with h,:n financially while act
ing rs their agent, and the Farm and Ranch
of Austin had him arrested for failing to
make return of monies collected for them.
He was arrested in this town for drawing
check on bank where he had no funds, and
q suit for criminal libel is now pending
against him in the courts at Austin. Per-
sonally and through his paper, which is low
and vulgar in its tone, he is calculated to
WELD bad influence among young people.
We speak of these things without any ILL
feeling towards him. We are willing char
itably to believe that he is so organized that
it is difficult for him to pursue a different
course. But what shall be thought of old
citizens, holding prominent positions, who
as far as in them lies sustain and exalt such
man. giving him oil the power he possess
es to do evilp
But passing the question of general re-
sponsibility let us look for moment at the
question of consistency. Our Sheriff and
County Commissioners took exceptions to
the course of the FREE Press for rejecting
upon them officially, as they claim unjustly.
But what did McLemore? Why, he wrote
about a year ago a letter to the Blanco Star
Vindicator, which appeared in that paper,
denouncing all the county officials of Hays
county as set of rascals The letter was
signed 'La Perique," and was generally de-
nounced here, SO much 80 that, as will be
recollected, Capt. Ferg. Kyle felt himself
called upon to disclaim any sympathy with
said charge of 'La Perique," alias McLe-
more, and did so in letter to the FREE
PRESS of Sept 4, 1884.
Reader did not this indicate remarkable
material for majority of said county of
ficials to take up in few months and make
particular favorite of?
Then we have a special illustration in the
case of Sheriff Barber. In his original
trouble with the FREE PRESS, McLemore,
then connected with the Kyle News, took
the tax-list But some months afterwards
they fell out. The cause as we recollect
was this: McLemore was instrumental in
causing the sheriff to arrest man for some
alleged crime, who turned out to be entirely |
innocent, and threatened the sheriff with
suit for false imprisonment. Hence the
friends became enemies, and McLemore
came to US in our Office and urged us to re-
new the war against Barber, proposing to
cooperate with us, and suggesting that Mr..
w. T. Jackman, who had announced for
sheriff, would probably "come down" hand
somely in compensation for our joint labors
Of course we declined this fattering propo-
sition, and he left. We infer he subse-
quently made abject submission to Barber,
on the condition of being restored to favor.
Right here naturally comes in a most
striking illustration of consistency in an
other direction. When Barber assaulted us
with abuse and threats of personal violence
for discussing some of his official acts, all
the County Commissioners, including the
County Judge, emphatically condemned his
course; and yet, only few months after
wards, they united in the same proscriptive
course towards us, for the same cause!
Once more-wonderful consistency is re-
vealed in the county officials referred to
who are the more immediate representatives
of San Marcos. Lightfoot might be held
fairly excusable for accepting favors for
Kyle when rendered, while Schmitt and
Burleson, living at a distance from the
county-seat, could not be expected to have
SO much local pride in it. But that the rest
of the outfit should be found discriminating
against citizens and institutions of their own
home, in favor of stranger and an sdven-
turer, IS certainly remarkable, especially so
in view of his formerly avowed position
with respect to our town, bis declaration
that it is equivalent to hell, etc. Not
only so, but while we are assured
he has precious few friends among
the best people of Kyle, we believe it is
fact that he represents the influence there
which made so bitter a warfare on San
Marcos in order to a removal of the county
seat. Have our people any reason, in any
point of view, to favor such a person, or to
applaud the course of representatives of
theirs in loading him with fsvors?
But by FAR the gravest part Of our ar
raienment on the score Of consistency re-
mains to be made. The officials We have
referred to are prominent citizens, the CON-
especially presumed to be rep