The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-03-26
MENTAL CoNsTIPATION IN CoUN-


the City Council meeting FRIDAY, may
haYe been relatively useful, but as a
plan for catching villains, rapists and
assassins, it was mere child's work.
These outrages have been disgracing
Austin for some time, and until THE
STATESMAN Of Friday morning ar I
Ranged inefficient city government
for its lack of duty, in words calcula-
ted to arouse public Indignation, not
one thing was done. The city gov
eminent hal been going on in its
old way, taking no notice
of the terrible period of anarchy
reigning in our midst. The murder
ed servant girls blood shed,in Deem
Der last, elected no notice; nor did the
attempted murder of the two servant
girls, on Wednesday night, apparently
arouse any feeling of resentment and
watchfulneSs on the part of this gov
eminent. Thursday passed, amt not
one thing was done. We had waited
! patiently for vigilance and vengeance
/ to be made the watch-Words,
| but the blood of Innocent
people aroused no decided action,
and on Friday morning, forbearance
ceasing to be a virtue, We held the
city government up in its proper
light, told how a special detective
force, secretly put to work ten days
before, could have brought the brutes.
that nave been proving about our
streets and private yards and break
ing into dwellings to justice. Then
there was great parade begun.
Mayor and aldermen went rushing
around, talking about what they were
going to do. a bare quorum of the
City Council did really convene, and
with great noise the meeting was
held, its results made public in all the
streets and by-Ways before night, and
every lawless character in Austin was
notified that special force was going
to prepare to watch and catch him.
OF course, there will not now be any
body prowling around to be watched,
and necessarily nobody will be ar
rested or killed, unless it be some limo.
cent man who is not thinking of do
Iing evil. Such conduct is contemptf-
bly, foolish, and the money expended in
thus employing special policemen is
going to be lost, wasted without doing
any good. We do not pretend to say
the policemen, regular and special
will not do their full duty; we do moi
pretend to say that the regular police
men of the city would not die in de-
tense of our people and their homes
: but they see the absurdity of the
present noisy move. One Of then
said to representative of TIL
STATESMAN, after midnight last nigh
on his rounds, that it was going to b.
out of the question for them tt
, catch any of the Villains unde
9 existing circumstances. Of cours,
: they are going to watch with all vigi
lance, but the wretches who have beer
outraging public decency are hit
g away; their weapons of death are lai
e aside now, and they will not be hear
: OF again until the constabulary fore
change into its normal condition-on
+ OF inefficiency, because of weak
9 ness. This strong, temporary, specia
n force, at this stage OF the case, il
: absurd in the extreme. 1t will be abl
to do nothing creditable to itself, be
cause, before being put into service
; wide mouthed notice was given th
scoundrels that they must be on thei
guard. Had twenty, or even ter
sharp detectives been secretly put t
work, two weeks ago, it is reasoable t
/, suppose, that by this Tina some of tn
: lawless Williams, who have tel
=. roriz5d the city, would hav
n been in the bone yard, an
others would have been learned les
O son not soon TO be forgotten. AS it i;
o the government SPILLED the town." a
9 to the vigilance that was to be OF
served. The proposition does not ap
pear to be to catch the murderou
scoundrels, but to deceive the peopl
into the idea that master defens
- is being inaugurated. The time t
u act was allowed to pass, and the
y what was at the very last hour dc
Il ciGed upon is farce as far as dete,
. ton is concerned. VIII not the goo
men pray to-day for popular deliver
e anee, not only from sin, but from thi
d intellectual constipation, from whic
5, public deliOerative bodies are wastin
= away into state of utter mora
= emaciation.