The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-05-13
CHARGES REFUTED.

In his effort to assal Col. SWANS record
on the capitol building question, Gen.
Ross has all unconsciously put his foot
into it, and the blow that was intended
for Swain has squarely hit two governors
of Texas.
In commanding military tones, the gen
eral demands that Col. Swain explain to
the people "why the three million acres of
capitol lands were disposed of in a solid
body to an alien corporation at a valua
ton of fifty cents an acre, thus
permitting it to be locked up for all
time to the exclusion of the actual
settler, against the settled policy of the
state since annexation" Will Governor
o. NJ. Roberts please rise and answer
General Ross; for it was the old Alcalde as
president of the capital board, before
Col. Swain was a member, who let the
capitol contract for the three million
acres of apitol lands, when the legisla-
ture of which Col. Swain was a member,
had left it with that capitol board under
the law eitker to sell the lands and build
the capitol with the proceeds or to give
the lands in exchange for the construction
of the capitol. If the STATESMAN is in
error it would be pleased to hear from
Governor Roberts.
Again General Ross charges Col. Swain
with being responsible for the use of CON
vict labor on the capitol job. 1t is true
that Col. Swain, as comptroller, is a mem
Der of Governor Ireland's administration,
but then he is not entitled to the comnen-
dation or criticism resulting from his
excellencys acts, as will be seen from the
following which appeared in an interview
with Col. Swain in the press of the state
last July
"What about convict labor ?"
Col. Swain "The governor made pro-
position to furnish the contractor with
1000 convcts at the cost of maintenance.
did not agree with the governor in this.
and for two reasons First, think it is at
least stretch of the law, because, as l
understand, the statute forbids the use of
convict labor on the public buildings of
the state; and, secord, l am opposed,
most unqualifiedly, to convicts being
worked in competition with honest labor"
There is no use for Gen. Ross to at
tempt to make political capital against
Col. Swain on the latter's record in regard
to the new state capitol building. The
magnificent proportions of this grand
structure are growing daily, and its
massive and imposing style of
architecture is the admiration not only
of every Texan who visits Austin, but of
strangers from every section of the
country, who declare that in its unity of
design and symmetry of proportion it
will surpass the national capitol building
at Washington, which has cost upwards
of forty million dollars. By the wise
management of the capitol board, our
Texas capitol will be built for the three
million acres of land without the posi-
bility of any extra additional cost. and it
will be completed and ready for occu-
pancy, beyond the shadow of doubt, on
the first day of January, 1890, little over
three years from now. While, if the policy
that General Ross advocates had been
pursued, the building would not have
been completed for twenty-five years, and
would have cost the state millions of
money wruug from the hard earnings of
the taxpayers.