Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-06
IMMIGRATION.
Paper Read Before . Mass NE etipE of CHI
zsns of West and Vicinity.
WEST, TEX. March 81, 1888.
q the Editnr of the Gazette.

To the Editor OF the GazeIIe.
At Q mass-meeting Of the citizens OF
West and vicinity, the following psper
bearing on the present efforts OF the Texas
board to induce immigrants
to Texas, WAS read by J. B. Cook. The
citizens by 8 unanimous vote, requested
that the Fort Worth GAZETTE give 1t
place. The following is the paper:
Immigration can be reciprocally benefcisl to
imu igrant and resident only when The ote
needs home and the other desires neigA Dor.
GENTLRMxN-In the daily Examiner ef
March 81, the editor reviews and COM
ments upon the West mass-meeting, held
for the purpcs es set forth in number
of resolutions, which wsIe published In
several Of our state papers.
His review, alternately caustlc and
complaissnt, is IS remarkable for blum
deripg self refutation as for undeserved
vituperation.
Alter coolly informing the reading pub
lie that our resolutions were al almost
exact repe ition Of the resolutions passed
by the Dallas convention, he patronizing-
ly tells Us, as erring children, that We are
ignorant Of the plans and purposes OF the
state immigration committee.
The gentleman, having put us straight
in this little matter, suddenly reco lscts
what he had apparent y lost sight OF De-
fore, viz: His high station as champion
of personal liberty aud defender OF nstur-
al rights; then, assuming that the cltZ9ns
OF West have tresspsssed upon the rights
of mankind, he takes upon blm5e1 the
character of execu;ioner and lsys US ell
out with, "Here lies the corpse OF
chear, clap-trap, knoT-nothiDg move
ment."
Having done US up IN this fashion, he
drops his fasces, mounts upon q rostrum
of the slain enemies of personal liberty,
and delivers stirring Alamo oration;
says that immigration persisted in the
Alamo, were msssacred at Goliat, and
won glorious victory at San Jacinto.
Since we come to think of the matter,
1t occurs to US that immigrants met 5
Runnymede, convened at Philadelphia,
fought brayely at Braudywine, were
butchered at Wyoming, and won great
victory at Yorktown. In fact, the only
country ever peopled or lost Without the
Intervention CT immigrants WAS. so far as
we know, Z len.
1t may not be out OF place to stop at
this point and ask why we are stigma
tiled as body Of chesp clap trap. know
nothings, if our resolutions were almost
in exact accord with the resolutions OF
the Dallas stare convention; and why it
is that we are classed with those who
would do ipjus Ice to the efforts Of en-
terprisirg men, working in behalf OF
Texas prosperity, il the sentiments ex-
pressed at our mass meeting were but
the reiterstion of the sentiments Of the
Dallss stste bosrdt
Returning to the subject, We recogniz:
that uninhaoited countries must be set.
tied, il settled at ell, by those who from
choice or necessity leave the familisr
haunts of men, penetrate the wilderness,
subdue the forests, erect houses, ploW
the virgin soil, and substitute for desc
late W, stes busy homes, happy vlllages,
thrifty towns and model govern
ments. UGless we give ere
dence to the story of Cadmus
and the Spartans, we recognize further
| that new countries are always paopled
from the old. We are fully aware inst
Texas was once the home of wild beasts
and wilder mer, that fierce cord.ct
must needs be wsged before our fair
state could BE- msde the home OF a thrifty,
contented Anglo Saxon population We
also know that immigrants bear the
brunt OF the cortl ct, endured the miser-
| les Of privation, suffered the horrors OF
Mexican ard Indian cruelty, were toma-
hawked and scalped, bsyoaeted and
butchered, and We rejoice to Know that
! immigrants shared ID the fruits OF de-
oislve victory. While we know all this,
we believe that the heroes VINO acquitted
themselves so nobly on the San Jacinto
rive, not only ovsrcame Mexican tyranr
but conquered the right to transmit &c
their posterlty heritage which should
ever be cherished and protected frrH
ruthless change whether by armed lLva
sion or from horde Of unorganlZed anc
and unorganizsbfe adventurers.
1t is our solemn conviction that should
the present immigration scheme
succeed, Texas civilization would suffer
that the cherished memories left u
BY our fathers would be slighted
that our traditions, our hopes and aspira
tions, lightly esteemed, would be troddel
uuder foot, and the current OF Gu
national ideas be made to flow In othe
and perhaps dangerous cham els.
We repeat that Texas is still open t
the honest ard Industrious CT wnateVe
cline or country, VINO voluntarily zee
homes IN our midst; but we do protes
most earnestly against persusding an
and every body 10 come, begging them t
COM hiring them to come, lest, havip
! come in overwhelming mum 0els, the
overthrow our Institutions, divert Ii
current OF our national life, and subyel
the prlr ciples handed down TO US fror
our fathers.
We believe that the present immigra
I ton move is morally wrong. That selfis
aims underlie it; thst deception is one {
, its strongest features, and that speculs
| tions are it's staunchest supporters.
While we are willing TO share with In
migrants wh6tever bounties Texas ms
fairly claim, and extend to them what
!, ever Inequalities strangers may reason
ably expect, we are unwilling
sir with folded hands and witne:
, the enactment of second "Californi
L craze" While we look with amszemel
. upon the conduc. of many Of the new:
papers of our state that denounce tn
schemers of the Pacific slope, we are III
willing to join with them in a com oine
, effort to shift the scene of folly. II Il
| roetIess disseminated of all lands ar