Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-10-07
AT THE STATE CAPITAL.
Governor Ross Talks About the Fair.
San AntonlO's Indifference.
Austin Awakening from Her Rip Van Winkle'
ism-The Status Of Crime throughout
the state-The Treasurer Busy.
GOVERNOR ROSS INTERVIEWED l..
ecial correspondence 70 the Gazette.

| GOVERNOR ROSS INTERVIEWED.
special Correspondence to the Gazette.
AUSTIN, TEX. Oct. 4.-On his return
from San Antonio, Governor Ross was
interviewed concerning his trip to South
eastern Texas. but, like the boy the calf
ran over, he had but little to say.
al scarcely heard politics mentioned, -
said he, "on my trip. Everybody at
San Antonio seemed to be occupied with
thoughts OF the fair, and had nothing to
say of politics.
Chow is the fair, governor?"
"Quite good. I was surprised by the
| display of stock and other things, which
| was really creditabla to the manage
| meut. 1t was not as extensive perhaps
| nor as elaborate as the display at the
| Dallas fair, but still was very good in-
| deed. Another thing that surprised me
| very much was the remarkable indiffsr-
! ence OF the people there TO the attrac-
tions of the fair. They seemed to know,
| or at least TO care, nothing about it, and
| If so many of them were not looking after
| their own affairs and making hay while
| the sun shons, one would naturally infer
| that they felt no interest whatever in 1t .
| 1t is not creditabe TO people to have it
said of them that they lack the public
| spirit to second the efforts of enterpris-
| ing leaders who are striving to give their
| town reputation and q character that
| she can be proud of. 1t should be said
| however, hat the fair ground is four or
| five miles from town, and that may
| partly account for the niggardly attend
anoe of natives. Then, too, some object
that it is money making arrangement,
and other idle and frivolous talk is heard
! against IT.
"why did the proposition to buy the
waterworks fail, governor?''
"Because the people thought So ,000,-
| 600 were more than they were worth. Be-
| sides, Breckenridge is q rich man, and
Jas such has @ number of enemies who
worked upon the preiudices of the masses
in Il way to defeat what they called a
| scheme to plumber the city, which 1t was
not
AUSTIN S AWAKENING.
The failure of the San Antonians to
vote the purchase of the waterworks was
not hailed with Rladness in Austin. In
fact il was n trifle disappointing, as Mr..
Breckenridge, the owner of the San An
tonic weterworks, was expected. in the
event of his selling out to San Antonio,
to interest himself heavily in the Austin
dam project, and perhaps take up his
residence here, where more men of pluck
and capital are greatly needed. Those
who are pushing the dam assure me,
however, that it makes no sort of differ
ence, as a number of good bids for the
bonds have already been received, and
that they will be sold on the 18th. They
also say that n score of contractors have
put in bids for the building of the dam,
and that the work will be given out as
soon as the bonds are sold. This is how
the men talk who are engineering the
matter and who ought TO know; but 9TH
ers can be heard who talk differently,
and say that the bonds won't sell, etc.
The progressive men OF Austin feel
that il the town is ever to amount to
anything, is ever to get out of the old
ruts, it must cease to depend for sus-
tenanoe on government pap. The nurs-
ing bottle must be put aside and the old
town made to rustic for living. A life
of dependence on Official salaries and
\ plckinCs of various sorts has deadened
the commercial spirit and paralyzed en-
terprise. For that very reason Austin
has lost number of active and public
spirited citizens, who, finding little or
no opportunity here for the exercise of
their talents and energy, have gone
elsewhere. Fort Worth has caught
goodly number of them, and reekons
them among the most progressive of her
business men. OF course her gain in
this respect is Austin g loss. Well, to
put en- end to ali that, to keep her native
talent at home, and invite more from
abroad, a few men have resolved to
carry out the project of damming the
Colorado and furnishing system of
water power second to none in the Union.
They feel that something must be done,
= thsstStbings can no longer stay as they
Bfe, that there must be progress, that
stagnation means damnstion and utter
dependencies very humiliating situa-
ton TO them. The people as a body
share these feelings, and therefore have
a good deal of anxiety as the day ap-
proaches for the sale of the bonds.
CRIME DECREASING RAPIDLY.
Up to date Governor Ross has received
replies from 1876 county judges who de-
clare under oath aud official seal that
there has been q reduction in crime in
the state in the past four years amount
ing to 10 per cent. OF course there are
localities in which this is not true, aIU2q
places in which there has been no reduc-
ton; but analysed, the replies received
show general average reduction of 40
per cent. in the time mentioned. This
is a most important matter, and more
than anything else proves the march of
progress and respect for law and order in
the state. II shows that Texas is rapidly |
redeemiug tho wild and woolly character |
which she has sported go long, and that |
she is determined TO put down the law
less spirit that has ever been so ready to |
invoke the bowie-knife and the six |
shooter. The spirit is not yet dead-in- |
deed in what state or territory Is il dead? |
but it is being minimized in this state, |
and rapidly, too, us the records show.
Outsiders who have hitherto held such |
extravagant and absurd notions about |,
the guerilla character OF frontier life ipsf
Texas should know these things.
In the past four years only three ITe53
prieves have been granted by the Cow
ernor in capital cases. The policy ASs
been TO hang the culprit whenever thsq'
judge and jury found him worthy of kEe u
death penalty. The deviation from khNi
policy has been only in cases where
|