The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-03-03

the principles and policies represented
by his administration, and l will seek
the same high honor upon the princl-
pies l advocate. The advantage-if
advantage it be-that hold over him
is that his day for promises has
passed, and he must now be judged
by his performances; his public acts
are now on trial before you, fellow
citizens, and his past promises are
useful only for purposes of compari-
son. The day of undue passion and
excitement, Of angry prejudices
aroused, or harsh words spoken be
cause of intolerance Of opinion, of false
hopes excited by promises incapable
of 1ulfillment, have all passed, thank
God, never to return | hope
and we stand today amid a peaceful
atmosphere with the clear sunligh,
beaming upon us in full effulgence,
enabling us to search all places and
find the living truth.
That the condition Of Texas has
changed within the past two years,
and changed for the worse, no man
can deny. Her people are burdened
as they never were before; her ma
terial development is arrested; her
farmers in great measure are impov-
erished; her laborers are without en-
ployment; her commerce and business
is stagnant, and nearly two-thirds of
the state still awaits development.
Only two years ago your retiring eX-
ecutive congratulated the state in his
farewell message upon the flattering
measure of prosperity which then OBJ.
tanned with our people. Today blight
seems TO have settled upon us and
prosperity is a reminiscence. Our
lands, the
CHIEF BASIS OF OUR WEALTH
and our credit, by reason Of constant
attack upon our titles, are unsaleable
and unpledgable, and our banks only
are possessed of any money. The la
boring masses are crying aloud for
some relief, and even the accumua-
tons of the rich are taking wings and
flying away, We know not how, we
know not where. Money, which
moves the world, comes to us no more,
and the little we dig out Of the ground
leaves us as we reach out our hands to
grasp it. This condition of stagnati0u
comes with peculiar hardship upon
the poor. Usually wealth is not af-
tected by such depression; it is always
able to take care Of itself, and capital,
when unprotected or antagonized,
seems to possess wings with which it
can fly to other lands and there enable
its possesSOTs to revel in their accus-
tOTInn In ltIt
remain and starve, for they
have no other alternative. If it
be crime on the part of the govern.
ment to Cypress capital, how much
moro grievOus, how much more dam
nable is it when by means of such OPP
preston it lays its heavy hand on
labor, for labor cannot live without
employment, and stagnation means
for ii starvation.
Now it would be unjust TO charge
the whole responsibility for this con-
dition of affairs upon the present adj
ministTation in Texas. It comes from
several causes; from a scarcity of circu.
lation; from the robbery of tariff
which ruthlessly tramples us under
foot for the benefit of a favored few,
and deprives us of the power of MAX
ing exchanges of our products for the
products Of other countries who wish
to trade with us and buy of us; and il
comes also from an organized system
of robbery under various guidauces
by which, under the form of legisla.
ton, the functions of our government
have been perverted to the accom-
plishment of private ends and for pri-
vate gains. But the chief cause, go
far as Texas is concerned, is attribute
BILE