San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-10-05
THE FORCE BILL.

Condition.
Special correspondent of the Globe Demo-
crat.
In THE BLACK BELT, Tex, Oct. 4.
The condition of the colore d man in
Texas does not call for force bill or
Northern Sympathy. 1t is better pol
iticslIy, physically, mentally and
morally than anywhere else north or
south of Mason and Dixon's line.
Democratic office holders in the State
Capitol at Austin the other day
"chipped in" to pay tho expenses of
the porter of the building as q dele
gate to the Repu blican State Conven-
ton. Gov. Hogg. in q recent speech,
Z ok occasion to refer with some sa-
isfaction to the fact that he had sue
ceeded in saving some black man
rom q lynching. A part of the plat.
form of Judge Nugent, the Populist
candidate for Governor, is that, as
rapidly as they can be trained for the
service, negro guards, attendants and
officers should take the place OF white
in all State institut ions set apart eX-
clusively for the negro race. Just
what Mr.. Clark, who heads the anti
Hogg ticket, proposes to do for the
colored voter has not been made clear
but the fact that he has already
strong negro support shows that he
has dark.skinned political friends.
The negro has voted In Texas, and
his vote has usually been counted. 1t
may count more than once in some
places at the coming election. Negro
support is being sought for In this
Texas campaign as it never was be.
fore in any part of the country. If
there Is any bulldozing, 1t will be in
the direction of impressing fOrcibly
upon the man and brother that IL Is
his imperative duty to exercise the
noblest right of American citizen.
ship.
The best federal office in the state
is held by negro. A Galveston COL
ored man amassed q fortune of $780,
600, built q mans ion In the most Sc
lect portion OF the city, and the only
thing about 1t that caused talk was
the fact that his wife wouldn't en-
ploy any but white servants. This all
happened on the Gulf. At the upper
end of the state, in Lamar County,
bordering on Red River. the largest
taxpayer on farm property two or
three years ago was q negro. When
he died his widow came into possess
sion of four plantations, q stock farm,
city property in Paris, the metropolis
of that region, q bank book and life
insurance.
Away out West, in the Pecos coun-
try, where q radiant sun shining
about 1854 days in the year makes all
man nf nraffu f,nnoh tho oon,a hna
is more than tradition that q negro
made over $500, 900 out of cattle aud
sheep In fifteen years. One of Hous-
ton g finest homes, surrounded by q
private park laid out by landscape
gardener, terraced, brilliant with
flowers and screened by sbrubbery,
was the creation of negro who be-
gan life as waiter and rose to place
and fortune of 100000 by shrewd
handling of real estate. The negro
| who minds bis business as q white
man minds his, is as likely to gain
competence and respect as the white
man in Texas. The negro who goes
into politics, gets drunk and picks
quarrels the same as the white man
does, is as likely to come to bad end
| as the white man is in Texas.
Without regard to race, color or
previous condition of servitude, living
comes easy in Texas. The negro takes
Saturday for q holiday and Sunday
for holy day, end has time enough
left for work. 1t is doubtful II three.
fourths of the negro population of the
State actually gives five days in the
week to labor. so far as the impartial
observer can see, there is justice in
the division of the magnificent school
fund between the children of the
races. But the state can afford to be
just in this respect. How many peo-
pie have any conception of this Texas
school fund? Included In the pros
vision for education are in round
figures 81, 100000 in interest bearing
bonds; 1000 000 in iDteresV bearing
land notes. rs, 000, 900 acres of land yet
unsold, and of this amount 10000
acres is leased at &c an acre. Besides
all this, which the State controls,
each county has received II 900 acres.
About one-fourth of the state
tax goes into the school fund, and
then there is q poll tax of 81 which
goes the same way Cash is acc Jmu-
lating faster than it can be spent, and
the DISPOSITION of the surplus is an
issue In state politics. To be sure,
one Populist orator Is saying in his
speeches that there are schC 81 houses
In Texas where you can sling q dog
through the cracks in summer and
where the children shiver in winter
with fires big enough to roast an OK.
But the Populists are given to
metaphor,