Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-09-20
GOV. HOGG'S REPLY IN FULL
WHAT HE WROTE TO THE ANTI
LYNCH ENTHUSIASTS.
The Governor Reasons with Them
and Gives Texas splendid Adj
vertisement-rhe Text of His IN
tcrestinE and Effective Letter.

tiloI hubb . itpiy " thiso Daihaiiut,
the English lady who wrote him on
the subject Of southern lynchirgs:
Miss Florence Balgarnie, Secretary
Anti-Lynclhngs Committee. London.
j.. G., England;
Executive Office, Austin, Tex, U. S.
A., Sept. l5-Miss Balgarnie; am very
much obliged to You for your cou.te-
Gus but delayed favor of the 18th ultl-
mo, In which you express very laudible
sentiments against the barbarous crime
Of lynching, and kindly enclose TO me
an extract each from the Telegram, the
Times. the Echo ana the Chronicle
newspapers published in Londoh--pur-
porting to give an account of the MUIR
der of three negroes-a woman and two
men--by lynchers near this city last
month.
That this report, published through
mediums Of such great responsibility
and extensive circulation, has created
intense bitter feeling among the hui
name people of Europe against our
state is but reasonably natural. No
person can read It without n sense Of
shame and repulsion. Perhaps nothing
l could say would In the leas. change
this feeling which, by this time, must
have settled Into prejudice. Truth can
when 1t once assumes malignant
form. There is no antidote for 1t but
time.
AS you express the hope that tine al
legged ertocity is unfounded." 1 feel that
possibly you are one upon whom the
facts truthfully stated may not be
wasted. Consequently. lay aside on
cial duties for the time 10 undertake
the experiment.
In the first place there was never n
lynching of woman and two men
anywhere or at any time In the history
of this state. II a woman of amy kind
was ever lynched IN this state 1 never
heard OF It. In the second place, there
have been only three persons killed by
hobs or lynchsrs in Texas within the
past eighteen months and they were
nlen-one white and twu black. In
each OF these lyncLings L have, as the
governor, taken prompt Wig 'ruus ac-
lion to have tho murderers apprsnend-
ed and punished, Should all the phil
Hnthroplsts in the world undertake the
Job, thcy could not do more than 1 have
done. At this time eleven of these
lynchers have been indicted by the
grand jury Several of them are in
lail: some OF them have fed the coun-
try, and the others have not been lden-
tlfed or connected with the crimes.
For the arrest and conviction Of each
and all of them have o@-red suitable
oubllc rewards, and have employed
able lawyers to prose suite those under
indictment. The nearest to the city Of
Austin that either of these tragedies
was committed was ever 100 miles, and
no two Of them occur red together or at
the same time or place. Tile murders
. or lynchlngs referred 10 by you never
happened In this state. The report is
false In toto; and its purpose can not
he honorable or iauddhle.
Texas is the largest, most populous
and the richest Southern state. We
have 100000 people. our territory en-
braces III 100000 acres OF land. We
have several hundred miles coast way
and 5000 miles OF railroads. Each year
we raise nearly 100000 bales of cotton,
and other farm products in proportion.
Last year the farm yield amounted in
value TO $4,000, 900. We have pub
lie free school fund consisting of sea-
100000 in money, bonds and other valid
all appropriated to the cause of edu-
cation. The state yearly taxes are only
% 10 cents OH the 500 worth of proper
~ Laws are wholesome, fair undis-
eliminating and are faithfully executed.
In all these and other blessings of our
state the negro takes part and receives
his share. He Is given separate public
schools, supported at public expense
on an equality with the whites; and the
state supports and efficiently maintains
n normal school for the education of
colored teachers, The deaf, dumb and
blind OF that race lave an excellent
institution supported at public expense
for their education and maintenance.
Many OF thu negroes have good homes.
others are rich, but most OF them are
day laborers without much IL any
property. Generally they are contented
and happy, as they have plenty to eat
and wear without the aid OF public of
private charity. Lazy negroes, like
lazy Englishmen, do not thrive. In
dustrious ones do Mean ones, like
mean Englishmen, get into trouble.
Good ones do not. This I believe is the
rule the world over, AS the governor
of this state 1 have done my duty in
suppressing lynchers of whites and
blacks. No man despises them more
than myself, nor can any person say
harder things about them, With all
this, l cannot undertake any further to
answer the false reports of "lynching
in Texas" no more than Englishmen
can counteract the falsehoods circu-
lated in America against their lnstltu-
lions, customs and habits. If reports
over here are true, Sodom and Co
morrah compared to London were as
n snowflake by the side OF the devils
fly blisters plastered over sinners souls
in hell. Intelligent people do not be-
lieve them; ignorant ones do. Less
acrlmony, more truth and better I'M
derstandlng Is what both sides need.
] trust we will have Il. Facts, truth
fully revealed, win demonstrate that
the negro Of the South is the least
abused, the most liked. and gets along
better and happier than the negro In
Europe. the negro OF the North. or else
where. The upright, honorable ones
thrive. The vicious, savage ones do
not This Is the truth. Investigation
will pi love 1t. Turn on the lights.
Respectfully ]. S. HOGG.
A DIVORCE SUIT