The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-03-23

CHE a public servant is unquestion-
ed he is your servant, and must
render to You an account of his
stewardship. But you are false to
free institutions if you assault him
without justification. You owe it to
every sacred interest to be sure you
are right before you go ahead.
Comes the question once more
Where rests the responsibility for
these inharmonious relations?
From the day of his election to
this good hour, Mr.. Bailey has as
saulted Attorney General Davidson.
He has publicly called Davidson
fool and has declared he must be
driven from public life That is hoist
ing the black flag and challenging
every man who is not willing to
hamper and to destroy a faithful,
honest and efficient public servant.
In pursuance of this plan to de-
stroy Davidson and to dominate the
politics of Texas, Mr.. Bailey, despite
his own declaration that officehold-
ers should not go as delegates to the
conventions, announces himself as a
candidate for legateat-large to
Denver. Was this the right thing to
do? Was it not the one thing calcu
lated at this time to provoke to dis
cord and to bitterness? With five
years yet to serve in the senate, why
could not Mr.. Bailey have given
himself solely to the performance OF
his official duties, in the full knowl
edge that the people would Judge
him finally on his record? Why come
on the scene at this time to stir up
strife?
The trouble with our junior sena-
tor-and we say this in all kindness
is that he makes himself, or at
least wishes to do so, the test of all
ing this when Mr.. Cleveland was in
the presidential office; he was con-
stantly denouncing the democratic
administration. We find him doing
this when Mr. Bryan was nominated
SO distasteful was the Nebraskan to
Mr. Bailey that he sent his constit-
uents word to find them another man
to represent them in congress- We
find him doing this when he made
contemptuous allusion to Senator
Culberson; when he referred to Gov
ernor Campbell as he would to his
coachman when he called Attorney
General Davidson that fool law
yer" and when he denounced as
thieves the men who would not vio
late their consciences by giving him
a vote of confidence after he had
been elected to the senate.
The esteemed Post is invited to
look at the situation from the stand
point of those of us who cheerfully
voted for MIR. Bailey in the primaries
and who now find ourselves his OPP
ponents; Cone Johnson, for instance.
III ito l0out vi [tllll ~, IbVp 1893
than two years ago-here is what
the esteemed Post had to say con-
corning Mr.. Johnson;
THE address of the Hon. Cone
Johnson of Tyler at the Houston
Auditorium Sunday afternoon was
an event of much interest and signi-
ficance. 1t is seldom that a speaker
is favored With such an audience as
gather I'd to hear him. Mr.. Johnson
has been fot ntany years one of the
foremost citizens of Texas. His
splendid intellectually MS learning,
his forensic powers, as great ability
as a lawyer, HIS anpIe comprehen-
sion of great political principles and
his standing as a man of sound char
acter, all combine to make him a
dominating persont lily. During the
memorable prohibition campaign in
1887, he spoke against the amend !
ment in a debate with Joseph W
Bailey and years after Bailey greet
ed him in Washington and admitted !
to a group of friends that of all the
debates in which he had engaged he
suffered his worst defeat in his en-
counter with Cone Johnson.
We mention this incident mere |
ly % throw a sidelight on Johnson's I
splendid intellectual equipment, for |
the testimony came from man ac- |
claimed by thousands of people in |
this country as the greatest debater
of the time.
1T was, therefore, an unusual |
event when such an audience assem- !
bled on Sunday to hear such man /
bear witness to the saving power of |
the religion of Christ. The address |
was fun of the charm of Johnson's !
eloquence, it was rife with logic, fer |
vent in spirit, graceful in diction |
and impressive. as plea for right |
eouSness.
We shall not undertake to meas |
ure the influence of such man, /
but all who heard him will agree !
that it must be far-reaching. Such |
testimony from a man of strong /
character is bound to exercise a /
strong influence in any community, |
and the people of Houston who !