The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-18

Die as much as did the little bird that nestled in his bosom, so he took up his pen and wrote that matchless hymn:
 Jesus, lover of my soul.
 Let me to Thy bosom fiy,
 While the waves of trouble roll,
 While the tempest still is high.''
 There is religion, statesmanship and good government in tolerance. The world has learned this lesson from men like Penn. Williams and Wesley. They were teachers and preachers, who led men with the sweetness and char ity of thir religion--restraining them. selves, they did not believe in forcing or driving others. Their teachings were by precept and example--not by force in statutes or force of arms. Two of them established constitutions with tho right of local self-government fully guaranteed to each community and set- tiement. They all taught the free agency of man and his personal re- sponsibility. They abhorred strife ond bitterness and persecution.
 Tn the beauty of the lilies Christ was
 born across the sea.
 As He died to make men holy, let us
 die to make men free.'
 'It was this spirit that actuated these men; that spirit of love, the spir- 1t of sacrifice, the spirit of charity: freedom Of political action; freedom of conscience and religious belief. and as they had felt the oppression re- sultin8 therefrom, they aid not believe in union of Church and State. Never but once, thattI recall, did Christ use force, although he had infinite power, and that was when hc drove the money changers from the temple be- cause they defiled it. Il have adverted to these great men for the purpose of pointf~S to the lesson We learn from their history. Two of them were found CTS of great churches, and all three of them apostles of temperance, of indi- vidual liberty and of local self-govern- ment.
 "If the rules of the church and it's disciplinary regulations are insufficient to destroy the taste or the appctite how can we expect to accomplish more by statute? And if law is to be ap- pealed to. is 1t not far better to apply the doctrine of home rule under the statute? With all the authority vested in himself. under the form of local self government. to Invoke law in con- Junction with majority of the people of his county, and adopt and enforce iA why should not an advocate of such a law be content to let the people of oth- CT counties exercise the same option in cases where the tastes and customs Of the people are different? Our consti- tuition provides now for the local option method of dealing with many problems, including such matters as taxation for school purposes, stock laws and the liquor question. I know that majori- ties control governments, but constitu- tions are made for the preservation of the rights of individuals, in person and in property. And the best way to re- sist unjust or obnoxious laws Is to de- feat their enactment. by the election of members of the Legislature who will oppose their passage.
 As to Criticisms.
 Some extreme and radical persons have been disposed to oriticise our Ger American citizens for not observ- ing all the laws. But these critical persons, If their conduct was closely examined. may be found to violate oth- CTS. For instance, they might charge more than lawful rate onfmoney at in- terest; others may default entirely in the payment of honest debts, or take advantage of their brethren in a trade and in various other things worse in reality than what he would accuse you of. Is he in a position to eradicate your IaultS uuIIt ne uiHlseiI IS Cledleu of his? As whole, with very good knowledge of the people of the State. I know of no element in our citizenship who obey and uphold the law better than the German-American.
 From Attorney Generals Report.
 T have had prepared a statement from the last report of the Attorney General. showing by comparison the number of trials in felony cases and r1t lad aoa fnr a by the report-two years. In this com parison I used Austin. Comal. Dewitt, Fayette, Guadalupe. Gillespie and La vaca Counties, all having large Ger man. American populations. Irf some of these counties the negro population Is considerable and in others there are many Mexicans. but the Attorney Gen erals report does not separate the cases so as to show the number of fel- 0nies and misdemeanors committed by these classes. In comparison l have used Delta, Hopkins, Hunt Kaufman, Lamar. Rains and Rockwall--two East Texas counties and five black land counties-and the colored population in all of them is comparatively small. The Attorney Generals report shows the number of cases by information and by indictment and the cases not tried are shown as dismissed or nolle pressed. The figures show that in the German American counties named of the felony cases tried there was 0ne to each 992 of population, according to the census of 1900, and in the black land and East Texas counties named the average is one felony to each 976 of population, In the matter of nlisdemeanors, the seven German American counties show one to each 343 population. The report shows the County Courts of Comal and Gillespie counties have no criminal Ju- risdiction and no misdemeanors for those two counties are reported. The average for the black land and East Texas counties named is one misde- meanor for each TIA of population. The percentage of convictions in Austin County in felony cases is S5.7l, and of acuuittals, 14.20. The highest per cent age of convictions in felony cases in any of the black land or East Texas counties named Is S3,07 and 1898 of &C., auittals. In misdemeanor cases the highest per centage of convictions In the German American counties named Is 99.55 to 4.45 per cent of acquittals; the highest average of misdemeanor convictions in any of the black land or East Texas counties named, is 93.1S, in Rockwell County, to 6.S2 per cent of acquittals. The seven black land and East Texas counties arc now and have been during the two years covered by the Attorney Generals report. under the operation of the prohibition law. while none of the German-American counties are or have sbeen. The record and comparison abundantly show you to be a law-abiding and law-enforcing people"
 Use of state Police Faree.
 "There seems to be In Texas some t.Fs a