Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1910-05-12

late others For instance, they might
charge more than the lawful rate off
money at Interest; others may default
entirely In the payment of honest
debts, or take advantage of their breth-
rem In a trade aud in various Other.
things worse III reality than what he
would accuse you OF. ID he in po-
sition to eradicate your faults until
he himself is cleared of his?
AS a whole. with very good knowl-
edge of the people Of the State, know
Of no element In our citizenship who
obey and uphold the law better than
the German-American have had pre-
pared statement from the last re-
port OF the Attorney General, showing
by comparison the number of trials In
felony cases and misdemeanors, for the
period covered by the report-two
years. In this comparison used Aus
tin, Comal, Dewitt, Fayette, Guada-
lupe, Gillespie and Lavaca counties, all
having large German-American popu-
lations. In some of these counties the
negro population is considerable and
in others there are many Mexicans.
but the Attorney Generals report does
not separate the cases so as to show
the number of felonles and misdemean-
ors committed by these classes.
In comparison, 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 At
torney Generals report shows the num-
Der of cases by information" and by
inf - I'D
are shown as dismissed or nolle pros
sed. ISL
The figures show that in the Ger.
man-American counties named of the
felony cases tried there was one 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 misdemeanors, the
| seven German-American counties show
one to each S43 population. The re-
! port shows the county courts of Comal
\ and Gillespie counties have no Grim
/ inal Jurisdiction and no misdemeanors
for those two counties are reported.
The average for the black land and
East Texas counties named is one mis-
cerreanor for each 174 of population.
The percentage Of convictions in
Aas,,a codnlsSxln felony cases is S5.7l
and Of acquitAls of 1929. The highest
percentage o1convictions in felony
cases in any ~ the black land or East
Texas counties named is S3.07 and
1893 of 9cquitals. In misdemeanor
cases, the highest percentage of CON
victions in the German-American coun-
ties named Is 95.55 to 4.45 per cent Of
acquitals; the highest average of mis-
demeanor convictions in any of the
black land 81 East Texas counties
named is 93.f5>1n Rockwell county to
$50 per cent Of acquitals. The sew
en- black land and East Texas counties
are now and have been. during the two
years covered by the Attorney Gener-
ais report, under the operation of the
I prohibition law, while none of the Ger
man-American counties are or have
been. The record and comparison
abundantly shows you to be law-abid-
ing and law-enforcing people.
The State Police.
There seem to be in Texas some
Democrats who think there should be
a State police force at the beck and
call of the chief executive, which can
be sent by him into the various coun-
ties to ignore and usurp the authority
of the sheriff and other constituted
authorities.
The most hateful provision of the
law passed during Roosevelt's admin
4 lstration affecting the National Guard,
and one which was most severely de-
nounced and condemned by the lam
ented Jim Hogg, was that which au-
thorized the President to send the
militia of one State into another, ig-
noring the State authorities and the
State militia. This is one of the most
despotic powers ever conferred by law
upon the President, but 1t is no worse
than the misuse Of the State Rangers
in Texas.
a. 1t is all right to send the Rangers
and the militia when the sheriff or To-
cal authorities call for them, as pro-
vided In the Constitution, but to use
them in total disregard of the local
authorities. ndiscriminately, is new
departure under Democratic self-gov-
eminent, In a free State like Texas.
Suppose there should be strike or
other disturbance in Texas, which the
Governor might not care to take. a
hand In voluntarily, and the President
was to send the militia of Kansas
down here to take charge of the mat
ter, and ignore your own State officers
and militia, how would you like it?
i But would 1t be any worse than the
present practice of sending the Ran
gers into peaceable and law-abiding
communities as the personal" detec-
tives and police of the governor?
In the light OF events as they are
familiar to, the reading public of Tex
as. | leave the thinking people to an-
swer these questions for themselves
Some of the people will remember,
however, the hateful State police that