Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-11-04
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PASSING OF TEXAS RANGERS
Wonderful Work They Have Done
In Their War Against Crime
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against the rangers. The abolish
ment of that military branch of the
state government is being urged by
many people. o. B. Colquit, the
Democratic nominee for governor
believes the time has come when the
services of the rangers should be dis
pensed with. The matter OF repeal
ing the law by which the ranger or
ganization was created forty-four years
ago will come before the legislature
which meets in January.
The ranger service was established
primarily for the purpose of frontier
protection. Texas no longer has
frontier. The ragged edges of clvlll-
zation no longer exist along the kio
Grande border, nor in the vast plains
country of western Texas. The con-
quest of what was formerly a noto-
riously turbulent region, infested with
various and divers bands of outlaws.
has been accomplished largely by the
exercise of uneXcelled bravery en-
durance and expert craftsmanship on
the mart of the brave bands of men
who comprise the ranger organization.
They have wiped the frontier, as II
was once known. off the map or Tex
as AS a direct result of these years
of faithful labor modern civilization
has advanced until it now eXtends 10
the utmost bounds of the state.
The Texas rangers are the real gun
fighting men of the world. They hau
that distinction in the old days, ana
II still belongs to them. Their meth
DDS of operation today are different
but the little army of men now in the
states service are just as brave ana as
expert in the use of rifle and pistol
as in the time when their chief occu-
patton was fighting bands Of depre-
dating Indians or running down the
bandits of the border.
Sentimentality and a pride in the
MANY wonderful deeds of valor OF the
rangers may defeat the present move
ment for their disarmament. The as
sertion is made by the supporters OF
the plan to do away with the rangers
that their services are no longer nee
essary. that they are now used cmeuy
IN perform duties that properly pc
long to the peace officers of the dl1-
ferent counties. such as enforcing the
local option law, the law against
gaming and in preventing MOP Vio-
Ience In answer 10 this it is stated
that the rangers are necessary be-
cause they can be sent by the govern
or at any time and to any place in the
state where the county peace olilceIs'
on account of local conditions or IN
f1uences, or through a spirit of indlt-
ference. are known to be lax IN en-
forcing the law.
The Texas rangers are the most
picturesque set of legalized tghtlhg
men in this country. They have no
counterpart in the world Only forty
in number, they are equal to almost
any emergency that may arise wheh
it comes to putting to a test real
fighting qualities The presence OF
one ranger upon a scene of disorder
and threatened lawlessness is usually
sufficient to quickly restore peace ana
uphold the dignity of the law. The
ranger is there to do his duty. He
does il fearlesSly. If he mas any
thought of personal danger he does
not show it.
The rangers are picked men, every
one of them. They must be proved
experts in Workmanship and at nome
in the saddle: they must be OF good
moral character. which means that
they do not drink or gamble. When
a vacancy in a company occurs the
captain selects the man to fill II.
Il can look into mans eyes ana
tell whether he has got the right KIND
of stuff in him to make a good rang
er." Captain w. J. CBiLl) McDonadu'
who saw many years in the service
said the other day. Il never made
mistake in picking my men.
Most of the rangers were former
cowboys. When a man leaves the
ranger service he usually either goes
back to the ranch or takes position
as peace officer in some county or
city.
The mistaken idea prevails in some
quarters that the rangers are reck-
less, rowdy set of men. quite the
contrary is true. Many of them ar"
church members. Captain John X.
Hughes. who has been a ranger TOT
thirty years. is a great Sunday school
worker. A few months ago he was
ordered from his station at Isleta,
little town on the upper Rio Grande
border. to Amarillo, TO suppress the
bootlegging that was going on in that
part of the Panhandle region. he
was Superintendent of the Sunday
school as Ysleta. and the children OF
the town made a vigorous protest TO
the governor against his headquarters
being removed from there.
A few years ago Captain Mcdonald
shot and killed four MeXicans who
were firing upon him from ambush
in a remote locality of the lower Rio
Captain Mcdonald was back in
Brownsville and occupied front seat
in one of the churches at morning
and evening services.
The very existence of the ranger
organization has a wonderful inilu-
ence for good upon the lower class
of MeXicanS on both sides of the Rio
Grande. Even the more intelligent
class of MeXicans have Il great respect
for the fighting qualities of the rang
erS.
IF it was not for the Texas Rang
ers Mexico could whip the United
States" is a remark that Americans
have often heard in that country.
The official reports of tn" adJu-
tant generals department of Texas
show that during the period from 1870
to 1884 Indians and MeXicans thieves
stole 3O.S3S head of cattle, S.I%l
horses and 2.436 sheep. The ma
rauders killed hundreds of citizens.
burned many homes and destroyed a
vast amount of property.
The committee on foreign AFFAIRS
of congress made an investigation and
report on the Rio Grande border in
1876. saying in part:
The cattle raids from the state OF
Tamaulipas. Mexico, into Texas com
menced with what is knOyn as the
Cortna war in 1859 and 1860. This
was a most remarkable occurrence
one without parallel i'm our history.
4 single lawleSs ranchcro. with a
band of friends, captured town ot
nearly 5000 inhabitants. and not only
defying. but defeating the forces OF
the state of Texas and then carrying
on a war against the combined forces