Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1921-05-05
Most Picturesque Body Of Fight
ing Men the World Has
Ever Known.
FOUGHT TWO WARS AT ONCE
Organization Dates Back to Time
When the Lone Star State Was
Separate RepubIic-Self-Reli-
ant, ResourcefuI and Brave.

Dallas.-Texas is the only state
which has the distinction, not to say
privilege, of working out it's own in
situations before becoming member
of the Union, writes w. P. Urbb Of
the history department of the Univer-
sity Of Texas in the Dallas News.
This fact has given Texans a singular
feeling of independence and has en-
shrined the states institutions with
peculiar interest for those within
and many without her borders. Her
flag, her presidents, her foreign am
bassadors, her army and navy, all have
come in for q share Of the song and
story, the history and tradition Of
the Lone Star republic.
OF all her institutions, however,
Texas has none which has attracted
more attention at home and abroad
than that organization of fighting
men known as Texas Rangers.
Just what is the Texas Ranger?
The question can be answered best
by finding out what he has been, dis
covering his origin, tracing his devel-
opment and examining his duties. The
exact date Of the origin Of the Rangers
is lost in the obscurity Of early Texas
history. Stephen f. Austin mentioned
them In his letters of 1923, nearly a
century ago; Bancroft ascribed their
beginning to 1888, but in this he was
clearly wrong, for the Rangers had
r0 mt ic%o l,,1< ha, II
acquired a legal status before that
time.
Rangers Date Back to 1885.
When Texas revolted, in 1885, a
general council met, and, as part Of
Its work, authorized the first Ranger
force. This organization was to con-
sist Of three companies Of 25 men
each, one to range east Of the Trinity,
one between the Trinity and Brazos
and the third between the Brazos and
the Colorado. The men were to serve
solely as protection against the In
dams, the remuneration being $1.25 a
day.
Thus was the Texas Ranger force
created in the midst of revolution, and
from that day to this it has existed
almost constantly in some form.
though under varying titles.
The first settlers from the United
States were introduced into Texas by
Stephen F. Austin during the latter
part Of 1921, now just one century
ago. Why did the Mexican govern
ment permit an alien race to come in!
There are several reasons we'll known
to the historian, and 1t is said that
one of them was the desire to place
some strong arm between the timorous
Mexicans, like those of San Antonio,
and the wild Indians. The Comanche's
horse might become too hard to hold
Quien sabe? However this may be,
an examination of the land grants
made to Americans will show that
their holdings tend to form tier ly-
ing roughly between the timber belt
and the prairie region. In short, the
Americans from the United States
were to serve as buffer between the
wild tribes and the interior settle,
ments, and on them was to devolve
the task Of conquest at which both
Spain and Mexico had failed.
Mexico Unable to Close the Door.
Once the door of Texas was open
the Americans pushed in with that
mighty surge which carried the Anglo.
American civilization from the Allan.
tic to the Pacific during the first hall
of the last century. Mexico, becom.
ing alarmed, undertook to close the
door, but it was too late. The Tex.
ans-for such the immigrants had be.
come-not only stood off the Indians
but turned on the Mexicans and wrest
I ed from them Texan independence in
1886, just Is years after they had en-
tered the state.
This done, however, they found
themselves in most precarious sit
uation. They were caught, as it were
between the jaws of a great wise