The Reformer (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 1, Ed. 1, Saturday, June 17, 1871 Page: 2 of 4
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THE REWORKS
WIH. B nIOOilB
JAS. B. CASSIDY
Editors.
SATURDAY JUNE 17 1871.
TERMS :
Subscription (Currency.)
Ono year in ndvance - - -
i 00
Six mouth
1 50
y Advertising Rates:
Ono squnro of eight JIncs 1 50; each
additional Jnsortfon 50 cpnts. Any nnmber
of lines less than eight charcd as a Fqunru
j52" Subscriptions mid advertisements
must bo npcompanied by tho c.isu
V. B. MOPRB & CO. .
Proprietors.
a '1 office: OAI'IXOI. nOTEL huilwinq.
J -U-. ElHBiHIIPBiMBBIIIILI I
PROSPECTUS.
b
Wo common co the Reformer with
a circulation of ono thousand with a
fair prospect of running tho subscrip-
tion list up to fivo thousand in a
"year as our friends throughout the
State have expressed a determination
: to raiso'clubs in almost overy county.
Tho city of Austin will bo largely
represented on our books and tho
merchants will find it profitable to
advertiso with us. Those who insert
their cards now will get tho discount
that.n limited circulation requires.
' OUR BOW
We lauuch forth our littlo bark on
tins sea whose waters as manners wc
have 'ridden before. Modest unpre-
tending ami oven plain as the
Reformer appears jit 'is nevertheless
thu emanation of over a year's deli-
beration and thought. It is under-
taken after all costs aro counted and
i t? success jissurod. As a Radical
upulieauoiinfaTihe (former will
"on all subjects have a policy to re-
commend but none to enforce against
tho will of tho people."
The Reformer will be no man's
organ 'but will be tho organ of tho
Republican party criticising impar-
tially public measures and public
men commending o that is good
and exposing all that is bad. Tho
names at tho "mast head'' is the only
guarantee Republicans ask thai the
' paper .shall bo a permanent and use-
Tul journal.
1 As circumstances permit tho paper
will bo enlarged and improved until
is. it is.afirst class newspaper.
Peace !h Texas.
?
"The late attempt to pass a law in
Cougress for tho 'protection of life
'!.' 's etc. at the South developed tho
-most startling state of lawlessness in
several of the States along tho At-
- .lanticiCoaBfc the "property holders"
'. being organized to forco tho poo.ror
- 4 poopleto recognizo their superiority
' 'by a Bystem of murder scourging
.. " and burning. The most bitter and
A. "O '
cruol attacks being inado against
schools 'and teachers. This .organised
Jayle'ssness is gradually working west.
;aad w- hero of it in Mississippi and
V Louisiana but until last week it had
not manifested itself in Texas. In
1 ' that week tho ruffians in Bastrop
f' 'county only thirty miles from the
State Capital 'disguised thomsolves
' and turned down the school house
took the teaolier and whipped him in
the "good old way' and gave him bo
many days to loayo. Thp system of
f (organizing uppvjiMwou a wroiauonai
; l government has been the Game in
every instance since the war viz :
jutimidate'the freed people and run
i iO fheNwhtto Republicans and bring
Democrate;into power Tho bowio
s' 'kuifd tand revolver has been dotno-
'3ff9)io'otoblcn inula; fraity tiraa im-
Jmefeal; they now add the. whip
" T1 flnfi-gSignnn pledge haa been
jnjJJPB'py SOjODPladivs in Germany
.iwm"-u"r
E'i'ontlcr Defence.
The force "composing tho frontier
defence of Texas provided by an act
of the Legislature has been ordered
disbanded and tho administiation is
thus foiced to admit tho plan a fail-
ure and the very expensive machine
ineffectual. Theie aro many reasons
why tho ginve responsibility of this
failtjro should not rest upon Gov.
Davis. Ho has sought to execute in
good faith all provisions of tho law
which efforts have been thwarted by
circumstances impossible to foresee.
The Governor had serious misgivings
U8 to the good to be accomplished by
a State faice which must be subser-
vient to a military force of the Gen-
eral Government which foice was
already hostile to a command whose
success would bo the iccord of its
own inefficiency. Thin alone would
havo discouraged a less determined
person. Then tho failure to obtain
reimbursements from Congress added
to tho weight of opposition met with
on all sides.
.There aio other issues in connec-
tion with this measiuo that arc
creating a deep feeling of distrust
and indignation that Gov. Davis and
the Republican party cannot nor
will not take the responsibility of.
Wc will mention but two at present.
Tho men who have abandoned their
families and homes and entered this
frontier seivico at the call of tieir
State .are in a more pitiable cdndition
than oyer tho remnants of the Con-
federate army were when fleeing before-
the march of the victorious
Union army in 1S65. Contiactors
and cormorants have boon flitting
from tho camps to Austin and have
been leaping rich harvests out of the
necessities of the men and State ;
mPnr Wlvn TVWl-JUllniIaaa- jr.art.l..j.
aie the landed proprietors of to-day
with their carriages and drivers to
roll them through tlio countrv.
Persons of this class who make a
virtue of ineffectual opposition to
subsidies aro using very cheap sand
to throw into tho eyes of the public
which will not blind it to the profits
they arc reaping whilo the families
of the soldiers are suffering for the
need of their pay.
The cry in tho Carolinas and
Georgia and other .Southern States
is that unprincipled adventurers
sought and obtained political pro-
ferment in the Republican party and
then robbed tho Stato(md mirinlioil
nw..'...i.... vt7-i:i i.
wiuiuaiuvcB. vjuiu uju iijufhus urCJff
struggling to provide necessities for
their families until tho political agir
tatpns of the times shall subside
and .allow our energies to bo used in
building up instead of tearing each
other down the chicken-pie gontle-
mon aro luxuriating in their ill-gotten
wealth. For these tho Republi-
can party is not responsible. When
wo were struggling to .elect our ticket
many of these men were not register-
ed voters of tho Stato whilo with
few exceptions tho remainder were
violently opposed to tho " Davis
ticket'' throughout tho Campaign.
'JL'ho othor point being molo
against tho administration is tho to-
tal destruction of tho State credit
before a bo.ud was put upon tho mar-
ket. Tho responsibility of this great
calamity must not be charged to tho
Governor ; neither can ho or tho
Republican party assume it and go
before the people with any prospect
of Buccess. The; . assaults against
other departments of tho State gov-
ernment is more cheap sand that
will not blind. This misfortune is
duo to the bungliug and impractical
courso of the. agent sent North to
effect certain financial negotiations
which in tliQ course of time wo will
demonstrate. . .
'.'Pi3 plaufc fsetivals" are J.l iho
rage m
T'
.apc2S
Kn'JUux Among iisMcn Barbarously
Whipped and School Houses Burned
Within ThirlyiMilca of (he Capital.
The ruvisiblclTCmpirc has at last
organized and gjt to work among us.
Mr. G. W. Ilanpa is an inoffensive
old gentleman sixty years of ago
who came into our State from
Louisiana some months ago to eke
out a living for tho few lemaiuing
yeais left to hint ere being gathered
homo to his fithojs. Up to the
night of Satin-Lay May 27th Mr.
II. was engaged! in teaching a school
on Mr. Tom Ilijl's place eight miles
from Bastrop ir the adjoining coun-
ty of Bastrop. ! About midnight of
that day the. little school house
built by tho uiiited energies of the
neighborhood in which Mr. II. was
teaching was seen to bloe out sud-
denly and in a fey minutes the
torch and kcrosine had douo its work.
Tho following Sunday was spent in
lamentations and plans for lobuild-
iflg for the people did not intend to
be stopped in tho work of educating
their children by such an act. The
day passed off and the family in
which Mr. Ilanna'was living had re-
tiied when late at night a loud rap
was given at tho door which was
opened by a moinbcr of the family
who saw three men standing thereat
and tho following dialogues ensued :
Visitor. Does Mr. llanna the
school teacher liv here ?
Host. Yes.
Visitor. We are membeis of Cap-
tain McNally's Stale Police and
come to take Mr. H. to Bastiop to
givo testimony in relation to the
burning of the School-house here
last night. Mr. Hauna being called
the. foregoing statement was repeat-
ed by the visitor and- Mr. llanna
resumed tho otjjvversation :
ivir. 11. tfontlemen tInsis;nrufF"
usual hour for olliceis of the law to
summons a witness can't I come up
in the morning ?
Visitor. The trial conies off at
an early hour and we are ordered to
have you there at daylight and 'you
must come with us now. Whose
horse is it hitched out here ?
Mr. 11. That horse belongs to
One of niy schojais who 'lives at a
distance.
Visitor. Well we must take that
we arc ordered to pi'ess any stock wn
need. Ilurry up.
'Finding remonstrance unavailing
Mr. H. dressed and mounting the
JJiorso
"pressed" for tho occasion
started off in tho diiection of Bas
trop. After riding a couple of miles
thieo or four mounted men dropped
into tho road some dihlance-in the
rear and followed silently. Shortly
two or three more fell in from the
brush and others dropped in from
timo to time until when they were
within threo miles of Bastrop tho
party was swolen to upwards of
thirty well armed and mounted mon.
At this point tho "Stato Policemen''
halted and turning to their prisoner
remarked "we have nothing to do
with McNally's Polico ; wo come
down .to givo you. a little discipline
and bolero we are done with you we
will make you wish every daiimed
nigger school was in hell." He was
Uien ordered to dismount and made
to take off his coat and shirt his
hands tied around a tree and the
punishment commenced. Tho whip-
ping was dono with a strap and
Jijlly five hundred strokes laid on
cutting Ins back from the shoulders
to the waist so that the finger could
not .be laid on it without touching
deep sores ; aa the end of the strap
would double around the body it
would (often strike tho outside of tho
thigh and whenever ifc so torched it
would lift 'a piece of .flesh ouf leay
iug at least a dozen holes resembling
glancing ballet b'aofe bj;as th.r.
untied and hrM? nrl bllm r
ho was his hand was held up and he
made to swear never to leach another
nigger as long 'as ho lived and then
oideied to leave the country. The
suffering man made his way to Bas-
tiop and exhibited his larcerated
pel sou to the Postmaslor District
Cleric and several others and told
them that one Sam Williams a
youth of twenty-one tho son of a
first famjly jiving on Alum Creek-
two mijes from Turner's store was
recognized as one of the party.
The tMo of the poor old man wop
creating too much notoriety bo Mr.
Tom IIjU takes him home and cares
for him and in a day or two a card
appeaw d in the Bastrop paper over
tho signature of Mr. Hnnnn which
tho sitrao terrorism had wrung from
him "exonerating tho citizens from
all blame."
New Converts.
It. is amusing no less than instruc-
tive to witness tho gravity and
seriousness of demeanor assumed by
the latest converts to republicanism
when they aio about to read some
life-long Radical out of tho Repub
lican party.
We admire the zeal qf these young
enthusiasts and do not wish under
any circumstances to curb them in
their patriotism. Remembering that
"a new broom sweeps clean" we
need not fear but what our old time
friends will be allowed to whirl into
tho party again in the eddy that
follows the' tornado created by these
radical zealots and will nt least
when voting time approaches be
overlooked and allowed in the camp.
A parly coming' suddenly into
power as the Republican party of
Texas has may be expected to oom-
jxu.tmn.uu i""""'"" - "" I V' i.tny.tl;-
will readily 'find excuses therefor.
The magnanimity ol the masses of
thepaityin acquiescing in the ex-
cesses of tho chicken-pie men has
beers misconstrued into submission
to their rule and they have assumed
to prescribe lines and limits for the
members of the party and havo
gravely assumed to read men out of
the party who have-not toed their
marie. ;
. i
1(Tho Republican party has not
been deceived by these cries of "stop
thieJV " The party understands clear-
ly that tho cry was riihed by the
chicken-pie men to cover their own
rascality. The Republican party is
not responsible for the few wretches
who have enrichud themselves at the
expense of tho State and whoever
advocates their causo must inevit
ably fail.
Now "for the bake of lnrmonv"
we advise'these disreputable charac-
ters' to slink back into tho dark corn-
eis until there is another carcass to
pick; -
True Republicans must not be
disheartened. The strength of the
party lies in its virtue and honesty
which alone can savo the party from
being destroyed.
Church and1 School Housk
Burkkd ix Hays Co. On Thuisday
May 25th the Methodist Church in
San Marcos Hays Co. was fired and
burned to the groundj the fire in the
building was seen by Dr. Wood be-
fore it had obtained much headway
but before ho could roach the build-
ing tho blase had spread to every
part of itr and tho whole building
became a solid sheet of fire in an
instants
Two nights after 'the above occur-
rence the colored school-house in
San Marcos was fired and one of the
trustees happening! to pass "at the
instant saw theblaze and smothered
it with his .horso blanket. Tbo fire
was kindled in a pile pf shavings
oarrud Lto th? buildirg for the pur-p-
- r tfr r Ia '" r ?T
Congressional Campaign.
Tho campaigu for Congressmen
which terminates with the election
in all four districts in October has
already developed some acrimony on
the part of aspirants and caused to
bo dtawu lines ntrjang friends that
will undoubtedly be effaced with the
termination of the contest and elec-
tion of delegates.
In the third and fourth districts
the most zealous aspirants are Clark
for the former and our Secretary of
State for the latter. Mr. Newcomb
was tho guest of tho Honorable
Congressman at Washington when
tho formor was seeking to negotiate
tho Frontier Bonds and the two
went to New York together whoio
thePiesident of the Southern Pa-
cific or Texas Pacific Railroad Mar-
shall O. Roberts through tho efforts
of these two gentlemen assisted in
obtaining ninety-four thousand dol-
lars for the administration upon hy-
pothecated bonds. Some weeks after
this thd two Congressional aspirants
when en route tor Texas called at a
newspaper office in New Orleans and
nominated each other for Congress.
On arriving at Austin these gentle-
mep developed a scheme which had
been planned with some skill evi-
dently at Gen. Clark's residence in
Washington to organize a Federal
ring in Texas with four Congress-
men at its head. At first glanco
this seems a joke but when we con-
sider that there are upwards of six
hundred Federal officers in the State
including Postmasteis Customs offi-
cers &c &a it would make a con-
froling influence hard to oppose pro-
viding all of them wore positivo
aggressive tools of the heads.
The Honorable Comrrosbrnan hav-
JDcJearued thcropeswliile at Wash-
ington was of course the head of
this formidable ring while Malloy in
the Second Morrison in the First'
and JSewcomb m the Fourth won hi
mako a trio of lieutenants difficult
to excel in energy and ability.
Fortunately the leader iir (ln
movement has no knowledge of hu-
man nature and believing thu peo-
ple could be drove .loft them out of
their schemes expecting Ilium to
quietly do the voting without asking
questions. Unfortunately for their
success when County Executive
Committees were arbitrarily created
without the party organizations of
tho counties being consulted and
when Union Leagues comprising fivo
hundred members wero wiped out
and others created tho "dear peo-
ple" began to ask " why is this ?"
and?;in searching after truth tho
great Federal Ring was unearthed
much to tho disgust of its members.
Ip was .these developements that
exasperated the Honorable Secretary
of State to such an extent that ho
assaulted Col. Mooro on the night
of the 23d of May and struck him
in the face and then turned upon
Senator Hall and assaulted him with
a sword bayonet ; beside in his dis-
appointed rage applying unbecom-
ing opithets to several other gen-
tlemen. Now that this ring is exposed and
broke up wo invit'e'ifs members tn
qo-operato with the party in choosing
'good capable men to represent our
State in Congress and we urge them
by all means to forget their disap-
pointment and not waste their ener-
gies in efforta to injure tho parties
'who have asoioted in breaking up
their ring.
Wo aidmit that it is customary for
candidates .to resort to all kinds of
soheraes to advanoe themselves but
whoever attempts tq force a personal
quarrel into tho party is guilty of
destroying its harmony. What 1s
there more disagreeblo Mnn a disapr
y in i'd puii"u.i
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Moore, William B. & Cassidy, James B. The Reformer (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 1, Ed. 1, Saturday, June 17, 1871, newspaper, June 17, 1871; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth78471/m1/2/?q=%22~1~1~1~1%22~1&rotate=90: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.