Section 23rd. To guard against transgressions of the high powers herein delegated, we (the people of Texas) declare that every thing in this Bill of Rights is excepted out of the general powers of government and shall forever remain inviolate; and all laws contrary thereto, or to the following provisions shall be void. "

Why has the Legislature done this thing? "Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing.

The Kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his annointed, saying Let us break their bonds assunder and cast away their cords

from us.

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision, Be wise now, therefor, O ye kings; be instructed ye judges of the earth.

The Legislature has to a very alarming extent transferred the legislative powers of the government to the Executive, and we suppose it expects him to govern the people by proclamations until "the first Tuesday after the first Monday in December A. D 1872, and then perhaps proclaim to the people of Texas that the day of election is indefinitely postponed, and to enforce this proclamation with the army by which it has surrounded him. The Governor by the 52nd Section of this Act, "shall on the days of the election have paramount charge and control of the peace and order of the State over all peace and police officers and shall have the command and direction in chief of all police officers by whomsoever appointed, and of all sheriffs and constables in their capacity as officers of the peace." This section gives the Governor the power to exercise a tremendous influence in the elections; and if he is so disposed he may effectually by force control them for partisan purposes.

We care not if the Governor be as just and as pure a man as was the immortal Washington, it would even then be wrong to

place in his hands the power to destroy the liberties of the people, or such power as would enable him to take from them their rights or even curtail or infringe them.

"A just estimate," says Washington, "of that love of power and proneness to abuse it which predominate in the human heart is sufficient to satisfy us of the truth of this position." Were this the only unwarranted and unnecessary power conferred by this Legislature upon the Governor we would not so much complain, but they have conferred upon him such a complete net-work of powers as renders his will absolute.

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By section 21st of this Act the Judges of elections throughout the state are enabled effectually to prevent the people from reaping the benefits of their right to vote;-this they may accomplish by their mere written statement, “corroborated under oath by three respectable citizens, qualified electors of the county, --they being the sole judges of the respectability of the three citizens. These three citizens may make oath to all this section requires (in order to throw out the vote) and swear truly, and yet there may have been a fair election. Let's examine into this ----suppose “during the time of election (to use the language of this section) at any place at or, near any poll or voting place, there should be (in the estimation of these judges and three citizens) a riot or tumult, or acts of violence or intidimation, or armed disturbance, or bribery or corrupt influence which shall prevent, or tend to prevent a fair (or) free (or) peaceable and full vote of all the qualified electors of said county." You will see from this that the judges of election are only to make the statement and the three citizens to corroborate it under oath, that these acts or either one of them "tend to prevent a fair, full, peaceable and full vote of all qualified voters of said county. They are not required by the section to swear that these acts or either of them did actually prevent a fair, free, peaceable and full vote.

Suppose there should be a tumult or riot at or near the polls or voting place on the days of election, and suppose that riot tends to, but does not in fact, prevent a fair free and full vote, ought the vote at that box for this reason to be thrown out? And should any man or set of men be enabled by law under such a state of facts to throw them out? Every honest minded man will at once say no,-because this would put it in the power of a few wicked, corrupt and designing men at every election throughout the state to defeat the will of the people, which, we trust was not the design of this section. Yet by Section 25th of this Act, the returning officers may upon the statement of these judges of election corroborated by the affidavit of the three citizens in form as required in the 21st Section of this Act pass upon and refuse. to canvass or compile the statement of the votes at such poll or voting place, and exclude it from their returns. This shows how hard it is for the people of Texas who are opposed to the appressive policy of the present administration to get to vote and get their votes fairly counted and returned;---but don't despair, -the day of our deliverance is not far distant. Does it not strike the reader as being rather singular, that in all elections which have been held during the present administration, that the votes at the polls or voting places which gave the administration party the majority, have not in a single instance been thrown out, and that the votes at so many polls or voting places which gave large majorities against the administration party have been thrown out? Why is this? Let the Governor and his hired tools answer this question, for they know! If the real object of the Legislature in passing this Act had been "the protection and purity of the ballot box" they might have effectually accomplished this by establishing a poll or voting place in each justice's precinct in the several counties throughout the state which would have greatly lessened the inconveniences of the people, and pre

ventel the assembling of such immence crowds of men at the county seats which the present law necessitates, and would have destroyed whatever tendency might exist towards riot or tumult, or acts of violence, or intimidation or armed disturbance, and greatly facilitated a fair, free, peaceable and full vote of all the qualified electors. The enactment of such a law was contemplated by the Seventh section of Article III, of the State Constitution, which declares that "all elections for state, district or county officers, shall be held at the county seats of the several counties until otherwise provided by law.”

We will now glance for a moment at the Act entitled "An Act to provide for the protection of the frontier.

There is no class of our fellow citizens who more justly deserve and merit the aid and sympathy of the whole people of Texas than our exposed and unprotected frontiersmen, and we would not by word or deed throw a straw in the way of their complete protection. But it is not even to be hoped that they will be protected by the enforcement of this act.

The most effectual, if not indeed the only way the frontier can be protected is to permit the people on the frontier to raise companies of rangers among themselves and to select their own officers, from such men as are known and tried. Indian hunters. If the government will do this and pay the Rangers well for their services, in a short time the people on the frontier will feel secure in their homes and property. By this Act the Governor is to raise and muster into the service of the State for the protection of the Northern and Western frontier twenty companies of Texas Rangers to consist of one Captain, one Lieutenant, one medical officer, three sergeants, four corporals, one bugler, one farrier (what does a company of frontier stock raisers want with a farrier?) and fifty privates..

By section three of the Act the Governor appoints the Captains of companies to enroll the requisite number of men for the

companies, and when as many as fifty men shall have been enrolled for any one company said company shall organize by holding an election for Lieutenant. This is all wrong, each company should have had the privilege of selecting their commanding officer, and this Act ought to require the officers at least to be frontiersmen. By section 12 the Governor appoints the officer to command and direct the moverents of the whole twenty companies. This is wrong, and bad policy, if the protection of the frontier is the main object.

The management of the entire force raised under the provisions of this act shall be at all times under and subject to the order of the Governor. These twenty companies constitute the third wing of the Governor's army. If this organization has in the slightest degree rendered the people of the frontier any protection we have yet to learn the fact; and if it ever does give them security and protection we will be most agreeably disappointed.

We will review in connection with the foregoing act an act entited "an Act providing for the issuance and sale of the bonds of the State for the purpose of meeting the appropriation made for maintaining Ranger Companies on the frontier." Section 1st of this Act provides for the issuance and sale by the Governor of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars of the bonds of the State of Texas bearing seven per cent interest per annum, the interest payable semi-annually in gold on the 1st day of September and March of each year. By section second said bonds are to be issued under the direction of the Governor, and are to be redeemable at the pleasure of the State after twenty years, and payable forty years from date." This places more power in the Governor by placing the money of the people at his disposal.

The following figures will show whether or not this financial errangement will result in benefit to the people of the State.