ustxtxb_obs_1959_10_23_50_00007-00000_000.pdf

\(Last month’s edition of Harper’s contained a nostalgic article by William S. White, Harper’s Washington correspondent, entitled “Whatever Happened to Texas?” White mellowiy reminisced about his youth in his home town, De Leon, Texas, and conveyed some of his conclusions about the state there’s so much talk about. Fred Sargent, 4205 College Main, Bryan, Texas, believes White missed the whole truth with many of his points. We assume many of our readers read White’s piece, and for those who did not, Sargent’s retorts to it may be of interest, nevertheless. He wrote this originally as a letter to Harper’s, but it was too long for them. He is an assistant professor in land economics at Myths and Folklore Sir: I’ll tell you what happened to Texas, Mr. White; too many of the sensitive intellectuals left this frontier area to seek their education and livelihood in the much older and, therefore, more culturally developed northeast. There they have played the game of being a Texan and have contributed to the myths and folklore that are often accepted as the history of .the old Texas and now they are contributing to the equally extravagant myths and folklore which White describes as the new Texas. MYTH NUMBER ONE: White ITI states that the area he knew was a large and reliable microcosm of the whole state and that it was white, Anglo-Saxon, and Protestant. This is hardly accurate. South Texas has always had a large Catholic and Latin American population, East Texas has always had a large Negro population, and Central Texas has always had large numbers of people of many European origins. Another myth stated strongly by White is that the love of justice is a Texas quality. If this love of justice was so strong in Governor Ferguson and in the people of the state, the Texans of Mexican and Spanish origin would have been provided with non-segregated elementary schools long before they won those privileges for themselves after World War IL For more information about one of the largest abused minority groups in the U.S., write to the Catholic Council for the Spanish Speaking, San Antonio. \(To assuage you conWhite states that Houston is one of the crassest, most commercialized, money-flaunting cities. I doubt very much if that is true, but there is no question that it is the largest unzoned city, has the largest segregated school district, and leads all U.S. cities in numbers of murders per 100,000 population-12.2. Another myth which continuously haunts and embarasses a great many Texans is stated and illustrated well by White when he says that Texans brag a lot. It is true, the state has its share of people who try to compensate for inferiority complexes by objectionable loud talk and distorted reports. However, there are several million Texans who cannot identify with this semi-mythical 100 percent white, AngloSaxon, Protestant, as they are of German, Irish, Polish, Italian, Norwegian, Negro, Bohemian, or other descent. These people \(and brag THE TEXAS OBSERVER Page 7 October 23, 1959 Over $133 Million Insurance In Force INSURANCE COMPANY P. 0. Box 8098 Houston, Texas HAROLD E. RILEY Vice-President and Director of Agencies and, therefore, are not taken for Texans and so do not make any contribution to changing this myth that all Texans brag. I wish White had not mentioned the myth of the Texan’s love of fighting and dying. This would be a very delicate subject to discuss if the evidence was not so clear that many Texans have had other reactions than to run for their gun at the first call to battle. Sam Houston, the honored general and first president of the Republic, was deposed from office for his refusal to support the War between the States. Three counties were adjudged in revolt against the government in 1862 for their disinterest in the war. In World War I and World War II, large numbers of the German population in Texas were understandably not enthusiastic. There were other groups, again including some of the semi-mythical white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant Texans, who did not see the issues in the wars as clearly as suggested by White. ANOTHER MYTH that would be much more difficult to dis prove is that of Texas wealth. It is true that great wealth in oil and other minerals has been found and has enriched some people. However, a large number of owners of this wealth are the investors who live in the northeastern capital-exporting states. \(Humble Oil, Texas’s own oil company, is 98.27 owned by Stan dard of New Jersey.Houston Post, large amount of the wealth produced in Texas is enriching the coupon-clippers in the northeast, while the state as a whole would have to be characterized as poor in comparison with the northeast by any index of wealth you wish to use. Personal income per capita in Texas in 1957 was 11.6 percent lower than the national average. White states that at least these people who have this undue share of this world’s goods have earned those goods by and large. Even this statement must be qualified to be valid. They didn’t earn the mineral resources which were given to them by the state. Neither did they earn the land which was expropriated without cornpensation from previous Mexican owners by the Bourland-Miller Commission \(authorized by stathe first Texas Constitution \(Constitution of the Republic of Texas, adopted March 17, 1836, SecWhite asks the rhetorical question, “Whoever heard of a slacker in the old Texas?” This question wouldn’t be worth answering if .it wasn’t for the fact that history records, a colony of slackers. The settlement was called Tusculum. Their motto was “to rest in dignity far from business troubles” \(otium cum dignitate procul neNOW! life insurance protection for your family during vital years… 744e all premiums returned geed dividends *ea… this is now possible through modern life insurance planning with the SUN LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY OF CANADA, one of North America’s leading life companies. The new Sun Life Security Fund “insurance or money-back” plan enables you to provide life insurance protection for your family until you are 65 with a guarantee that, if you live to 65, all the money you paid will be refunded to you in full … plus accumulated dividends. e7,,, policy for the original sum assured, with a balance which can be taken in cash or as a guaranteed income. Call the Sun Life representative in your district for more information about the Sun Life “money-back” plan, or mail this coupon today. SUN LIFE OF CANADA MARTIN ELFANT 201 Century Building Houston, Texas CA 4-0686 Without obligation, I would like more details of the new Sun Line Security Fund plan. NAME ADDRESS AGE Addressing Some Texas Myths about a year before the colony withered from lack of productivity. When White mentions academic freedom and suggests that its existence proves a certain cultural attainment, he is touching a tender nerve for the reason that the battle of academic freedom has not yet been won by Texas colleges and universities, as a review of A.A.U.P. records of the last three years will indicate. WHITE IS WELCOME to his memories. But I wish he did not have to report them in a way that supports and adds credence to so many misleading myths. Texas is a large and varied state with a heterogeneous population of nearly 9,000,000. It is infinite LEGALS CITATION BY PUBLICATION THE STATE OF TEXAS TO Frank McCord Defendant, in the hereinafter styled and numbered cause: You are hereby commanded to appear before the 126th District Court of Travis County, Texas, to be held at the courthouse of said county in the City of Austin, Travis County, Texas, at or before 10 o’clock A.M. of the first Monday after the expiration of 42 days from the date of issuance hereof; that is to say, at or before, 10 o’clock A. M. of Monday the 30th day of November, 1959, and answer the petition of plaintiff in Cause Number 115,745, in which Annie McCord is Plaintiff and Frank McCord is defendant, filed in said Court on the 13th day of October, 1959, and the nature of which said suit is as follows: Being an action and prayer for judgment in favor of Plaintiff and against Defendant for decree of divorce dissolving the bonds of matrimony heretofore and now existing between said parties; Plaintiff alleges that she and Defendant have lived separate and apart without cohabitation for the filing of said suit; Plaintiff further alleges that no community propprty was accumulated by them during said marriage and no children were born to them or adopted by them; Plaintiff further prays for the restoration of her maiden name and for costs of suit and relief general and special; All of which more fully appears from Plaintiff’s Original Petition on file in this office and to which reference is here made for all intents and purposes; If this citation is not served within 90 days after date of its issuance, it shall be returned unserved. WITNESS, 0. T. MARTIN, JR.. Clerk of the District Courts of Travis County, Texas. Issued and given under my hand and the seal of said Court at office in the City of Austin, this the 13th day of October, 1959. 0. T. MARTIN, JR. Clerk of the District Courts, Travis County, Texas. By GEO. W. BICKLER, Deputy. CITATION BY PUBLICATION THE STATE OF TEXAS TO Raymond Hendrix Defendant, in the hereinafter styled and numbered cause: You are hereby commanded to appear before the 126th District Court of Travis County, Texas, to be held at the courthouse of said county in the City of Austin, Travis County, Texas, at or before 10 o’clock A. M. of the first Monday after the expiration of 42 days from the date of issuance hereof; that is to say, at or before, 10 o’clock A. M. of Monday the 23rd day of November, 1959, and answer the petition of plaintiff in Cause Number 114,923, in which Winnie .Hendrix is Plaintiff and Raymond Hendrix is defendant, filed in said Court on the 28th day of July, 1959, and the nature of which said suit is as follows: Being an action and prayer for judgment in favor of Plaintiff and against Defendant for decree of divorce dissolving the bonds of matrimony heretofore and now existing between said parties; Plaintiff alleges cruel treatment on the part of Defendant towards her of such a nature as to render their further living together as husband and wife altogether insupportable; Plaintiff further alleges that two children were born of said union who are now living with plaintiff; that plaintiff is the proper person to be awarded the care, custody and control of said children and for which she prays judgment of the Court; Plaintiff further prays for costs of suit and for relief, general and special: All of which more fully appears from Plaintiff’s Original Petition on file in this office and to which reference is here made for all intents and purposes; If this citation is not served within 90 days after date of its issuance, it shall be returned unserved. WITNESS, 0. T. MARTIN, JR., Clerk of the District Courts of Travis County, Texas. Issued and given under my hand and the seal of said Court at office in the City of Austin, this the 9th day of October, 1959. 0. T. MARTIN, JR. Clerk of the District Courts, Travis County, Texas. By GEO. W. BICKLER, Deputy. CITATION BY PUBLICATION THE STATE OF TEXAS TO Bert E. Sinclair Defendant, in the hereinafter styled and numbered cause: You are hereby commanded to appear before the 126th District Court of Travis County, Texas, to be held at the courthouse of said county in the City of Austin, Travis County, Texas, at or before 10 o’clock A. M. of the first Monday after the expiration of 42 days from the date of issuance hereof; that is to say, at or before, 10 o’clock A. M. of Monday the 30th day of November, 1959, and answer the petition of plaintiff in Cause Number 115,097, in which Rachel Sinclair is Plaintiff and Bert E. Sinclair is defendant, filed in said Court on the 14 day of August, 1959, and the nature of which said suit is as follows: Being an action and prayer for judgment in favor of Plaintiff and against Defendant for decree of divorce dissolving the bonds of matrimony heretofore and now existing between said parties; Plaintiff alleges cruel treatment on the part of Defendant towards her of such a nature as to render their further living together as husband and wife altogether insupportable; Plaintiff further alleges that no children were born of said union and that the interests of the parties in and to the equity in a house located at 1109 Southwood Road has been equit ably divided; plaintiff further prays for order of court approving said property settlement and for costs of Snit and relief, general and special; All of which more fully appears from Plaintiff’s Original Petition on file in this office and to which reference is ‘here made. If this citation is not served within 90 days after date of its issuance, it shall be returned unserved. WITNESS, 0. T. MARTIN, JR., Clerk of the District Courts of Travis County, Texas. Issued and given under my hand and the seal of said Court at office in the City of Austin, this the 16th day of October, 1959. 0.