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Description

The show is beginning! So pipe down, sit down, and have a smile!
Let us round a cheer for our actors who put on a valiant play of the ages!
Give a round of applause to Napoleon the III, Franz Joseph I, Alexander II, and Wilhelm I as the main actors.
With the supporting cast's big players, Ludwig II of Bavaria, Milan I of Serbia, Francis I the Two Sicilies, and Carol I of Romania.
The symphony roars to life with excitement, can you feel it?

The bodies of men and boys cut short as thier lifeless forms lay flat like notes to a piano waiting to be played!
Howls of mothers, wives, and daughters make up the choir of this new symphony!
Cannons of steel and brass roar like the mightiest of horns, blasting through walls, towns, and men without care!
Rifles and Gatling guns riddle the air with a percussive chorus- striking the proverbial drums until the silence takes over for just a moment.
Can't you feel it? The air of this new symphony! This final take of the Concert of Europe!
This grand Encore of the Concert of Vienna!
So will you join me as we watch from the crowd and cheer upon this orchestra of fire and malady?

Encore!

ENCORE!

E N C O R E !

Let the show not stop until the actors perish on stage or finish thier final lines!
For this is a play for the ages, a symphony to be heralded at the end of an era, an orchestra to DIE FOR!
There shall be no brakes for this last Hurrah of the Concert of Europe!
For her performers shall either take the stand and bow at the end, or they shall bow and never stand again!

Encore!

ENCORE!

E N C O R E !

-=-=-=-
The Second Step of Servitude
Still much to do as we progress further. But of note, the Free States Senate has been adamant about a few key issues. Tariffs, slaves, and whatnot. The State is still fairly confused and out for the count on a few issues still plaguing the Free State. Rail and road are fine, but we need to draw some lines lest we drop from Free State to 'State'
Your liberation from debt has let you take 3 options instead of 2.

Sev'ral Hundred Per Head- Ultimately while we can't stop slavery- as it'd go against the Fraternals and the Golden Circle, we can certainly limit its spread. Implementing something similar to them Yankees do. A tax on all slaves entering. Turn any potential flow of slaves to a trickle. (A 'slave tax' will be imposed upon all who enter the state. For every slave, you must pay 750 Greybacks each. Take it or leave it.)
or
Long, Unending, Bureaucracy- Sign here, make sure you get your signature on Forms 1-12 but not Form 13. Please read this Non-Disclosure Agreement. Now read this Displeasure Agreement. We require the forms- all 25 of them to be filled out and ready to go within the next month. You will also be tested to see if you did read them. (A long and obstructive process will be implemented to prevent the movement of slaves into and through Texas easily. Hope you have a good legal expert.)
or
Oglethorpe Be Damned- Slavery may be allowed within Texas, but when under our roof, we make the rules. If we cannot stop the flow of slavery, the most we can do is alleviate them. Slaves can instead work for thier freedom or pay for it. No obstructive bureaucracy or high taxes. A simple request- to let our people go. (Slaves shall be able to through a process able to free themselves. Per the Oglethorpe Act of 1870, slavery shall not be allowed to exceed further than 20 years.)

Tax the Damn Franks- The French are supporters of the Frats, and while we cannot raise tariffs on the Golden Circle's other nations, we could try and block one avenue of French influence into the Americas by raising protectionist anti-French tariffs. Support local, and tax the French. (The Frats will be right pissed about it, but like Hell they can do much.)

Decrease Tariffs Locally- Colorado and Arizona- being part of the Golden Circle have low tariffs for imports and exports. Of course, if we wish to maintain our unity us three- we should strive for further economic interconnection. A series of lower tariffs we shall have- after all- the Golden Circle says many things about not increasing them- but nothing about lowering them! (From the standard 3% to the much lower 1.5% tariff rate will be enacted between Texas, Colorado, and Arizona, connecting our economies further!)

Yellow Rose of Taxes- Lowering taxes on businesses headquartered within Texas and increasing taxes on foreign (Fraternal) companies and business will encourage local industry and homegrown factories- but even greater we could entice a few companies from across the seas or over the border to come to us! (A small economic miracle will occur- unknown to the wider world, but to Texas it shall be like finding gold.)

Fuel For the Fire- Coal. A whole European metric ton of coal. is just across the Rio Grande and in our grasp. Excavating and processing said coal would be able to lift the area across the Rio out of poverty- but such exploits would be useful for- oh so many uses. (Coal mines will be established in Northern Coahuila, further use and trade of them will be established next year!)

-=-=-=-
Smoke Down Your Neck
The Firebreathers do live up to thier name. Flaming hate mail, slander, and the likes from Georgia, Florida, Virginia, even Delaware. They've had it with Texian 'foolishness' especially in regards to the Freedmans Bureau and the Santa Fe Express. Demanding that Texian lawmakers- especially those in the Freedmans Bureau- are under strict supervision. . .
The Frats know you're free of debt, you have to make 2 concessions instead of 1.

-The Freedmans Bureau-

Ol' Uncle Tom- Several spots of the Freedmans Bureau will be stacked with 'Uncle Toms' and other Fraternal lackeys as a way to 'keep a close on on the fairness and neutrality for which this office should stand for'. (Frats will litter than ranks of the Bureau and be able to influence its future actions and decisions.)
or
This Isn't 1850!- Runaway slaves are not freedmen. They still have a job to do per say. If the Bureau encounters any slaves or collaborators to runaways, they are to best be sent back to the States for- further help. (Any Negro that is proven to be a slave shall be sent back across the border into the States. Any collaborator shall be sent back to the States to be punished.)

-Santa Fe Express-

Officer Please- Several stations along the planned Express will contain a detachment of Fraternal officers looking for runaways and other such troublemakers. From Beaumont to Santa Fe, a line of Fraternal officers will stand. (The Frats will have around 1,500 officers across the railway and its stations.)
or
Negro Customs- Negro tickets are now to be 1.5x the cost of white railroad tickets. They wish to run, they have to pay. Tickets will have to reflect thier purpose, thier characther, and above all the message. (From today until the end of days, Negro tickets will cost 50% more than White counterparts.)
or
Wait in Queue Q- To ensure runaways aren't accidentally taken on the Express, Negroes will be forced to wait longer as we have to 'sort out the official paperwork'. Obviously a bit more work will have to be done, hotels for Negroes to stay while the paperwork is sorted out, but anything for honesty and sincerity of course. . (The chances of runaways escaping will lower dramatically. A few innocents may get mistaken as guilty- but the Firebreathers are more than happy with this.)

-=-=-=-
Outlaw Wars
Bagheads have managed to leak further into the Texian state, White Cross lynchings have increased across Western Texas. And then the Knights.
The Knights of the Golden Circle have come in force- terrorizing small villages and remote homesteads. Some have spilled into cities like San Antonio, Houston, and Corpus Christi. Acting as a vigilante army, the Knights and thier cohorts have come into Texas to ransack and terrorize.
Due to an over encumbered police force and the occasional bank heist- your options are limited to 2.

Tri-State Police Force- Between Arizona, Colorado, and Texas- bandits and Fraternal thugs run rampant. We should try and pool our resources together and work together to solve our collective woes. (Of course this kinda deal is a big commitment. And we will have to get involved in other legal and messy affairs across the other two nations as well.)

Louisiana Chuggin'- James G. Taliaferro, Governor of Louisiana and has a few relationships with prominent ties to the Knights. Digging up some dirt on James and ruining his reputation might stall out the flow of these vigilantes into Texas. . . (James G. Taliaferro will lose the next run for Governor- but this may make a big enemy out of a powerful man with powerful connections.)

'Peeling to Max- Maximillian- Emperor of Mexico is a fairly humanitarian fellow, if we could write to him to aid us in putting down some vigilantes, perhaps his popularity within Mexico would rise, and we'd gain backing from our southern neighbor in patrolling the North Mexican badlands. (Maximillian I will help Texian police look for Bagheads and the Knights, perhaps you may even get a special surprise patrolling the deserts.)

Moonshine Guns- Permitting citizens to manufacture guns in thier own homes or without license while dangerous could allow more remote and less accessible towns to defend themselves instead of relying on a police force or an army detachment potentially hours away. (Civilians will be able to manufacture thier own (if crude) firearms to defend thier homes and property.)

Stop Selling Land- A more a temporary preventative measure- but many Baghead victims as of late have been those attempting to settle newly purchased land out west where little control exists and populations are far and low. To stop the loss of life out west, we may have to put a hold on land sales until the vigilantes can be dealt with. (Land sales will be stopped until 1875, hopefully by then the Bagheads in West Texas will be thoroughly dealt with.)

-=-=-=-
Sculpting a Weapon
The Mesa Walker continues to be refined as a weapon, but now a proper weapon of war. Though there's only a handful of them. We should start focusing on building more of these weapons, though. . . manufacturing more will obviously leak them to the world. The question is who do we leak it too first? And how do we leak it?

-Who Sees It-

The Fraternals- sooner or later they'll find out. And if they find out without us knowing, it may bite us in the ass down the line. We can't allow it to happen and should play it safe. Besides, best not give the Europeans any new toys- from the looks of it they're killing eachother just nicely without us.

The Chartists- an industrial powerhouse- able to make all that is needed in the world and then more. So they say. But regardless, Chartist factories are out of the war in Europe, and far away from the Frats. Making contact with them would be beneficial.

The Germans- some friends lingering from the Adelsverein have peaked interest and scattered words about the Walker. With the war in Europe now occurring, Many of them argue for the Walker to be manufactured in Germany. Their hopes are that 1- such a thunderous titan will terrorize the enemy. 2- Germany even if can't scare them, can 1-up them in the weapons department even harder.

-What is Seen-

A Blueprint- disassembling, reassembling, and shipping a Mesa Walker is fairly complicated if we're to understand, even by rail or by sea. Besides, its less conspicuous (and heavy) if we carry a briefcase or two with important papers and schematics.

A Roughshod First Draft- Shipping over a barebones Walker, some light but ruddy armor, perhaps an inferior weapon or two- we'll keep the more refined version and let the larger more robust industrial complex innovate on its own.

The Full Picture- What we've done so far with it, and some experiments we've pulled with the Walker. All of it. And we want more Walkers built according to these specifications, and whatever else one can come up with for them.

-=-=-=-
And with this, our episode draws to a close.
But the show continues on !
But please. Any questions or answers, feel free to leave them.
I am an eager composer! And the audience usually brings up some interesting compositions!

Description

The show is beginning! So pipe down, sit down, and have a smile!
Let us round a cheer for our actors who put on a valiant play of the ages!
Give a round of applause to Napoleon the III, Franz Joseph I, Alexander II, and Wilhelm I as the main actors.
With the supporting cast's big players, Ludwig II of Bavaria, Milan I of Serbia, Francis I the Two Sicilies, and Carol I of Romania.
The symphony roars to life with excitement, can you feel it?

The bodies of men and boys cut short as thier lifeless forms lay flat like notes to a piano waiting to be played!
Howls of mothers, wives, and daughters make up the choir of this new symphony!
Cannons of steel and brass roar like the mightiest of horns, blasting through walls, towns, and men without care!
Rifles and Gatling guns riddle the air with a percussive chorus- striking the proverbial drums until the silence takes over for just a moment.
Can't you feel it? The air of this new symphony! This final take of the Concert of Europe!
This grand Encore of the Concert of Vienna!
So will you join me as we watch from the crowd and cheer upon this orchestra of fire and malady?

Encore!

ENCORE!

E N C O R E !

Let the show not stop until the actors perish on stage or finish thier final lines!
For this is a play for the ages, a symphony to be heralded at the end of an era, an orchestra to DIE FOR!
There shall be no brakes for this last Hurrah of the Concert of Europe!
For her performers shall either take the stand and bow at the end, or they shall bow and never stand again!

Encore!

ENCORE!

E N C O R E !

-=-=-=-
The Second Step of Servitude
Still much to do as we progress further. But of note, the Free States Senate has been adamant about a few key issues. Tariffs, slaves, and whatnot. The State is still fairly confused and out for the count on a few issues still plaguing the Free State. Rail and road are fine, but we need to draw some lines lest we drop from Free State to 'State'
Your liberation from debt has let you take 3 options instead of 2.

Sev'ral Hundred Per Head- Ultimately while we can't stop slavery- as it'd go against the Fraternals and the Golden Circle, we can certainly limit its spread. Implementing something similar to them Yankees do. A tax on all slaves entering. Turn any potential flow of slaves to a trickle. (A 'slave tax' will be imposed upon all who enter the state. For every slave, you must pay 750 Greybacks each. Take it or leave it.)
or
Long, Unending, Bureaucracy- Sign here, make sure you get your signature on Forms 1-12 but not Form 13. Please read this Non-Disclosure Agreement. Now read this Displeasure Agreement. We require the forms- all 25 of them to be filled out and ready to go within the next month. You will also be tested to see if you did read them. (A long and obstructive process will be implemented to prevent the movement of slaves into and through Texas easily. Hope you have a good legal expert.)
or
Oglethorpe Be Damned- Slavery may be allowed within Texas, but when under our roof, we make the rules. If we cannot stop the flow of slavery, the most we can do is alleviate them. Slaves can instead work for thier freedom or pay for it. No obstructive bureaucracy or high taxes. A simple request- to let our people go. (Slaves shall be able to through a process able to free themselves. Per the Oglethorpe Act of 1870, slavery shall not be allowed to exceed further than 20 years.)

Tax the Damn Franks- The French are supporters of the Frats, and while we cannot raise tariffs on the Golden Circle's other nations, we could try and block one avenue of French influence into the Americas by raising protectionist anti-French tariffs. Support local, and tax the French. (The Frats will be right pissed about it, but like Hell they can do much.)

Decrease Tariffs Locally- Colorado and Arizona- being part of the Golden Circle have low tariffs for imports and exports. Of course, if we wish to maintain our unity us three- we should strive for further economic interconnection. A series of lower tariffs we shall have- after all- the Golden Circle says many things about not increasing them- but nothing about lowering them! (From the standard 3% to the much lower 1.5% tariff rate will be enacted between Texas, Colorado, and Arizona, connecting our economies further!)

Yellow Rose of Taxes- Lowering taxes on businesses headquartered within Texas and increasing taxes on foreign (Fraternal) companies and business will encourage local industry and homegrown factories- but even greater we could entice a few companies from across the seas or over the border to come to us! (A small economic miracle will occur- unknown to the wider world, but to Texas it shall be like finding gold.)

Fuel For the Fire- Coal. A whole European metric ton of coal. is just across the Rio Grande and in our grasp. Excavating and processing said coal would be able to lift the area across the Rio out of poverty- but such exploits would be useful for- oh so many uses. (Coal mines will be established in Northern Coahuila, further use and trade of them will be established next year!)

-=-=-=-
Smoke Down Your Neck
The Firebreathers do live up to thier name. Flaming hate mail, slander, and the likes from Georgia, Florida, Virginia, even Delaware. They've had it with Texian 'foolishness' especially in regards to the Freedmans Bureau and the Santa Fe Express. Demanding that Texian lawmakers- especially those in the Freedmans Bureau- are under strict supervision. . .
The Frats know you're free of debt, you have to make 2 concessions instead of 1.

-The Freedmans Bureau-

Ol' Uncle Tom- Several spots of the Freedmans Bureau will be stacked with 'Uncle Toms' and other Fraternal lackeys as a way to 'keep a close on on the fairness and neutrality for which this office should stand for'. (Frats will litter than ranks of the Bureau and be able to influence its future actions and decisions.)
or
This Isn't 1850!- Runaway slaves are not freedmen. They still have a job to do per say. If the Bureau encounters any slaves or collaborators to runaways, they are to best be sent back to the States for- further help. (Any Negro that is proven to be a slave shall be sent back across the border into the States. Any collaborator shall be sent back to the States to be punished.)

-Santa Fe Express-

Officer Please- Several stations along the planned Express will contain a detachment of Fraternal officers looking for runaways and other such troublemakers. From Beaumont to Santa Fe, a line of Fraternal officers will stand. (The Frats will have around 1,500 officers across the railway and its stations.)
or
Negro Customs- Negro tickets are now to be 1.5x the cost of white railroad tickets. They wish to run, they have to pay. Tickets will have to reflect thier purpose, thier characther, and above all the message. (From today until the end of days, Negro tickets will cost 50% more than White counterparts.)
or
Wait in Queue Q- To ensure runaways aren't accidentally taken on the Express, Negroes will be forced to wait longer as we have to 'sort out the official paperwork'. Obviously a bit more work will have to be done, hotels for Negroes to stay while the paperwork is sorted out, but anything for honesty and sincerity of course. . (The chances of runaways escaping will lower dramatically. A few innocents may get mistaken as guilty- but the Firebreathers are more than happy with this.)

-=-=-=-
Outlaw Wars
Bagheads have managed to leak further into the Texian state, White Cross lynchings have increased across Western Texas. And then the Knights.
The Knights of the Golden Circle have come in force- terrorizing small villages and remote homesteads. Some have spilled into cities like San Antonio, Houston, and Corpus Christi. Acting as a vigilante army, the Knights and thier cohorts have come into Texas to ransack and terrorize.
Due to an over encumbered police force and the occasional bank heist- your options are limited to 2.

Tri-State Police Force- Between Arizona, Colorado, and Texas- bandits and Fraternal thugs run rampant. We should try and pool our resources together and work together to solve our collective woes. (Of course this kinda deal is a big commitment. And we will have to get involved in other legal and messy affairs across the other two nations as well.)

Louisiana Chuggin'- James G. Taliaferro, Governor of Louisiana and has a few relationships with prominent ties to the Knights. Digging up some dirt on James and ruining his reputation might stall out the flow of these vigilantes into Texas. . . (James G. Taliaferro will lose the next run for Governor- but this may make a big enemy out of a powerful man with powerful connections.)

'Peeling to Max- Maximillian- Emperor of Mexico is a fairly humanitarian fellow, if we could write to him to aid us in putting down some vigilantes, perhaps his popularity within Mexico would rise, and we'd gain backing from our southern neighbor in patrolling the North Mexican badlands. (Maximillian I will help Texian police look for Bagheads and the Knights, perhaps you may even get a special surprise patrolling the deserts.)

Moonshine Guns- Permitting citizens to manufacture guns in thier own homes or without license while dangerous could allow more remote and less accessible towns to defend themselves instead of relying on a police force or an army detachment potentially hours away. (Civilians will be able to manufacture thier own (if crude) firearms to defend thier homes and property.)

Stop Selling Land- A more a temporary preventative measure- but many Baghead victims as of late have been those attempting to settle newly purchased land out west where little control exists and populations are far and low. To stop the loss of life out west, we may have to put a hold on land sales until the vigilantes can be dealt with. (Land sales will be stopped until 1875, hopefully by then the Bagheads in West Texas will be thoroughly dealt with.)

-=-=-=-
Sculpting a Weapon
The Mesa Walker continues to be refined as a weapon, but now a proper weapon of war. Though there's only a handful of them. We should start focusing on building more of these weapons, though. . . manufacturing more will obviously leak them to the world. The question is who do we leak it too first? And how do we leak it?

-Who Sees It-

The Fraternals- sooner or later they'll find out. And if they find out without us knowing, it may bite us in the ass down the line. We can't allow it to happen and should play it safe. Besides, best not give the Europeans any new toys- from the looks of it they're killing eachother just nicely without us.

The Chartists- an industrial powerhouse- able to make all that is needed in the world and then more. So they say. But regardless, Chartist factories are out of the war in Europe, and far away from the Frats. Making contact with them would be beneficial.

The Germans- some friends lingering from the Adelsverein have peaked interest and scattered words about the Walker. With the war in Europe now occurring, Many of them argue for the Walker to be manufactured in Germany. Their hopes are that 1- such a thunderous titan will terrorize the enemy. 2- Germany even if can't scare them, can 1-up them in the weapons department even harder.

-What is Seen-

A Blueprint- disassembling, reassembling, and shipping a Mesa Walker is fairly complicated if we're to understand, even by rail or by sea. Besides, its less conspicuous (and heavy) if we carry a briefcase or two with important papers and schematics.

A Roughshod First Draft- Shipping over a barebones Walker, some light but ruddy armor, perhaps an inferior weapon or two- we'll keep the more refined version and let the larger more robust industrial complex innovate on its own.

The Full Picture- What we've done so far with it, and some experiments we've pulled with the Walker. All of it. And we want more Walkers built according to these specifications, and whatever else one can come up with for them.

-=-=-=-
And with this, our episode draws to a close.
But the show continues on !
But please. Any questions or answers, feel free to leave them.
I am an eager composer! And the audience usually brings up some interesting compositions!