San Antonio Daily Light

ADDRESS.

To the Voters of Bexar County.

Two years ago the people of this county became aroused to the necessity of stepping out from under the rule of political party machinery in order to wrest our local affairs from the control and domination of a set of ringsters and precinct politicians, who, by reason of public patronage and uninterrupted success, had overthrown the voice of the better element of our community, and in the name of democracy dragged the trust of the people down into the mire and slime of political corruption, until it could no longer be said "a public office is a public trust" to keep warm and fatten the corrupt following of purchasable voters to be used to control the nominations, and in the name of the democratic party demand for them the support of the people.

So glaring had become the corrupt condition of our local politics that decent men of all parties became disgusted with the election business and turned their backs on all party movements, and refused to act or become parties to the plain and open corruption that had levelled our community to a depth too low for an honest man to offer his name for a county office without a blush of shame mantling his face. It was in this emergency that 100 citizens, not "office-seekers," stepped out and determined to make an honest effort to reform our local politics, and, if possible, restore the public business to the keeping of a set of officials who would not be the slaves of a "ring" of unscrupulous men who had possessed supreme control of a large element of our voting population and wielded them as one man in the primaries, at conventions and at the ballot box. This first effort, set in motion by a committee of one hundred good citizens drawn equally from both political parties, met with favor at the hands of the people, who were assured and convinced that no partizan end could be subserved by such a movement, as success placed no political party in power nor displaced any, but insured the election of a set of officials who would be indebted to the people, irrespective of party for their election.

This splendid movement of two years ago, was but partially successful because the seed was left from which has grown a full crop of the same weeds that have choked out the harvest of reform, both in our city and county politics. The knife of the independent ballot did not sink deep enough to take out the root of the cancer, and it has again spread until our fair city is being blighted by its ravages and threatened with destruction, unless the people again drive the knife to the bone and scrape it clean.

Two years have gone by and the good results of the people's movement, are before you for judgment. It brought about a better administration of our public affairs, as it left the officials free to conduct their duties, and attend to the public business freed from partizan demands and individual importunities.

The lesson taught by the people was heeded to a great extent, so much so that when the same old ring came to make up its programme to recapture their lost ground, they made use of some of the material of the people's movement and placed on their ticket Capt. Geo. R. Dashiell and Judge Wurzbach, in order to make a show of reform, and in other positions, candidates of respectability in order to cover their work and deceive the people. This concession to the people is also a part of the results of the people's reform movement, and one of the strong arguments we could advance at this time in favor of that movement. For not only did it bring about a healthy action in our public affairs, but forced the ringsters to attempt to propitiate the people by endorsing the same men they had attempted to defeat two years ago.

Again the same contest is upon us. The manipulators of the machine, located in our city, aided and directed by the head of our city government and the county collector, again came to the front, and in spite of the efforts of a secret club of well-intentioned gentlemen, secured control of the democratic primaries and the convention; and again, in the name of the great democratic party of the nation demand that our local county business be turned over to their care.

The postponement of the democratic convention was a ruse to force the republicans into party action in order to take advantage of partizan rancor to whip every democrat into the ranks with the party lash. But our republican fellow-citizens, assembled and declared against nominations for county officers and in favor of a movement independent of party action. Manipulators of the machine then saw their only remaining hope was to clothe itself in the livery of Jefferson and Jackson and pose before the people as patriots. It is greatly to be regretted that many of our good citizens were drawn into this trap and partially compromised; they hoped to carry reform, but were caught in the grasp of the ring; their manhood and independence, however, was not destroyed, and we have no hesitancy in appealing to them to stand to one side while the people deal the blow they themselves wanted to deal at the hydra-headed monster of political corruption.

Again, it becomes necessary to put in motion a plan to defeat the rule of the hireling democracy. The people distrusted every species of ward political action. A convention could not be held fairly representative of all political parties: a mass meeting was subject to the disgraceful intrusion of the strikers of a city administration run by a prime mover in the ring. There remained the former experience as a safe guide of action, and again a committee of one hundred good citizens, which might be properly called a committee of public safety, drawn equally from the two great parties, with the addition of representatives from other organizations, was called together on the evening of the 9th instant in Turner hall, in this city. This committee was organized on a basis of 60 democratic and 60 republican votes, and 20 votes for organizations of the colored citizens and the San Pedro club. There was not an "office-seeker" in the list, it was representative of the great body of our people and its action was free from partisanship. A more straight forward open, fair, honest body of men never assembled before in our city, and the proceedings were free from all rancor or selfishness.

The candidates chosen were the choice of this unbiased, unbought, body of representative citizens. They are every one of them worthy the confidence and deserve the votes of the people. Their success will not be a party victory or a party defeat, but the continuation of the work began two years ago. A complete reform of the abuses which have become fastened on our county politics, of years of power obtained through purchasable voters, could not be accomplished at a single effort, but the effort must be repeated and this time it must be strong enough to do the work. The committee this time, as it was last time, was composed almost entirely of citizens living in our city. We do not claim for it the character of a party convention, but in our city is located the trouble. In our city the dirty work is done; it is our city that holds out the bait for all the corruption that can fatten off public office; here is located the government, and here must originate the remedy to ward off the evil and correct the abuses, and we appeal to the people throughout the county to down the crowd that marched from primary to primary with hirelings to elect delegates to the Bexar county democratic convention that had the selection of the ticket, which we ask you to defeat.

Our county now contains over 50,000 souls and renders an assessment of over $19,000,000; your affairs demand the services of men devoted to the public business and not to the advancement of the success of any political party. No "party responsibility" will answer, especially where "party responsibility" can be saddled on an irresponsible class of our voters who are controlled by money and not by party principles. To place the affairs of our county in the hands of a party so shackled and bound like a slave in the market, would be suicidal to your best interests. It is an insult to the free and independent American citizens of our county: a mockery of the political sentiments that divide all intelligent men into parties so essential to a republican form of government.

The strong conservative sentiment of our good citizens impels them to eschew party politics from our local affairs, and only in times of high political excitement can the party whip be used with effect upon the backs of the people; but now, in the good old county of Bexar there is no party emergency worthy of attention: but the emergency of the public safety is upon us and commands the supreme effort of the people, regardless of party, to drive from power a ring small in circumference, but mighty in its unscrupulous efforts to throttle the will of the majority of the unpurchaseable voters and secure control of our affairs.

In presenting the ticket of the citizens committee we have presumed to name it as the last was named, "The People's County Ticket." If we fail to present one or two of the names of candidates who were before presented it is because the enemy have made away with them, and their places are filled with equally as good material, men who will conduct our affairs well and faithfully and not be under obligation to the corrupting influences of a party machine for their elevation, and thereby be able to serve the people impartially and be free from the annoyance of party demands, which beset officials elected as partisans from one election day to another.

Before we close this appeal to our fellow citizens, it is proper and perhaps necessary to notice the so-called address issued by the democratic executive committee. But for the fact that the address we allude to is signed by gentlemen who command the respect of their fellow citizens for their personal worth and ability, it would not deserve the notice of any intelligent, fair-minded man in our county. It is undignified in its tone and unworthy of the majority of the signers thereto. It is a wild, inconsistent appeal to the people under the cloak of democracy. This address asserts that "in order to properly keep up our national and state party organizations and prevent inroads upon them by republicans, aided by the irrepressible riff-raff, who keep no political faith, it is absolutely necessary to maintain county, and, if possible, precinct organizations," and further on turns its face to the republican party and makes an appeal for help, insulting them in one breath and cajoling them in the next. Was ever such a shameful display made to our people? They say:

"We conceive that even those republicans who favor good government and party responsibility therefore, together with those who have recently come to live among us and have as yet formed no party affiliations, will prefer to support the democratic ticket rather than throw their influence to an irresponsible and mongrel gathering of office-seekers, joined with the cast-off element which has been rejected by the best elements of both republicans and democrats."

When it is thus undertaken to denominate the citizens who have come forward in the opposition as an "irresponsible and mongrel gathering of office seekers, joined with the cast-off elements which has been rejected by the best elements of both republicans and democrats," it is simply an insult to the people—a statement which lacks the force of truth and decency. They make this further appeal to our republican friends: "Until the republican party of Bexar county can organize upon its principles and enter the lists of an open and fair contest, based on principle, we think we may with propriety call upon the respectable element of that party to unite with us in an earnest endeavor to defeat the guerilla element in Bexar county politics, which has retired the republican party, as a party, from power and influence, and is now joining with the cast-off elements of the democratic party for the purpose of destroying that also."

It is the desperate effort of a desperate crew, not of the democracy, it is an appeal based on purely partizan motives and not an appeal to the people for their good. It says: "Come republicans, aid us to get the bone first, then we will fight over it like a pair of dogs afterwards."

Finally, fellow-citizens, we appeal to you to stand by us in an effort to continue the reform. We have opposed to us a strong party machine, backed by money extorted from candidates and office-holders, thousands of dollars will be used to corrupt the ballot-box. We appeal to you to come to the ballot-box, not divided, but solidly as a people and endorse by your votes the movement of reform.

The following is the ticket chosen as representatives of our movement:

GEO. PASCHAL, For District Attorney.

T. P. MCALL, For District Clerk.

ED. FROBOESE, For County Treasurer.

NAT LEWIS, For Sheriff.

J. S. RAMSAY, For Collector.

MORRILL POOR, For Assessor.

C. L. WURZBACH, For County Judge.

J. J. STEVENS, For County Clerk.

W. M. LOCKE, For Surveyor.

OTTO STAFFEL, For County Attorney.

FRED BADER, For Constable Precinct No. 1.

ANTON ADAM, For Justice of the Peace.

S. W. MCALLISTER, For Justice of the Peace.

JOE MORIN, For Hide Inspector.

T. H. BANKS, For Legislature.

J. W. LIGHT, For Legislature.

EMIL OPPERMANN, For Public Weigher.

LOUIS BERTHEA, For Public Weigher.

L. T. PULLIA, H., For Public Weigher.

WM. KEARY, For Public Weigher.

ALF. MUSSEY, For Co. Commissioner.

J. A. CHAVEZ, For Co. Commissioner.

WM. HOEFLING, SR., For Co. Commissioner.

FRANK UMSCHEID, For Co. Commissioner.

[Signed]

C. H. MERRITT,

J. P. HICKMAN,

JOHN H. BOLTON,

Jessie H. PRESNALL,

C. F. GROOS,

J. H. COPELAND,

J. N. GALLAGHER,

A. SANTLEBEN,

Del. Dewees,

George H. Judson,

Executive Committee.