The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1871-10-05
Report Of Subcommittee to
Taxpayers' Convention.
SUBCOMMITTEE RooM,
AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 25, 1871. !

SUB-OONMITTEE ROOM,
AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 25, 1871. !
To the Hon. A. ]. HAMILTON, Chairman OF
the General Committee of Twenty-One:
SIR: The subcommittee appoint
ed to take into consideration and
report to the General Committee the
several violations of the State and
Federal Constitutions and other
fragrant violations of law, by the
present administration of the State
Government, beg leave to submit the
following report:
The violations of the Constitution
and disregard of law have been very
frequent and are numerous; but fire.
quent as they have been, and numer-
GUS as they are, we have been unable
to find single one of either class,
based on an honest desire to accom-.
plish good to the people Of the State
or to secure prosperity to the country;
on the contrary, their apparent cause
seems to uniformly spring from one
grand purpose, viz: to concentrate
power into the hands of one man,
and to emasculate the strength of the
citizens of Texas as a free people.
However hopeless such a design
might have appeared, and however
little feared by the reasoning and in
telligent mind eighteen months ago,
yet at this day, we must confess, the
scheme has far progressed toward con.
summation, and the people stand
stripped of many of the inalienable
rights of freemen, while he who is
now clothed with these lost rights of
the people, gloats on their humilia-
ton and congratulates himself on
the possession of kingly power.
We may safely state, that the
practical effect of each of the acts
we shall name, has been, and is now,
to abridge the rights of the citizen,
and to enlarge, solidify and confirm,
the power of the Executive. And,
1. Duly elected and qualified mem
bers of the Legislature, in both
Houses, have been expelled or denied
seats, to give place to persons who
were not elected by a majority of
voters, and who were not in law en-
titled to seats. Case of Afford in
the Senate case of Plato in the
House.
2. At time when measures of
grave Importance of themselves, and
of vital interest to all the people,
were under discussion and not MAJ
tured, the majority in the State Sen
ate, arbitrarily and without authority
of law, placed nearly all the minority
under arrest, and deprived them of
voice, in behalf of the people; and
so held them in arrest, and silent,
until the Militia Law, the Police Bill,
the Enabling Act, the Registration
Act and the Election Law were
passed, and until nominations for
Judicial and other important officers
were approved of, all of which meas
ures 60 to the oppression of the peo-
pie, and many of the officers con-
frmed were unqualified as to capacity,
corrupt as to morals and entirely
unfit for high position in any State.
8. A multitude of new offices have
been created and officers appointed
to ill them, without the consent and
against the will of the people.
4. Important and needful legis-
lation to the country has been post
poned and delayed at great expense,
until odious and oppressive laws were
fastended upon the people.
5. Without authority of law, and
in violation of the Constitution, the
term of Office of the present members
of the Legislature has been extended
one year. They were elected on the
- day of 1869, and now, under an
act passed and construed by Them
selves, claim to hold until a general
election in the year 1872, notwith-
standing Sec. 4, Art. 3 of the Con-
stitution. The executive has omitted
and failed to order elections to fill
vacancies in the Legislature caused
by death or otherwise, within the
time prescribed by law, and has thus
for many months denied representa-
tive to large bodies of the people,
althOu0h thav yvara Faya1 and have