The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-08-28
GOV. DAVIS AT TURNER HALL.
ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION OF THE
INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE.
He Explains His Position rs an Indepen-
dent---Reviews Party POlitics---
Touches on Tariff and
state Issues.

[Reported by II. Ry,ler-Taylor for the LIGHT
A large audience assembled i'm Turner hall on
saturday night to listen to an exposition of
Gov. Davis political opinions as Independent
candidate for congress in the 10th district.
Mr.. c. w. Ogden, in introducing Gov. Davis,
sid: Fellow citizens, Gov. Davis is too well
known to need Introduction or communication.
His personal and official integrity is admitted
even in political strifehis principles he viii
Gov. Davis, who was received with cheers,
said:
Il regret to ask your attention, your quiet
attention, for threc-Quarters Of an hour or one
hour this evening, because of the warm
weather which renders it aI unfavOrible sea
son to start out to make u canvass of the dis
trict which, rs you are aware, is one of the
largest, but rs ! have promised to visit each
county itin Obliged to commenced early in the
day, and in the warm weather,
Mr.. Ogden has announced the nature of IN!
candidacy. am Il candidate regardless of party
lines an independent candidate. Now, gentle,
men, have arrived at tho conclusion that thiS
iS'the proper line of politics, after mature con,
lovely in my own party with which l have been
associated for years. 1t would he absurd 70.
me to cover up my feelings and party associ,l-
tons, l am u republican,: lChcersl don,
denyft 1t would BIZ ullwise for me to do So
and if did You should not vote for me beGsilIS,
it would he an indication that was sailing I'm
der false cOloI~. inn Il republican on thu
Y .eat national issues such rs equal rights re-
CARELESS of color and nationality, protection o.
all interests, encouragement of Immigration
and the general diffusion of knowledge, re-
Y lrdless of color and in all those principles
which divide republicans and democrats. On
such issues am a republican, and always will
he, but Us regards lOts, affairs | can be re
publican and ut the same time an independent,
democratic party have lately sprang upon lis
i A voice: We want Il high tariff, Governor
lGOv. Davis, addressing the intcrruptOr:l Wei
talk of that later on.
Coy. Davis, rcsuIning his address: '"The cit
IL ms of the state can and ought to be indepen
,,cnt in its local affairs, and not be bound b!
party lines or party bonds. notice. however
it suits tho democratic party to keep up tn,
old party lines. 1t il strange but bclievc it i,
true. It's leaders strive to keep up the O,
lines, To maintain its organization, and fec
are lost, and they seem determined t,
do this, although it Is injurious t.,
the whole country: The dcmocrati,
and republican parties have degcncmtcd, st.
officers, they are elected more with the view of
controlling the federal offices i'm the interest OF
indivd uais and this has become the special doc
trinc of tho parties. COnventiOnS are run H.
the interest Of imd yiduals; delegates are fixed
cotcrics are formed and good men put out who
have done their duty. Thus | think parties
have degcnerate,l, and when look back bcfor
the war feel sure of it. Then we got along
better, for men ran upon their own merits an,
did not have to b passed upon by any CONVEX =
ton. think we were us well off then inv the
excellence of our officers Than We are now. Ole.
sam Houston, Governor Wood, Bell and others
who did not get any endorsement Of rcpubli-
cans or democrats. They came before the pco-
pie upon their own merits und we had then bet
ter officers than we have new. In national
matters it is different. We cannot well do with
,ut Il convention, otherwise there would be
several candidates for the presidency. 1t il
Ictter that two names only come before the.
and that th pthn ShoIIIl Inc, m
new president. TO act otherwise would Gauss.
nothing bit strife. National elections must h.
run in this way, because the president is elected
by the plurality of votes, but in the states thcr,
seemed to be no reason for conventions lis the
candidates are simply elected by majOritcs. |
do not intend TO make an issue upon this qlIeS-
ton. ! have attended conventions, taking part
in them many times, acting with my friend
there, but think tho conventions have dcgcn-
Grated in this state and ] presume in other
states all over the sGiry IL p"hli ran. ana
gcncracy and to see the efforts used In conven-
ton to put men in office regardless of the
feeling of the people, we have an instance ~
it at the recent Austin congressional
convention. hear complaints from one section
of the incOnsideratc way in which they were
treated: that the convention was fixed up, the
man chosen, the resolutions cut and dried, and
their attendance there was simply matter of
form. This j. u sign of degeneration that i,
shocking. II was understood by Epson and his
friends that this district WIS crtated for the
nomination. don't know whether this will be
any satisfaction to tpson'S friends, but it is So
Hancock, from what know of the feelings of
democracy, is the choice of the few; but pSon
is decidedly the chosen of the rank and file OF
democracy, but the caucus won. 1t went fur
Their back, manufactured districts; not for
your Interests but ~ enable one party to sup
press the other by max inn maiOrtiCS This
was supposed T." Le aulie ~ the legislature and
80 il was nOInimally. but II was the Great ion al
the caucus. will read yo'' s'l,rtlilIg Of that
business from the cSiSlat I've report. Ny friend
Wurzbach figures in the business. 1 do not
know which side Of the fence he is on but |
like him personally:
"Mr. Wurzbach amended by transferring
RUpDelS, Coleman and San Saba from the lUt IN
to this ll!h district.
Mr.. Wurzia,.sl, ,9,ntenied that the 10th dis
trict was given B,WffWCs over and above the
proper ratio. while liir llii district, with gnly
lth,UU votes, was far below the ratio. The
democratic majority in the 10Th district Of 8, l&
would only be- reduced, by the transfer of those
counties, by ~ votes. The committee saddled
Wash JOnes's county, which nobody cared to
touch, ~ the 10th district. Travis county,
Wash JONES' a,d the whole state department
were Sa'idcd on tho district, and he Thought il
wrong to still further saddle tnn district with
population of l4UU in excess Of tho pro rata,
population.
Mr.. Hill opposed the amendment. The COM
mittD had labortal arluOuSly for two weeks
hearing n..mbcrS for their CaIi$e. IL the bill
were recOmniiIt.d which would he the effect
of the adoption Of TIM HpcndnIcnt, the state
would not he rediStrictr,l.
Mr.. Carleton said he did not hel,eye tbarf was
Il representative for the proposed lOth dIstriri
satisfied with tlo bill in is present shape, but
he thought the aineDdHcDT "t Mr. WlizbaCh
would be going from bad a. worse, iiriSmuch
aS il would De wilful transfer Of dcnocratic
from district in which Wash Jones
was an indefinite quantity. He would offer IN
amendment taking Ikist r,,p out Of tho district
and he moved to amend Mr.. Wulzhiclis
by putting Iiastrop In place of
Runnels and Coleman: Lost.