The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-10-07

condition of the state, and they would charge
the increasing indebtedness to the DAVIS al
ministratiOn.
COKE AT LAST GROWS WEARY OF CHARGING
THE DEBT TO DAVIS.
In COkcs last message, however, he seems to
have grown weary of this practice and ne ac-
knOwledged an increase of debt somewhere
over half million OF dollars without making
any pretence that he and his government were
not responsible fOrit. While that debt was in
creasing under his administration, he was not
ministratiOn to blame for the increase, the
cause of it being in both instances that the re-
ceipts could not meet the expenditures. IN
peIlses had to bemet to u certain limit and it
was impossible to continue the administration
Of the state government without them GOV.
Coke say was not blamable in that regard,
what he was to blame for was his effort TO put
the increase of debt all on a previous adhistra-
ton without justice and without reason
Another of the charges is that when the re-
publican administration went out of Office
four million dollars i'm bonds had been sold.
Here are the exact figures:
THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF BONDS SOLD BY THE RE
PUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION
Including what had been issued to take up
expenses of the state government incurred be-
fore the war under General Sam Houston Tor
frontier defense amounted to $l.G5,U4.1O Ac-
cOrding to the report of August 3lst 1873, the
TOTAL AMOUNT OF BONDS SOLD BY MEsskS.
COKE AND HUBBARD,
In addition to those issued by the republicans
was Sl,GSO,,WD and this has to be charged 10
them in all fairness
MIR. DARDEN'S LAST REPORT
Before Governor Roberts came into Office gives
the total amount of the debt due on August
3lst, 1873, to beS',@GOll.'s an increase from
little over a million and Il half due when the
republicans went out or Office.
THE CLAIM OF UNAUDITED DEBT.
But they claim that one reason for the in
crease of that debt was that they paid debts
which had not been audited during the rcpub-
lican administration, debts for which warrants
had not been issued. grant that thore may have
been an increase of debt in that way, perhaps
as much as SjOOOOO, but that amount was more
than compensated for by uncOllected revenue
A large part of the taxes had not been collect
ed. Wealthy land owners avoided paying taxes
altogether, and large corporations did not pay
The amount thus due during. the republican
government and collected during the five years
following amounted to Sl,211,1W.
THIS is A TRUE STATEMENT
OF the financial condition and receipts of this
government from January 1870 up to August
:Ilst 1873, rs exhibited by official reports and
tndcniaDlc facts.
As REGARDS TAXATION.
In 1870 it was fifteen cents on the hundred
dollars the next year it was thirty cents and
the last two years fifty cents, and that cOninu-
ed to be the tax until last year when it was re-
duced to forty cents and has since been re-
duced to thirty cents. Never has one and d
half per cent been collected for taxes for any
purpose and yet such a statement has been
advanced by those gentlemen. 1t is true that
ut one time there was a tax Of one per cent for
| school purposes, but at that time You had
| schools, and this tax was never returned to the
| where collected. The democrats got into
power, you ceased to pay that tax and your
schools also ceased.
THE PENSION BUSINESS EXPLAINED.
There was one matter connected with the fin
ancial history of the state which ought to be I'M
derstOOd and which is Il curious illustration
of democratic methods. In August, 1870,
veterans who had secured the independence of
Texas. 1t was a very briefly wOrled act, and
provided pension of $50 annually to the vet
cran and $500 in case he had lost Il limb. The
! those who had rendered service as early
| us the battle of San JacintO. IT confined
70 the limitations designed by. the leg.
| islature not more than two hundred and
fifty persons would have received its benefits
| But the democratic leaders, always astutc aud
managing, and always seemingly anxious to
could be charged to the republicans got
possession of the comptroller, Judge Bled-
soc ian honest gentleman and good citi-
affairs and persuaded him that he oughttO in
clude in the meaning of the pension act every
body who scved in the state up to the time OF
the war between the United States and Mexico.
| The legislature on his report provided apprO-
priatiOnS of about quarter of u million dol
| lars to meet this extraordinary expense. In
view of the straits that the government was
| suffering in the way of finances, vetOed those
items and called the attention of the lcgisla-
ture to the circumstance that the cOnstruc-
ton given to the act would ruin the state; that
there might be as many as five thousand per-
| sons living who would have the right to claim
pensions under it, and ] asked them to remodel
the act So as to secure pensions to those Old
men who were entitled to the states bounty,
and to none others. In the canvass which fol-
| lowed the democrats cndcavOred to make the
| point that Lin my hostility to the white peO-
| pie of Texas, proposed to punish the old veter-
and other appeals which subsequent events in
| the political history of this state have shown
70 be unjust and humanity. Governor Coke
| went into office with legislative majority of
any measure with the certainty of its adoption.
but instead of revising the original act they
passed law directing that pension bonds should
be issued TO- all veterans dating 1ack six or
the republican legislature, and without regard
| us to whether the bcncticiares had yet taken
the first step of making application. They
went further, by extending its effect, and they
authorized the comptroller to credit ull those
claims on the atttayits of two persons. As q
result OF this concession, intended to make
were audited in alarming numbers and debt
incurred from pensions bonds ana interest on
those bonds of about s., 200 100. Finally becOm-
ing alarmed at their mistake the legislature re-
pcaled the law and left the veterans who should
receive the generous bounty of the state to
starve i'm the midst of prosperity. [ApplalIse I
II, as is now alleged, this debt was infamous
why did hid or democratic legislature repeal
the act instead Of wplGnng its scopel Why
did they allow such an iGdehtt, lncsS ~ grow
in face OF manifest fraud and II suyGrumiCn
constantly running behind its rcvcnilGT Zap
piausG.
THE stare POLICE.
Having As ] believe, covered all tho financial
m MI la 4