San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-09-09
nrMoRALlsrn IN FUSION.

decision upon It's merits, anu tho hNCh'
ing Paper having undertaken to write
down rs unrcpublican and dishonest, po,
utically, all who do not follow the gods
Of fusion, the l.IGur proposes 10 show
that fusion has worked evil 10 the rcpub-
llcan party Of BoNsr oounty-only evil,
and that continuously. Il proposes 70
show that there has been no straight re-
publicaniSm In BeNSr county, as
u county, since 1873. II proposes
TO show that fusion, SO far
from being new experiment out Of
which republicans are TO make great
political gains, is u delusiOn and snare,
and has utterly demUrali2ed the party
for the past thirteen years. II proposes
| to show that fusion, SO far from purify
ing politics and giving us better men,
men untrammeled by ring methods, has
only given us one set Of ring masters in
lieu OF another, and made the republican
party OF Texas the cats-paw and politi-
cal prOcuress OF disgruntled democrats.
The last republican ticket put before
the electors Of Bexar county. by a regu-
larry constituted county convention
composed of delegates from the several
precincts, and for which an organized Of
fort Of the party was made, was in 1873.
In this election A. |. Lock wood, a prom
incnt and influential republican, having
been defeated in the convention for
nomination as sheriff, deserted the party
and joining the democracy materially
aided them in the election. The result
was rs follows:
Clerk district court, Sam 5.
smith, (dem.) elected by majority of
22l over r. Wulfing, (rep3 sheriff, ID. II.
Bonnet, rep elected over II. A. Nit
Chell, (dem.) by n majority OF 3lG; chief
justice, IL. KlOcke, rep elected over J.
Il. Sweet, (dem.) by a majority OF 251; j.
B. LaoOste, (dem.) elected for county
by $50 majority; A. Moyd, (rep) defeat
ed for hide inspector by }. Crawford,
(dem.) by 7lS votes.
In this election two repubh
cans and three democrats were
elected to principal offices, after the de-
fiction Of one Of the strongest men in the
party. The office of chief justice was at
that time the most important office to be
lilled.and more interest centered around
it than any other, as it was regarded as
more nearly testing the strength Of the
parties than any other. The republican
chief justice was elected by 25S major
ity.
In 1873 the first fusion ticket was put
out and the result was, Noonan (rep.)
elected over Ports (dem.) for district
judge; county judge, Dwyer straight
dem. detected over Judsen fusion DEM;
district attorney. Anderson (rep.) elect
ed over Wallace straight dem); county
clerk, Smith straight dem.) elected over
Rosenheimer fusion DEM; sheriff, Knox
straight dem. defeated Shardein fusion
DEM; district clerk, Dashiell straight
dem.) defeated Wulting rep; assessor,
Beck straight DEM defeated KlOcke
rep; collector, Chavez straight dem.)
defeated Hsueisen rep; hide inspector,
Williamson straight dem.) defeated
Davis (colored republican, by small
majority. This year one republican and
one fusion democrat were elected to Of
flee, showing quite conclusively that the
strength OF the fusion ticket was merely
the strength OF the republican party,
which two years before had elected as
many prominent republicans to office as
the fusionists had elected republicans
and democrats combined.
In 1873 another fusionist ticket was
put before the people, with the follow
ing result:
County Judge +. G. Smith straight
dem.) VS.. W. II. Huston (rep.), Smith
elected; sheriff, T. Z. Mccall straight
dem.) VS.. John DObbin fusion dem.),
Mccall elected; district clerk, George K.
Dashiell straight DEM VS.. Baldus
fusion dem.), Dashiell cleo ed; county
clerk, sam ). smith, no opposition;
Geo. Williamson straight
dem.) VS.. Klocke (rep.), Williamson
collector, +. McNewton straight
dem.) VS.. l.. Cara fusion dem }, New
ton elected; district attorney, Fred
son (rep.) Cooke elected; surveyor, L. c.
Navarro straight dem.) VS.. W. NJ.
Locke (rep.), Navarro elected; county
treasurer, J. B. Lacoste straight dem.O
vs.. A. Biesenbach (rep.) Lacoste elected;
hide inspector, J. p. Campbell straight
dem VS. Jose Cassisno fusion dem.),
Campbell elected.
In this election the fusion foolishness
of the previous election bore fruit and
not single fusionist was elected. The
democrats wisely concluding that fusion
meant as only disorganization,
and decentralization of party kept up
their organization, made regular noml-
nations and swept the political board.
In 1850 there was straight republi-
can ticket, but no organization of the
party. No convention was held, the
precincts were not organized, there was
no systematic effort to test the sense or
consult the will of the party in making
the nominations, and many republicans
announced their determination to act
independently not considering them
selves bound by the action of those who
made the nominations. Under all these
discouragements the republicans enter
ed the field, and when the polls closed
found the result as follows:
District Judge G. II. Noonan (rep.), no
opposition; County Judge F. G. Smith
(dem Tvs. Gee. Paschal, rep detected by 46S
majority; County Clerk ). s. Smith was
elected over his republican rival, X. Wal