San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-07-10
REPUBLICAN STATE CONVENTION

The LIGHT has not published the call
for a state Republican convention issued
some days since, and purpOrting to
come from the Republican state execu-
tive committee. That committee has
had no session to determine upon call.
True, such matters are frequently ar
ranged by correspondence between the
chairman of the committee and the
members, but in this instance the state
executive committee has neither chair
man nor secretary, those offices having
been vacated by death since the last
convention, held in Fort Worth two
years ago last May. The LIGHT has no
assurance that this call emanates from
any authority competent to issue an
order for the convOcatiOn OF the Repub-
hcans Of this state. Were there sutti-
Client grounds for accepting the call as
genuine, there would still be very grave
doubts concerning the wisdom of the
measure; but, in that case, the call
emanating from authority would be
obeyed. Under the present condition of
affairs, with the best light obtainable Of
the situation, instructed by past events
and admonished by past failures, the
LIGHT is decidedly opposed to putting
the Republicans OF this state to the I'M
necessary expense Of $4,000 for
. state convention, unless some
unimpeaohable authority can be
shown for such call. The Evening
Dispatch is authority for the statement
that Mr.. }. c. De Gress, Of Austin, Issued
the call after correspondence with the
members Of the executive committee, a
majority Of whom favored the call.
With the published proceedings of the
Fort Worth convention before us we
search in vain to find Mr.. J. c. De Gress'
name among the members of the state
executive committee, and naturally
wonder by what authority. Mr.. De Gress
assumes to levy tax Of $4,000 upon
the republicans Of this state. The chair
man and secretary Of this executive
committee being dead the executive
committee should have assembled and
elected head to their committee and
published that fact for the information
Of the party in Texas before any other
move was made. The republican party
In Texas has history. The calling of
conventions in Texas from the year 1873
to this present forms very peculiar
chapter in that history. The particular
relations of the pseudo father of this
present call, j. e. De Gress, to the work
and result Of these conventions form a
very instructive page OF that chapter.
The republicans Of this state have been
called together again and again, osten.
sibly to nominate state officers, really
to place the party in the hands of those
who had axes to grind, and by whom
the party was sold out for the personal
benefit of those who manipulated it
The convention OF 1873 was sold out tC
the greenbackers for the benefit of the
candidate for the Austin postofTice al
that time. The conventions held
since then have nominated no candi'
dates. They have simply answered
the purpose Of handing the party ovel
to some men who have used IL to fur
Their their own interests. Even In 1885,
there were whole counties of this stat,
in which hundreds, If not thousands, o
votes might have been secured for the
presidential candidate on the republican
ticket, where not even ticket was In
existence. This is not a general election
year. There is no need Of state con.
vention. The republicans of the state
do not desire 1t. The interests of the
party, as the LIGHT has again and agalr
shown, are not likely to be subserved
by putting ticket into the field this fall
It is not necessary to call the whole ma.