San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-10-29
ADDRESS
To the Voters of Bexar County.

Two years ago the people of this county
became aroused to the necessity of stepping
out from under the rule of political party
machinery in order to wrest our local affairs
from the control and domination of set of
ringSterS and precinct politicians, who, by
reason of public patronage and uninterrupted
success, had OverthTOwn the voice of the bet
ter element of our community, and in
the name of democracy dragged the
trust of the people down into the mire and
slime of political corruption, until it could
no longer be said "a public office had become
public trust to keep warm and fattcn the
corrupt following of purciIascable voters to
be used to control the nominations, and in the
name of the democratic party demand for
them the support of the people.
So glaring had become the corrupt condi-
ton of our local politics that decent men Of
all parties became disguised with the cleo
ton business and turned their backs ON all
party movements, and refused to act or be-
come parties to the plain and open cOrrup-
ton that had levelled our community to a
depth too low for an honest man to offer his
name for county office without a blush of
shame mantlng his face. 1t was in this
emergency that 100 citizens, not officer
seekers" stepped out and determined to
make an honest effort to reform our local
politics, and, if possible, restore the public
business to the keeping Of a set of officials
who would not be the slaves OF ring of
INSCRIPTIONS men who had possessed SUI
preme control of large element of our vOt-
ing population and welded them as one
man i'll the primaries, at conventions and at
the ballot box. This first effort, set in mo-
ton by committee of one hundred good
citizens drawn equally from both political
parties, met with favor at the hands of the
people, who were assured and convinced that
no partiZan end could be SubSerYed by such
movement, as success placed no political
party i'll power nor displaced any, but in
Sured the election of Il set of officials who
would be indebted to the people, irreSpec-
tive of party for their election.
This splendid movement of two years ago,
was but partially successful because the
seed was left from which has grown a full
crop of the same weeds that have chOked
out the harvest of reform, both in our city
and county politics. The knife of the indie
pendent ballot did not sink deep enough to
take out the root OF the cancer, and ii has
again spread until our fair city is being
bIighted by its TavageS and threatened with
destruction, unless the people again drive
the knife to the bone and scrape it clean.
Two years have gone by and the good re-
suits of the peoples movement, are before
you for Judgment. 1t brought about bet
ter administration of our public affairs, as it
left the officials free to conduct their duties,
and attend to the public business freed from
partizan demands and individual impOT-
tunitieS.
The lesson taught by the people was
needed to great extent, SO much SO that
when the same old ring came to make up its
programme to recapture their lost ground,
they made use of some of the material of the
peoples movement and placed on their ticket
Capt. Geo. r. Dashiell and Judge WurZbach,
in order to make a show of reform, and in
other positions, candidates of responsibility
in order to cover their work and deceive the
people. This concession TO the people is
also part of the results of the peoples re-
form movement, and one of the strong aTgTl-
mentS we could advance at this time in
favor of that movement. For not only did
it bring about healthy action in our public
affairs, but forced the TingSteTs to attempt to
pr0pitiate the people by endorsing the same
men they had attempted to defeat two years
ago.
Again the same contest is upon us. The
manipulatorS of the machine, located in our
city, aided and directed by the head of our
city government and the county collector,
again came TO the front, and in spite of the
efforts of a scret club of well-intentiOned
gentlemen, secured control of the democratic
primaries and the convention; and again, in
the name of the great democratic party of
the nation demand that our local county
business be turned over 10 their care.
The pOStpOnement of the democratic con-
ventiOn was a rule TO force the republicans
into party action in order to take advantage
of partiZan rancor to whip every democrat
into the ranks with the party lash. But our
republican fellOw-citiZenS, assembled and de
clared against nominations for county
officers and in favor of a movement indie.
pendent of party action. ManipulatOrs OF
the machine then saw their only remaining
hope was TO clOthe itself in the livery OF
jefferson and Jackson and pose before the
people as patriots. 1t is greatly TO be re-
GREETED that many of our good citizens were
drawn into this trap and partially cOmprO
missed they hoped to carry reform, but were
caught in the grasp Of the ring; their man,
hood and Independence, however, was moi
destroyed, and we have no heStancy in APP
peallng to them to stand to one side while
the people deal the blow they themselves
wanted to deal at the hydra-headed monster
of political corruption.
Again, il becomes necessary TO nut I'm mo
ton plan TO defeat the rule of tile hirelinl
democracy. The people dstrusted everS
species of ward political action. A conven
tinn pnuld not hp held fairly ranraoantot