San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-10-22
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 a set of
ringsterS and precinct politicians, who, by
reason of public patronage and uninterrupted
success, had OverthrOwn 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
apublic trust to keep warm and fatten the
corrupt following of purchaseable voters to
be used to control the nominations, and i'm 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 levclled our community to
depth too low for an honest man to offer his
name for county Office without blush of
shame mantling 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 a ring of
INSCRIPTIONS men who had possessed SUI
preme control of large element of our VOt-
ing population and welded them as one
man in the primaries, at conventions and at
the ballot box. This first effort, set in mo-
ton by a 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 SubServed by such
movement, as success placed no political
party in power nor displaced any, but in
sured the election of 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 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 il has
again spread until our fair city is being
bllghted by its ravageS and threatened with
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 impOr-
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. X. Dashiell and Judge Wurzbach,
Ill order TO make show of reform, and in
other positions, candidates of responsibility
III 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 argIl-
mentS we could advance at this time in
favor OF that movement. For not only did
it bring about a healthy action i'm our public
affairs, but forced the ringsters to attempt to
propitiate the people by endorsing the same
men they had attempted to defeat two years
ago.
Again the same contest is upon us. The
manlpulators 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 to their care
The pOstpOnement of the democratic con-
yentiOn was a rule to force the republicans
into party action in order TO take advantage
of partlZan ranc0r 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 not
destroyed, and we have no hesitancy in APP
pealing 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. II becomes necessary to put in mo-
ton plan to defeat the rule of the hirelng
democracy. The people distrusted every
species of ward political action. A conven-
ton could not be held fairly representative