San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-09-05
The 1ai1y Eight.
Office No. 4 East Commerce Street.
HANCOCk'S BAD BREAK.
An Eye and Ear Witness Speaks
Houston and Gibbs Get in
Good Work,

this morning TO see what light could
be thrown upon the matter of the
Hancock disgrace.
From the statements of the several
gentlemen interviewed, the following
is as near the facts as the wisdom of
the reporter can collate from the sew
eral narratives:
1t seems that the committee on res
olutions had just brought in its re-
port, by the mouth of its chairman,
John Hancock, of Austin. Upon TAX
ing his seat Senator Houston, of San
Antonio, presented the minority re-
port and made strong speech in
favor of mentioning Arkansas Pass by
name. In the course of his remarks
he read at length from the text of a
bill, which was somewhat in the n "a
ture of a report upon the feasibility of
opening Arkansas Pass, which bill
had been drafted by COrtell, the
eminent engineer VINO was Eads'
right hand man in opening the mouth
of the Mississippi.
Ex-Gov. Gibbs rose and introduced
a resolution which he presented as a
substitute for the majority and the MI
nOrity report.
Judge Hancock, in speaking to the
majority report, evidently felt that
danger was in the air, as the report of
the committee on permanent organiza-
ton engineered in the interest of Gal
weston had been slaughtered, and as
HoustOn's speech had made decided
impression upon the northwestern
delegations. To remove this impress
sion ne commenced in his we'll known
way to belittle the Arkansas Pass
scheme, and growing personal indi-
rectly charged that the attempt to
open Arkansas Pass by private capital
was corrupt job to defraud the gov
eminent; that Barney Gibbs was in
terested in town sites at Rockport,
ETC., etc." President Lott patiently
endured the abuse until for
bearance ceased to be virtue, and
the chairman not rebuking the
speaker from the platform, Mr.. Lott
rose in his place in the body of the
convention and charged Judge Han
cock with knowingly and wilfully
making false statements. Hancock
retorted II will settle this out of the
convention Lott replied, "all right"
when Ex-Governor Thayer, chairman
of the convention, rose to his feet and
farming TO Hancock ordered him at
once to cease all his personalities,
stating that he had permitted him to
proceed in the hopes that each SEN
tence would be his last, but that his
language transcribed the utmost limit
of parliamentary usage and decency
and could not, and should not be re-
peated. Hancock proceeded with his
speech and at its close Chairman
Thayer call upon EE-Gov. Gibbs to
reply to HancOc;'s personal charges.
The Ex-Governor, who had been
nursing his wrath to keep it warm,
sailed into the gray headed politician
from Austin without gloves and ad-
ministered a castigation that will,nOt
be forgotten in decade.
Senator Houston was then called
upon to reply for himself, and most
adroitly turned the tables upon his
antagonist by broadly conveying the
intimation that Hancock was the paid
attorney of the Galveston Wharf COM
pany yet without so directly charg-
ing it as to subject himself to rebuke.
President Lott refused to add any
thing to what he had already said.
Chairman Thayer then apologized to
the convention IOr Cne ulSgrdcelul per-
sonalities which had characterized
Hancock's remarks, as partially his
own fault as he had permitted them,
and again administered a most point
ed rebuke to the gentleman from Aus
tin for his utter forgetfulness of the
manners and language and usages Of
gentlemen in debate.
That Judge Hancock was deeply
mortified over the occurrence was
evident from mis- after conduct. He is
said to have not shown himself again
in the convention, was not present at
the reception, nor upon the excursion
to the Loop, and did not return home
with the Texas crowd.
The occurrence was the theme of
universal regret, but there were no
expressions of disapproval of the
course taken by Messrs. Gibbs,
Houston and Lott, the general ver-
dict being that they had ample justi-
fication for their conduct. The popu-
lar verdict was that Governor Gibbs
hit the mark when he charged
Hancock with being so accustomed to
browbeat and bulldose and use the
arts of the low down politicians that he
had forgotten that he was addressing
a convention of gentlemen and not a
crowd of ward strikers.
The, northwestern delegates, it is
said Uara nuoh imDreSSed with the