Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-03

z .
MGR ard both branches OF the legislature
had been Republican. The riotous ex-
trkyaaance Of thst period had never been
equaled in Texis, and has probably never
| been surpassed anywhere. The state sd
valorem tex had been raised to fifty cents
On the 500 valuation, and this Was in
creased by special levies Of various kinds,
both state AMI county, without psrasl 81
| In the history of the State, previous or
subsequent. Governor Davis In his mes
sage OF April 30. 1870, had declared the
state. to be Substantially Gu. CT debt"
When the Democrats regaired control
OF the state they found debt oil S., 2l0. :
073. 95, sill OF it incurred in four years Of
r idical mi ale, despite the fact that dur-
! ing the same ptr.od uueQuillsd sums Of
, revenue had been wru1g from the people
BY unjust taxation. During this time
state warrants were haWked on the
streets at 45 cents, snd state bonds were
unsalesble in a1y msIket. In 3 few
months after the Inauguration Of Coke
state securities reached So, and during
| the succeeding administrator they be-
came worth 40 They now stand on an
eq1 Isl footing Wl;h the vi ed States gov,
erRment bonos, only about 81 $50, 900
beiFg outstanding.
IN vIRTUoUs GUISE.
Pretending to be the friends Of free
| schools, the Republicans levied s tax OF
i per cent for the purpose cfhu.lding
| school houses and to maintain public
free schools. The valuation OF property
10 the ate At that time WAS more than
$500. 000,000, and Che tax, If collected,
should nave amounted to more than
$4,000, coo, The record shows that shout
OIL go. eco Of this amount was collected,
but no school houses were built, ant Ghe
schools taught were few in NUMBER snd
OF the most inferior kind. TEE
fact is, the school system was
organized for political purposes. The
| r Republican leaders thought the people
| would So omit lomore robbery II done in
the name Of public schools, and they Or
| ga1fz3d the system for the purpose CT
| makiGg fat sinecures for party hanctm n
] How much Ct this vast fund OF
SCHOOL Monty WAS STOLEN
nobody will ever know, bu: 321 per can't.
! Of 1t was psid 10 an srmy of useiess schcCl
| eff ;ers, appointed fer no other purpt sc
tnsn TO draw salaries. nopg these eff
GERS we're superintendent with $4,000,
and sn allowance tor travelling expenses
twelve clerks in the department at sala
ries from $1,000 to $4,000; an architect to
draw plans for magnificent houses
never constructed, salary $3.50 a
month; thirty-fiye district supervisors
at $1,000 each; one inspector for each
| populous county and one for eysry two 0l
three sosrselg settled counties at s&lsriei
| 4 Slf5 month; Dumerous sXaminers a.
| S75 to $3.50 month; treasureIs Of schoo
b lards,5 paid the same commission q
county treasurers; $50 school directors
3. 81 day when on duty. Osher en-
ploYes for the year 1873 (uot including
teachers) cost The state S36. z0S 95. There
| we're 2060 schools run for three months
that year. Thig work Is now done by 4
s.ste superintendent at sslsry of S2500
assisted oy the other state offi;ers with.
cut tx.rA pay, and by the county judge!
st small cost. There ar,
l.o1 more thsn 5000 schools
ked they sre run four months In the ccun
| Try and tee ia many Of the towns.
MORE TAXES YRT.
Bat wss about to leave out ono lew
larger thGn the state and school tex O
the pre5en. year combined. there va!
also, under Republican rule s levy Of 2i
cents on the 500 valuation, laid for roat
purposes This produced a revenue o
100000 g year, gum which, properl!
expanded, should have built many splen
DID Highways in the state. That 1t wa
not SO expended is abundant,
such highways exis. or dit
exist TceTe WAS one-helf OF !. per cen.
wrung from the people for general stat
1 ha of.ta ro1n
and deeper into debt each year; l pc
| toiling thousands for the ostensible pur
pose OF build rg school houses and edu
eating their children, and yet no house
were ever built, and the children OF tn
state allowed to grow up in idleress an
ignorance; one-fourth CT per cent. o
his properly forced from every citizs
, for the alleged purpose OF building publ
| roade, and yet no roads were ever built
A total Of II per cent. levied upo
The aggregate value of property owned i
Fexss-collections amounting IN roun
figures to So. 800, 000-and the only thin
the retiring administration left to shoN
! for 1t when the government was force
! from them in 1884, Was broken cred
: and debt of $4,000, 900.
Il WHERE THE MONEY WENT.
: What bt came Of sll this money nobod
r will ever be able to tell. What becam
, CT some Of 1t the records show, xnd the
1 furnish . good basis upon which to pred
cate @ guess IS to how the remainde
was made TO disappear. In m
search for truth - that art'cl
3 which slone your true newspaper ma
= deems worth pursuing. examined
? large number of vouchers for the col
. tingeat expenses of
|, TIE TWELFTH LEGISLATURES.
l There is NO perfect record OF the Nintl
g Tenth and Eleventh, but there is ricnnee
. enough for all three 20 be found in dis
i, section Of the expense accounts Of tt
Twelfth. For riotous ex!raVagance Gn
i utter want Of morality doubt il Il
Q Twelfth Texas legislature has ever bee
i equalled by any other legislative sssemb
J. on this continent. And in their rsscali
o the members seem to have been sb
/, assisted by every man or firm wi
y rendered the state q service at that tim
;. and by many who rendered 1t none.
= HOW THE BILLS COME IN.
a Among hundreds Of bills, every char
N in each one Of which was exhorbitint,
:. copied one in full. II was in favor
Mordecai & Trsynham. and WAS as to
" lows.