San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-02-21
THE SITUATION.
A Review of Texas Republloanism-
the Evils OF Bosses I'm the
First Convention.
SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 20.


First Convention.
SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 20.
Daily LIGHT:
Yours is q splendid reply to my last,
but take no issue with you 1 try TO
write history. You write sentiment.
| try to write facts, your put your con-
| struction on the facts. Now step for
ward, and that step brings us to the
| situatiOn of the republican party, In
| Texas, today, or rather to the situation
ofrepublIcans, for we have no party.
The republicans first became factor In
Texas politics, upon the passage OF the
reconstruction acts OF congress, In
| lS67-S, though there had been very
large union element In the state opposed
| to secession, and opposed TO the war.
and to dissolution OF the unior; and
this union element lived through the
war. and was able TO cast, Ia 1866,
nearly 10000 white votes for 4. NJ.
Peas for governor In 1868, and
after all the colored men Of Texas had
been enfranchised and registered as
voters, the republicans held at least co.
600 voters out of the 100000 voters In
Texas, or 10000 majority.
This WAS the situation when the state
convention to frnme constitution for
Texas met In 1868. with the republican
party In an immense majority in the
union and able and willing to help us TO
hold the state,
sixty days session OF that convention
developed no serious contention over
principles, but brought to the front two
leaders whom I call bosses, to-wit: Il. j.
Davis and A. j. Hamilton. Now, let
no reader fly of, and come to the con-
clusion that | am at this place. going
to attack either OF these leaders,
for such Is not the fact, but
do intend to write facts about them.
10 that convention each OF the leaders
sat, and each, while he sat there, cast
his eyes beyond that body and deter
mined that in himself was only to be
found the proper man for the first gov
ernor under the new constitution, and
as we could not have two governors, the
fight opened In cold earnest. i leave to
the curious to trace out the fights, the
contentious, the pickering, and the final
breaking up of all accord and harmony
between these two leaders or bosses and
their friends. Every page Of the jour
mails OF that convention are rife with this
war so ruinous and disgraceful, pOliti-
cally, to the men engaged In 1t. 10 the
contests between these leaders, they
generally stood neck and neck,
and so fierce and malignant
were the conflicts, that every re.
republican was drawn into the vortex.
There was no middle ground to stand
upon. Every republican, must needs be
a Davis man, OF Hamilton man.
The constitution Of 1867 being form
ed, each of these leaders demanded that
his friends should make him governor.
No compromise could be brought about.
lt WAS q political war to the knife and
the pistol.
1t is utterly impossible to mark the
divisions among the republicans. by line,
but as general proposition, the white
republicans, embracing the great union
minds OF the state, went with Hamilton
nd the white new corners, then called
csrpet-bsggers, and the negro voters
went with Davis; and some idea may be
formed of the bitterness OF this con-
test from two fucts; that Morgan c.
Hamilton an elder brother OF A. j.
Hamilton and afteIward for ten years
U. s. senator from Texas, refused to
support his brother, although the most
cordial 6rotherly feelings had always
existed between them; and that John
l.. Haynes who had served three years,
under Col. Davis, as his lieutenant
colonel and loved him, rs brother,
supported Hamilton.
In this election the democrats, feeling
too weak, ran no regular candidates,
although that Old irrecOncilsble man,
that runs the Estate press" of the Gal
weston News, thought he was running
for governor, and one Wells Thompson
thought he was running for lieutenant
governor, on the democrst-seeessioD-
never give 1t up-die 10 the last ditch
ticket; but the former polled but 1000
votes, and the latter but fraction
more. But although we had
majority, and our democratic enemies
would not make serious contest with us,
still our fight among ourselves gave
them great hope.
In our foolish contentious, they could
see and defeat, and their day Of success,
and power in the state.
But the contest ended, Davis was
made first governor OF Texas, under the
new constitution, and full republican
administration with immense power and
patronage was inaugurated.
Here then was golden opportunity
to firmly plant the pillars and stills Of q
republican structure, that would stand
for years and weather the fury
storms OF the democracy, and we will
see In my next, how well or lily this first
republican administration fulfilled the
bright hope. SITUATION.