San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-04-17
REPUBLICANS! READ THIS.
SAN ANTONIO, April l6, 1886.

SAN ANTONIO, April l6, 1886.
To the Editor of the LIGHT:
Sir:-My attention has been called to
a telegram from San Antonio to the Gal
weston News, published in Sundays
edition, in which appears the account
of an interview with Mr.. James p. New
comb. relating to the late republican
convention In this county.
The article quotes Mr.. Newcomb as
saying with reference to myself:
'In 1880 1 stepped aside and had him
elected as q delegate to the national
convention. After getting there and
after the delegation from Texas was Or
ganized with Edmund j. Davis at the
head, Mr.. Terrell deserted the state of
Texas, and informed the delegation that
he had become q citizen Of Indianapolis
and would sit with the Indiana delega-
ton. He therefore took his seat with the
HOosiers."
For cool, unadulterated and malicious
mendaoity, the foregoing statement has
no equal. 81 stepped aside and had him
elected q delegate The effrOntery and
assurance of the assertion would be SIM
ply bewildering, unless one knew the
man who made 1t. Since what
time has Mr.. Newcomb begun to
step aside and give way that
some other person may be elected
to anything? That James P. NewcOmb
had anything, whatever, TO do with my
selection as delegate to the national
convention 10 1880. by the district con-
vention, will be news, indeed, not only
TO myself, but also to the Hon. Edward
Degener, Chas. w. Ogden, Esq, j. V.
Dignowlty, Esq. and Others who were
delegates to that convention, and to
whose kind support was indebted for
correctly, Mr.. Newoomb's name was
under consideration also 10 that conven-
ton, and he received one vote only, 1t
being popularity supposed at the time
that he had cast that vote himself. The
idea that he. In any manner, shape or
form, had anything to do with securing
my election 1T that time must have or.
igiDated In the fertile brain Of Mr.. New
comb within the past week.
The further statement in the article
referred to, that | deserted the Texas
delegation when we reached Chicago,
and sat and voted with the Indiana dele
cation, brand as an Infamous and con-
temptible falsehood. The gross alb
surdity Of the statement and the i'm
possibility OF doing such thing will
strike any one who has ever attended a
national convention.
During that convention L sat in my
proper seat In the midst OF the Texss
delegation, and cast my vote regularly
from that position on every question
considered and every ballot taken in the
convention.
That convention was a memorable
one; 1t lasted q week; the hours grew
tedious; end, possibly on three or four
occasions during the prolonged sessions
and in an interval between ballotiDg,
may have strOlled over to the Ohio and
Indiana delegations. for social chat
or to pick up an item OF news.
The assertion that l announced
to the Texas delegation "that L had be-
come citizen OF indianapolis and would
sit with the Indiana delegation and
abandon that of Texas" is an unmiti-
gated falsehood, utterly without foun-
dation. What did say was that had
lived in Indiana and been much in Ohio,
and knew better than some other mem
bers of my delegation what the republi-
cans in those close states thought OF the
ACCESSIBILITY of the denomination of Gen.
Grant.
The whole trouble was-I did not
vote in that convention in way to suit
JAS. p. Newoomb and others who were
there. was opposed to the renomina-
tion Of Gen. Grant on the ground that
he would certainly be defeated If NOM
mated for third term, and this posi-
ton l took, notwithstanding my I'M
bounded admiration for the character OF
the distinguished soldier. Two other
members of the Texas delega-
ton, General A. G. Malloy and
n. w. Quincy, agreed with me and we
generally sat and voted together. When
| was elected a delegate Informed the
convention that elected me that l pre-
ferred E. B. Washburne to anyone else;
that convention refused TO instruct u.s.
and | voted for Mr.. Washburne for
thirty-five ballots, and on the thirty
sixth cordially and enthusiastically sup
ported the lsmented Garfield. That /
ever betrayed any trust reposed in me,
fiduciary, political, or other wise, is q
slanderous falsehood, and | feel war
ranted In saying, will not be believed
for a moment in this city
In this community, where the charac-
ter of Mr.. Newcomb is we'll known, and
his standing easily determined, as indi-
GATED by the crushing and oVerwhelm-
Ing defeat suffered by him last week in
convention of Bexar county republic
cans, it Is unnecessary to notice or reply
to any reckless utteranoes he may make
In the press or on the street. The vilifi-
cation and Misrepresentation usually re-
sorted to by this pariah Of San Antonio
politics to accomplish his purposes, can
generally be regarded with serene co.,
tempt. Their appearance In the press
OF another city is the sole reason for this