San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-10-20
TWO YEARS AGO.

may 10 SUCCESSFUL, Out those VINO
fought them honestly and sincerely
ought to, like Fernando Cortez in
Mexico, burn their bridges behind
them; yes, and their literature with
it. For instance q campaign speech
published in A. d. 1890, headed THE
Facts Stated" speech of Thos. II.
Franklin, delivered at mass meet.
ing OF citizens, held October 18th, 1890.
Read and Reflect" has among other
plain and unkihgly things the follow
ing whines, supposed to be dead
now
FELLOW CITJZENS-In the political
affairs of communities occasions arise
when the servants of the people,
grown arrogant from long occupancy
of office, forget that they are public
agents, forget their obligations to
their principles, and In their mad de-
sire TO perpetuate their official lives,
| they form unholy political com blna.
tons to suppress opposition, to silence
the voice of the people, and to con.
tinue their official lives regardless of
the wishes of the people.
When such occasions arise it then
becomes the duty of citizens not only
to condemn by their ballot the action
| of their official servants but likewise
to denounce the wrong of such con-
duct and to assert their rights to
choose their officers, free from the de-
mands of ring or the dictates of
boss.
Such an occasion has arisen in the
political affairs of this community, and
exercising my right as q private citi-
| zen propose to denounce the unholy
political alliance recently entered in
| to in this county, having for its pur-
pose the parcelling out of the offices of
the county, regardless of the wishes
of the people.
A traveller here from one of the SOW.
ereignties of the old world once said
to an American citizen: I'm my
country L am prince" Sir" came
back the answer, "in America every
man is king"
This is true, and If the Office holders
of this county should be taught that
not they but the people are SOW.
ereigns.
Nor does he content himself with
this alone; all through his address
we come TO such passages as:
To-day the ticket so framed APP
pears in the papers headed 'Indepen-
| dent Ticket'-so named, l suppose,
because it is Independent of any po-
lticsl precedent and independent of
the wishes of the people,"
He then devotes page after page to
Judge w. w. King--as one OF the
ring caudidates-and towards the
close OF his honest opinion of two
years ago, he adds:
| Th sfalInu aitiuana unl 0Ninor
to submit to this com bination and APP
prove it's purposes? Or will you, as
| sorting the right of sovereign citizens,
| fight it to the death, and proclaim
| from the housetops your denuncia
| ton OF it's evil designs!
We today are contending for the
great principle that lies at the bot
| tom of our system OF government
the right of the people to choose their
| own servants-and the kindred prin-
ciple that the judges of courts should
| tower above suspicion as the moun-
| tains tower above the valleys at their
| feet. AS long as these principles are
| upheld so long will free government
exist, whenever they are disregsrded
the death knell OF our institutions is
sounded.
Factions die, forms of government
change, nations pass away, but priu-
ciple knows no change, neither shad-
ow of turning, and as long as the
mountains shall stand, as long as the
rivers flow aud the dews fall" just so
long will these great principles of
government live, and neither cor
porste power nor political bossism
can destroy them.
Powerful political combinations
may temporarily overthrow them,
but they, like truth, are mighty and
will prevail. Love of them stirred
our forefathers OF revolutionary days
to denounce a tyrant king because
"he had made judges dependant on
his will alone for the tenure of their
offices and the amount and payment
of their salaries" Love of them
stirred our sturdy ancestry to force
from brilliant but corrupt monarch
on the banks of Runnymede the
signed and sealed promise: ITO none
will we sell, to none will we deny or
delay right or Justice"
Will we today, children of such an
ancestry, permit few office holders,
dominated by the receivers OF cor
poration, deny us the right to select
our public servants, and dictate to us
who shall be our judge.
say no. Let us draw the sword in
defense of these principles and throw
away the scabbard. If, at the coming
election, we do not secure their trl-
umphaut assertion, let the sword still
be held scsbbsrdless. and the fight
be con tinued as long as there lie an
arm to strike and blade to WELD.
"The mills of the Gods grind slowly,
But they grind exceeding small;
With patience they stand waiting,
With exsctness grind they ALL"