San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-10-04
THE DANGER.
The People Warned Against the
Bargains and Trades Of Cor
rupJ Politicians.
To the Daily LIGHT:'

|. iho CuIIeub TumOr Lnab bQe county ring
had entered into an agreement with the
supporters of Clark, by the terms of
which the HOgg vote should be trans
ferred to Clark, in consideration of the
Clark men voting for the county ring, is
TOO utterly corrupt and unprincipled to
| be true. A bargain and trade of that kind
would shock morality and decency and
arouse storm OF public Indignation and
eXecratlon, for the reason that it would
be utterly corrupt and disgraceful,v viewed
from any standpoint. The people recoil
from political corruption with l0athing
ana abhorrence, and when they shall
cease TO do SO, our government and in
| situations will totter to their fall.
Let us scrutinize this alleged bargain
and trade in order that its corruption and
iniquity may be set in the clearest light
possible. In the first place, the county
ring assumes the right and the ability to
transfer the Hogg vote to Clark without
consulting the voters. If it can make this
transfer 1t is clear that the ring is the
master of the people and that an election
has dwindled intoa sorry farce. Possibly
1t might be able to- transfer the Mexican
yote--though l doubt it, but the white
Hogg voters are not the vassals and
slaves of any man. or set of men, and
would vote TO suit themselves in defiance
OF the ring. They would take a stand
against the ring and do their utmost to
wrest the county out Of its hands.
In the second place, such bargain and
trade, would be corrupt and contrary to
good morals. 1t would be corrupt COM
bination to control the election and to
perpetrate certain men In Office, in spite
OF the people of the county. | don't be-
lieve that men elected by an through So
corrupt and agreement, could hold the
county offices, In case the. aid of the
courts should be invoked. If there be no
statute prohibiting it, the courts are
good morals and public policy, and there
can be no doubt but that the alleged bar
gain and trade is contrary to good morals
and public policy,
This bargain and trade would be dis
graceful to both of the parties to it. The
county ring would purchase the votes OF
the Clark men by transferring the Hogg
vote to Clark, and the Clark men would
purchase votes for Clark by themselves
voting for the county ring, consequently
the trade would be disgraceful to all in
tereSted in its negotiation and execution.
The Clark democrats have boasted that
they were pure emocrats'-whatever
that may mean, and have censured and
reDudiated Callaghan and his executive
committee for having endorsed hybrid
lied county ticket in 1890, and they would
cut pretty figure in Supporting a mixed
ticket for the sake of gaining votes for
Clark. That would give the lie to all their
censure and denunciation of Callaghan
and convict them OF being politicians of
easy virtue. | have better opinion of
them than to believe them capable of act
ing as political prosti tutes to gain few
votes for any man-though it is a sad
truth that there is an awful gap between
profession and pracCice in political mat
tiers. l am reluctant to believe evil of my
fellow men, upon mere suspicion and sur
mise.
If the alleged bargain and trade has
been cOnsummated, rest assured, it will be
kepta profound secret and will not be
avowed until its stipulations shall have
been carried out at the polls. The
parties to it are afraid to encounter the
storm of public indignation, scorn and
contempt, that it would arouse were it
divulged.
What action will the people take to
Illustrate the successful execution of this
corrupt trade. is the question. VIII they
fold their hands and become acCompiceS
in 1T by their inaction? If men will not
endeaVOr to prevent an evil thing, they
become accessory to its commission. The
might of the people, when they are
aroused and united is as resistess as a
tidal wave or an earthquake, but the
people of BeXar have been remarkably
patient and long suffering, and it is
hard to rouse them. 1t is even more
difficult to harmonic and unite
them for the common cause. The
opponents of the county ring are split
into petty rings and cliques-all of which
want the lions share of the offices. Weak
and unpopular men are put up, and in
this way, the popular ticket is handicap
ped with dead weight and arOuSes no en-
thusiasm. The best and strongest men
must be drafted into the public service by
the people, if the ring is disarmed. Poll
ticaI likings and .antipathies must
and every citizen that is opposed 70 the
rule of ring must unite, heart and hand,
in the effort to dislodge it from power.
The anti ring ticket should be unexcep
tional aud unencumbered with dead
weight in the shape of unpopular and
negative men. The alleged anti-ring
ticket that has been published in the
and some devoid of ali strength. and
would be defeated in whole, or in part, by
the disciplined cohorts of the ring, mar
shalled to the polls by veteran wbippers-
in.
The ring ticket will be fixed up to catch
votes from every quarter and will not be
announced till the eve of the election in
order to Stave off discussion of the mate
rails of which it will be composed. The
anti-ring ticket ought to be in the field
now, and the canvass ought to be in full
blast Discussion will ruin the ring and
help the anti-ring ticket, as discussion
never fails to strengthen good cause and
to throttle bad one. The opponents of
the ring can only hope for success by
patriotic devotion to the common good
and a sacrifice of all minor contentious.
QUIs.
Club Visitors.