The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-09-24

falo. and is expressed at every gathering
of citizens where pubic questions are dis
cussed. that the people are dissatisfied
with the present condition of public af-
fairs and | am in sympathy with every
movement, not revolutionary III charac-
ter, which seeks to take burdens Off the
shoulders of the masses and to restore
prosperity and peace to all the people.
When the republican legislature adj
iourned in May, 1896, it left a record be-
hind it which every democratic and in
dependent voter in the state believed
would be at issue before the people this
fall. No question purely national should
be permitted to divert our people i'll this
state from pronouncing. by change of
administration, verdict against their
record. Included in the record of the re-
publican legislature was a shameful dis
regard for the interests of the municipali-
ties of the state. SiXty-tive per cent of
our population dwells in cities. and they
posses - per cent of the wealth of the
state. As | observed closely the work
of the legislature and was myself an
official victim of some of its legislation,
l am. perhaps, entitled to be heard as to
its record 1t was guilty of a grievous
sin of omission. The new constitution
requires that uniform charters shall be
granted to cities of the same class. a
commissioner reported early in the ses-
sion proper forms of charters for cities
of second and third classes. The republic
can legislature made no further attempts
to comply with the constitutional direc-
TONS but, on the contrary, proceeded to
amend charters already existing by tax
ing power from officials in democratic
cities and clothing with unusual power
the officials in republican cities.
''The republican members in the leg
stature, by force of arms and against
the protests of honorable members of
their own party, passed bill taking from
the democratic mayor of Albany all
power over the police of that city. With
out power to control the police the mayor
IS powerless to enforce order and to Sc
cure peace for his city. Similar legis-
laiion was proposed for other democratic
cities, but was postponed until the COM
ing year.
''The republican legislature. in order
to accomplish its purposes. violated par
liamentary rules, ruthlCssly rode over
the sacred rights of members, employed
physical force 10 intimidate. opposition,
closed the doors of the assembly to the
public and conducted itself with an ut
ter abandonment of decency and prin-
ciple A republican legislature spent the
peoples money as if it were water. and
then announced that it would wiring
from the liquor traffic sufficient money
to pay it back.
amy of these.sns would be conspicu-
Gus and fragrant i'll a time of less ma
tiOnal excitement. but one sin of COM
mission calls for immediate popular con-
dcmnation. Under the guisc of promOt-
ing public welfare, the republican legis
lature rcvolutioniZed the method of deal
ing with the liquor traffic and estab-
lished bureau with one man at its head
to control and manage that traffic. 1t
took an increased. and in many instances
an unreasonable. sum from the saloon
keepers. and instead of applying that
sum to dcfraying the expenses of local
government it distributed it throughout
the state
Closing. ne says: 'But when this great
governmental machinery is in the hollow
of the hand of one man, when he and not
the people is the beneficiary of its Oper
ton popular government is menaced and
its defeat as public enemy becomes the
duty of all good men. This is the issue
in the state this fall. No step towards
municipal reform can be undertaken I'M
til this question can be settled. The peo-
pie have destroyed all vestige of polti-
cal bosses in the democratic party and
hope they will annihilate bossism in
the republican party. 1t is not that any
particular individual should be elected
governor. 1t is important that the power
of one man should not be perpetuated
by two years more of republican eXecu-
tive control. Yours.
JOHN BOYD THATCHER"