The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-05-21

that by the famous Dudley committee
they were attempted to be converted iron
an old-time Democratic party. in whicl
they had long moved and had their being
into silver party. which, if successful
will. as / believe. ultimately destroy The
Democratic party in this state. for the
time ut least, and possibly in the future
for an indefinite period. Whcreupon
prepared and published my address OF
the 9th of this month in The AustiI
Statesman for that purpose. Would II
not be more the part of manly manhood
for those who oppose that address by me
to deny or confute by argument It's plainly
stated propositions and deductiye conclu'
sons than to indulge in the sneering
sniveling lamentations over the folly and
weakness of the old man in his dotage,
that is so often to be seen exhibited III the
papers? Having said this much, am
| now ready to answer your questions.
Are you a candidate for governor OF
Texas" asked the News man.
II am n candidate for the Office Of gov
ernor. A candidate Independent Of the
silver party organized by the Dudley com
| mittcc and of the computation convention
that will meet at Fort Worth i'll next
| August that will only count up figures
coming up through the returning boards
the executive county committees-from
| the primaries, to ascertain VINO are nOinl-
mated as candidates for state executive
officers dispensing thereby with any yot-
ing for that purpose, and also WIN the
two-thirds time-honored Democratic rule,
if there should be two candidates for any
of said Offices voted for in the primaries.
| am an Independent candidate only III
that sense. as not being bound by party
fealty to the silver party designed to be
instituted in Texas by the Dudley com
mittee and it's supporters. j am candi-
date as well known Texas Democrat,
and will run in the old well-beaten track
of that party to promote the SOOd local
self-goyernment of this state as IL prac-
teal business transaction, divorced from
any federal issues that are sought to be
made the test in controlling the election
of its officers, who, when elected, Will
have nothing to do as state officers relat-
ing to such issues. The raging conten-
tiOn upon such issues is calculated to
withdraw the attention of voters from
the vital interests of home government
in Texas, as has been prominently illus.
trated for several years already, and
the principal object of my announcement
is if possible, to prevent 1t from becom-
ing the established practice in the pol
tiles of this state. Surely it is not that
l
and responsibilities at my advanced age,
and would have been grateful if some
true Texas Democrat more able than
myself had promptly assumed the can
didacy for governor in the interest OF
good government for Texas, as l have
thought proper to do so, so that those
of our fellow citizens who are tired of
the wrangle over federal issues would
have some one to vote for who was
more devoted to the welfare of his state
than to those issues that have to be set
tied by the forty-four states in the
United States.
"As time passes, we see more and
more evidences of the far-seeing and
ingenious scheme of the Dudley COM
mittec to accomplish the specific objects
pointed out in my address on the 9th
of this month. In, that | stated that
it was designed to make the primaries,
held on the 9th of June next with the
pledges then taken by the voters, to be
in effect the election of officers, the same,
substantially, as if it was at the gen
era election in November next through
out the state. There is no difficulty in
every Texas Democrat or other citizen
voting upon any federal issue to suit him
self, when he votes for members to rep
resent us in congress, and for electors
for president of the United States, that
may or may not be nominated III the
party to which he belongs, without max
ing any such issue Il test for elcctng of
State officers. The matters involved in
the administration of the state govern
ment are mostly, if not entirely, differ
ent from those federal issues. y can
didate for state office is, therefore, not
the better qualified to fill state office
simply because and only because he is
n Loo. l..
gold Democrat. Then why should we
be forced to make that the test by any
plan of organization of the party that
may be adopted? Notwithstanding the
absurdity of such Il thing, we find that
there are today two candidates. one for
county attorney and the other for tax
collector of Burnet county in this town
of Marble Falls drumming up its
Democrats and urging them to go
into the primaries to secure their
nominations for those county offices.
and in doing so handed out cards, one of
them printed with compliments of -,
will appreciate your support and on the
other card the printed solicitation: If
you can give me your support it will be
heartily appreciated When a voter
here who was presented with one of
those cards said he would not be here on
the day of the primary ut this place, the
reply of the candidate was: We'll, then,
you can do me no good This is signiti-
cant of the correctness of my statement
that the primaries on the 9th of June will
in effect be the time to secure votes
pledged to be delivered at the polls five
months aftrward, in November. And we
will now for one month have exhibited
the remarkable spectacle of canvass
for office going on all over the state, in
which candidates will be going around
to the voting places in each county and
there urging their friends. and every
other one they can induce to go into the
primaries as the only chance for them to
be nominated and elected to the offices
which they are seeking.
81 see by Il paper published in this coun-
| ty that there are at least fifteen offices in
| this county to be filled; and the number
of persons competing for them will most
| certainly bc twenty-five or more. At the
same rate. in even 100 counties, in which
| this clectioneering will be going on to
win the valuable prizes now so much
| sought after, there will probably be from
| three tn four thousand aspirants for
office in the state urging the Democratic
| voters to 20 into the primaries on the
| 9th day of June next in aid of the plan
| of the Dudley committee. 1t would seem
| that il was only lately realized, even by
| the candidates. that such II canvass had
| to he made, and perhaps not even yet
| by ninctcen-twentIeths of the voters in