The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-03-24

| the south end OF town, who, instead OF
speaking among his neighbors and friends:
! where he was SO widely acquainted, hal
/ gone to other parts OF the city and instead
OF discussing the issues Of the fight, had
made personal attackn These attacks
Judge Brashear disposed OF In good ma
! tured way.
IL had been asked, the speaker said, what
he had done for the plain, everyday peo-
! pie. His reply was that his record had not
been made up with view to using 1t In
campaign speeches, and he did not carry
around any long list OF cases he hal tried.
But he thought that IL there was anything
wrong with his record the opposition would
have found2it out long ago and would GER
tainly have taken advantage OF it. He re-
viewed the different issues OF the cam.
| paign. and asked the public TO judge
| whether there was anything unreasonable
about any measure he was advocating.
Were they not honest and simple aud easy
TO carry into effect? be asked The pres
en administration had tried TO answer
some of them, had admitted that he was
! right as to others. and had appropriated
several pla1ks of his platform. Some Of
| the other questions to which the people
| demanded answers had been utterly ig
! nored
Az administration ought to be elected,
he said, which would keen the salary Sys-
/ tenn in effect This system would save
the city from $4,000 to $4,000 every year,
| The superint andent of schools should he
| selected from among the citizens Of HOls-
ton and the city should adopt the uniform
! text book bill, thus saving 10 per cent on
| the present cost of books
| Fees in the scayenger department the
| speaker thought should be reduced 50 as
| make the department only sel,-supporting,
and not operated at a profit.
| The labor ordinances should be kept in
| effect. The public health should be guard
| ed and the mayor should not needlessly In
tcrfere with the health officer The board
of heath should be composed entirely o.
! physicians or else the department should
! be placed under the exclusive control OF
| the health officer.
! Mr. Rice, Judge Brashear said was surely
mistaken when he charged that John T.
| Brownies administration was the cause Of
| issuing scrip. He then read an interview
| with Mayor Rice in The Post of July IL.
! 1Sg6, 10 show that the floating debt which
| Mr. Browne had left the city was only $780,,
| 600, instead of Sl6S,000, as MIR. Rice now
| claims. He thought that $4,000 was not
such large floating debt for a CITY like
| Houston, and said he believed that when
| Mr.. Rice made this charge against air,
| Brownies administration he should have
| given the latter credit for the many i'm
| proYoments he had made in tho shape Of
the high school building. a half dozen
!
houses new apparatus for the department
ana intersections of paved streets These
| things. the speaker said had been nuid Tor
almost entirely by general taxation with
out bond issues. Mr.. Rice's statement that
he was forced to issue scrip because he
had no legal power 10 negotiate loan to
pay off current indebtedness until lax col
lectons were made was not supported by
the facts in the case The speaker then
read from the interview mentioned above
| nm extract 10 show that MIR Rice had bor-
rowed money for the city. and said he did
not think this could have been done If Mr.
Rice had not had the power Resides MIR
Rice had gotten the now charter from the
State which charter was his own making
and he would have gotten the power In
that charter IL he had asked for il.
The speaker aeked his hearers what thev
would think If bueness man who was
sure OF a large income during the wear.
and who issued thousands of little checks oh
a bank and told the persons TO whom he
gave these checks to wait for their money
until he had deposited some Would it not
he regarded as unhusinesslike? A man
rhIs situated. tho speaker thought would
borrow the money and nay II bark when
the funds came in. thus saving the lnterest
which his creditors would have 10 add 10
make themselves whole by waiting Every
business man or ever corporation he SAID.
Stoves and for operating expenses, in cash.
aud the speaker didn't see why city
should not do the same thing Besides. he
said, it was not altogether a question Of
uolicy, hut one of honesty and good faith
The city had now outstanding about i0o0
uieces OF scrip Judge Brashear added, ana
he read from the city secretsry's report TO
show that 1t averaged $50 to each piece
This he said, would make floating In
debtedness of over s20o,C00.
In concluding his address he called at.
tention to the fact that, although he had
lived hero for thirty-one years. had held
official positions for five years. and that
Tie present campaign had been in progress,
for three months the opposition had waited
until the last momen; to spring little
ed Of t6em hcy had tricd 10 make ot 'i II an
iur people After all these efforts how
eyer .bey bna been rnahle IN GET n, m