The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-03-15
Mr.. BRASHEAR'S VIEWS
MEETING IN rAE INTEREST or HIS
CANDIDACY LAsTNNiGHT.
some Fsgures Ccncernins Taxes and
Imprcvements-stsnd Taken ON
the Scrip Question.

meeting In the interest OF the Bra
shear faction in tho municipal campaign
was held last night at the corner OF Hous.
ton avenue and Dart street. in the Firsl
ward. The gathering, which was lare.
and enthusiastic one. was presided over
by Alec Erickson as chairman. while
Peter Chalmers acted as secretary.
a The first speaker was Hon. sam IL.
Brashear. who said that tho present cam
paign wns one OF principles and not OF
men. He was opposed to abuse or mis-
representation in any form, and believed
MIR. Rice himself was opposed TO 1t. He
Intended to discuss only the official rec
ord OF the present administration and
| throughout the campaign would be care
full TO say nothing that was not supported
By the record itself.
Two years ago the speaker said.
4 Mayor Rice stood before the people and
promised that II he were elected certain
measures and reforms should be carried
into execution. Has he fulfilled his prom
i ises? II thought he had done So would
not now be candidate, because II those
| promises had been fulfilled myself and
| every other good citizen would have been
4 satisfied with the administration,
Judge Brashear said he was emphau-
| cally IN favor OF progress; that what This
i city needed was more improvements, more
| paving, sewers and school houses, and
| better ones for the money. What had
| the people gotten from the present adj
| minstration In return for the money they
| had placed in It's hands? In the last ten
years there had not been an adrpinistra-
1 tton which had not built more school
! houses and more pavements and made
| more improvements than the present one.
/ The present administration reported
| S372,000 taxes collected during 1897, ex
elusive of bond tax. and there must have
been at least sSI2.0 more collected dur
| ing the other twelve months OF the ad-
ministration; also s25o.o0o from sale OF
bonds at one time, $4,000 Mt another
| time for school buildings; $4,000 at an
other time for street purposes. Mayor
| Rice in an interview published In The
| Post of June H. 1896. had stated that
| there were s2T0,000 in back taxes which
would soon be collected; there We're large
rents from the market house. There must
have been over 100000 received from the
State for school purposes in the two years,
and there were fines from the recorders
court; SO that nearly sl.500,o00 would be
charged up TO this administration
The speaker said that he believed In
real and not sham progress, and thought
at the end OF two years the people should
have something better to show for their
million and a half dollars than one school
house, two or three sewers aud two paved
streets He believed fully in the issuance
of bonds and thought that the city should
every year issue them to the full limit al
lowed BY. law, and that the money should
be placed In valuable improvements.
He was opposed to the issuance OF scrip.
1t was not as said by MIR, Rice, a Ques-
ton OF economy, but one Of principle. If
the city promised to pay a dollar she
should pay 100 cents and not 80 cents
Whenever the city purchased material or
goods she would always have to pay more
n mi hpn Nxfac nAt
for in cash, and he believed that the diff
ference would more than make up the
interest that would have to be paid il the
city borrowed money to pay cash. After
all the burden OF the scrip system fell on
the laboring man who worked for the city
because he did not have the privilege to
add in his 10 per cent. but must take the
amount that the city allowed him as
wages. Mayor Rice had made a remark
able statement when he had said that the
total floating debt Of the city was only
$4,000, The expenses Of running the
city were between $4,000 and $4,000 per
month. and II Mr.. Rice was correct the
city was only a month behind in its pay
ments. When Mr.. Rice had complained
about Mr.. Brownies expenditure of money
and the debt he had left him 10 pay he
should at the same time have given Mr..
Browne credit for all the improvements |
he had paid for without the issuance OF
bonds.
Politics Judge Brashear declared |
SHOULD he kept out OF the school system |
Last year our school superintendent
should have been selected from among
our own citizens. Another important !
question Is whether the city should take |
advantage OF the uniform text book law |
which had been passed by the last legis
lature and left optional with the city |
council. IT reduced the price of school |
books to about one fourth the present |
cost. Yet. although that law has been in
force nearly year. the present admins
tration has never adopted its provisions.
l am heartily in favor of adopting it,
The present scayenger system, Judge
Brashear thought should be so altered
that charges for services In this depart
ment would amount TO only enough to
make the department self sustaining
The salary system was stll an issue. lie
had announced In favor Of the change
over sixty days ago, and not until he so
announced had the city council ever con
sidered the matter. The substitution OF
salaries for fees and commissions ought
to save the city from $4,000 to $4,000
per year The city council had passed a
resolution" or budget" and had tried
to make the public believe that 1t repealed
the old ordinances. but any man who was
half lawyer knew that 1t did not have
that effect and that after the city cleo
ton the officers could have gone on
their fees and commissions as
before, and that any court would have
sustained them in It, The speaker had
spoken to City Attorney Stewart concern
ing the matter and Mr.. Stewart In turn
had brought 1t before the notice OF Mayor
Rice, who thereupon called special meet
Ing OF the council. and 1t was passed as
an ordinance.
The labor ordinance. said the speaker.
was another measure which is still an Is
sue Nearly year ago the labor council
presented TO the city council an ordinance
providing In effect, that In all contracts
for work to be done for the city there be
a provision that only home labor be en-
ployed at union hours and union wages.
That ordinance was pigeon hoed and
there 1t slumbered until announced fOi
mayor and made II one Of the plsnks OF
my platform. Then Mr.. Rice and his
rushed It through. but in
the time u lay in the pigeon hole up TO