The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-09-19
REPORT OF COMMITTEE
WHICH INVESTIGATED THE AL
LEGGED TAXATION OF CLERKS.
COMPTROLLER Love Was Exonerased from
All Blame in Connection with
What Was Done.

Austin, Texas, September ls.--Followlng
IS the majority report of the committee
appointed to Investigate charges that dc.
partment clerks are compelled to pay 10
per cent OF their salaries to the campaign
funds Of their respective chiefs
Hon, r. =. Prince, Speaker, House OF Rep
resentauves.
SIR; We, a majority Of your committee
TO Investigate the state departm ents as
20 whether or not the heads OF said state
1 departments have demanded that clerks
egh'Ilbute ~ per cent of their salaries TO
inc heqds OF said departments and report
70 me mouse our findings and Recommended.
u9hs, neg leave to report as follows:
~. We had before us u large number Of
clerks from the department of the comp
tIU'ief, ana one or more OF those from the
departments of education, land office and
attorney generals office. and we ind from
tae evidehce that no assessments, contcihu.
IONS or collections of any kind have been
demanded or received by the heads of any
OF OF the said departments. except as herein
after explained.
= In justice to the public and to Mr..
Love we beg to submit the following state
ment OF facts. as We find from all the evil.
dehee hcfore us. towit: That the clerks in
s9e 9fhce OF the comptroller, learning that
AT. Love had an outstanding note for about
Slls5 past due that was given for money
used In his campaign for the nomination
10 me ofnce Of comptroller held meetings
enough to take up the said note. and there
upon organized hy clecting chairman and
appointing committee to receive contribu,
lions ana whe her an employe should sun
scribe and the amount IL any which each
one was to pay, was left entirely TO his
dlSceuoni that some subscribed 10 per
cent CT their salaries for six months, others
paid more than that amount. some paid
.ess ana Eve OF the clerks subscribed moth
ing ana paid nothing at alE that Mr., Love
heard of what was being done by the
I'm IA 10
prlmanded them for what they were doing
ana asked them to drop the matter where
II was and expressed the hope that he
Woalu near nctling more Of 1t. Notwith'
standing this effort on the .part Of Mr.
| Love TO stop The payment OF the note In
que ton, the clerks proceeded to raise the
money among themselves, took up the note
and sent 1t to Mr. Love With their com
pllments and as a token of respect and
esteem they had for their chief lSec let
ter marked "EXnihIt A. and said original
| subscription list, marked Exhibit u" and
| MED with the other evidence herewith.
II is alsp shown that Mr.. Love has solnt
other outstanding Indebtedness INQUIRE al
the same time and for the same purpose Il.
| said note. aud that the excess OF the sait
clelks subscriptions after paving OF sax
note IS being collected by their comnltte,
with the Intention and view Of paying on
debtedncss Of Mr. Love.
We deem 1t proper to state that We fur
ther md that of the recent dismssal' o.
1
one of the five clerks who failed to cen
/ tribute to the said fund for Mir. Loves re
/ lief has been dismissed but all these hay,
/ been retained: and those who have heel
/ dischal gcd or received notice of purpos
! to discharge them are OF the number whit
| subscribed and contributed to said fund
| and one or more of them were among tlt
most liberal Of the contributors to sat'
] fund
g. From all the evidence taken by II
! we find nothing derogntory or In anywi~
rejecting upon the honor anu integrity O
| tn heads Of any of said departments; We
! we beg to say that If any such practice n
/ assessing the clerks In any Department t
/ dctray the campaign expenses of thei
! chief had existed we would condemn snc
practice ms wrong. unwlSe ana contrary T.
public policy and TO democratic teachin
and practices.
4. We report further that We have
| large ma of testimony, amour Ing {
sixty-two pages of typcwritten matter 81
| copies of which we herewith file with III
clerk Of the house for tue lusneoti Il q
the members Of the house and the public
In view Of the expense which the prlntu
of the same would Incur we submit to tn
house without recommendation the uuos
tion as to whether same shall he printed
Respectfully submitted,