Texans Rise Up Against The Radicals
Texans from every corner of the unhappy state gathered in Austin on Sept. 22, 1871 for the “Taxpayers Convention,” the first mass protest against the Radical Republican regime.
Even though military occupation has been replaced by civilian rule, the lives of most people had not improved but taken a dramatic turn for the worse. Under the heavyhanded Radicals, taxes went through the roof as basic rights continued to be systematically violated. When the call went out in August 1871 for a show of statewide dissatisfaction, 91 counties sent delegates to the watershed event called the “Taxpayers Convention.”
While Democratic ex-Confederates made up the majority, several big-name Unionists were also in attendance. Among the dissident Republicans, who had broken ranks with the Radicals, were three ex-governors and a former U.S. Senator: James W. Throckmorton, A.J. Hamilton, E.M. Pease and Morgan Hamilton. To emphasize the political diversity of the coalition, the convention chose Pease as presiding officer.
In his opening remarks, the chairman pulled no punches accusing the free-spending Davis administration of bleeding the treasury dry in just 17 months. At a time when the state could get by on $800,000 a year, the Radicals were picking Texans’pockets to the tune of an incredible six million dollars.
A detailed report exposed the theft in all its graphic glory. Taxes on $100 worth of property had increased in two years from a modest 15 cents to an unconscionable $2.175. On top of that sky-high jump was another 60 cents per $100 to pay the interest on railroad bonds plus occupation taxes, city taxes and a $2.00 annual poll tax.
The Radicals were gobbling up 21 percent of Texans’ incomes, small potatoes by today’s standards but absolutely unheard of in the 1870’s. Evenly distributed the heavy tax burden might not have provoked such anger, but property owners staggered under an outrageously unfair load. Planters and farmers, in particular, were being driven to their knees and refused to sink quietly into poverty.
The pro-Davis press predictably slandered the Austin meeting as “The Rebel Tax Convention” in an obvious attempt to depict all delegates as Confederate agitators. Right on cue, the governor took to the streets in a transparent attempt to intimidate the tax protestors.
On the night of Sept. 23, Edmund Davis led a boisterous parade of black supporters up CongressAvenue. From the steps of the capitol he shouted, “The temple of freedom is being defiled by the taxpayers! It is up to you, my colored brethren, to purify the place.” The demonstrators circled the capitol singing “John Brown’s Soul Is Marching On.”
The determined delegates went about their business, ignoring the commotion outside and a flurry of none too subtle threats. The convention adjourned two days later, leaving to a pair of committees the most important items – a formal appeal to the people and a legislative petition.
The public statement was issued on Sept. 30. Besides a long list of complaints against the Davis administration, the document recommended injunctions be used to stop the collection of illegal taxes.
An open letter to lawmakers soon followed with requests for a reduction of state and county taxes, repeal of the schoolhouse tax that abolished local control of education and repeal of both the police bill and enabling acts, which authorized Davis’despised state police and subjected elective offices to appointment by the governor.
Another critical and popular demand was that elections must be held on schedule in accordance with the state constitution. To keep their stranglehold on power, the Radicals had postponed the upcoming vote. Under pressure from his peers, who feared the people had been pushed to the breaking point, Davis gave in and moved up the date for the elections.
In October 1871, the month after the Taxpayers Convention, the Democrats, with indispensable aid from disenchanted Republicans, won all four contests in a special election to fill congressional vacancies. Democrats triumphed again the next year by sweeping the races for congress and taking control of the Lone Star legislature for the first time since the Civil War.
Although Gov. Davis never could accept the humiliating fact, he had no one but himself to blame for the series of stunning setbacks. His disastrous policies made allies of Texans, who had not spoken to each other since secession. Putting aside the bitter past, Unionists and Confederates banded together to rescue the state from ruin.
For Edmund J. Davis and his carpetbagger clique, the gig was up. Only the fear of provoking military intervention saved the hated governor from impeachment and permitted the pariah to finish his term. The Radicals were politically dead, and Texans merely bided their time until the funeral.
“Murder Most Texan” is a must read for fans of true crime and Texas history. Order your autographed copy for $24 by mailing a check to Bartee Haile, P.O. Box 130011, Spring, TX 77393.