The Delta Courier (Cooper, Tex.), Vol. 52, No. 14, Ed. 1 Tuesday, April 4, 1933 Page: 3 of 4
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Delta County Area Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Delta County Public Library.
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THE DELTA COURIER, TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 1933^
HAZLEWOOD’S FINAL ANSWER TO THE OPPOSITION!
TO THE PEOPLE OF COOPER:
In this, my final answer, to the unwarranted
and unjustified attacks which have been made up-
on me by the opposition which is headed by Dr.
McKinney, it will be necessary to cover two cir-
culars which have been issued containing further
misleading statements and reflecting on me per-
tally.
the last circular the Doctor starts out
ng THAT HE HAS NOT ENGAGED IN
UD-SLINGING. I answer that by ask-
ing th\ question: WHO TOUCHED OFF THE
FIREWORKS? I again refer you to both of my
announcements: The first requesting that we re-
train from saying or doing anything that would
* cause unpleasantness and arousing any feeling
which would result in injury to our town^ and
community and pledging myself and my friends
to see that that kind of campaign was conducted.
The second was merely an analysis of the City’s
Zt financial condition, its requirements and the rea-
X sons why the extravagant PROMISES which had
♦ been made could not possibly be carried out and
jf a close reading will reveal that I said nothing
►Y that would reflect upon either of my opponents
Y or any of their supporters.
«► In answer to my extended announcement,
7. „ Doctor and his lenders', lit a thunderbolt from
JL a clear sky, came out with a circular leuer, which
wunpublished and mailed to every voter, in which
i they attempted to deceive and mislead you by
Y iuggling figures so as to make it apnear that
Y 43 per cent of your TAXES went for SALARIES
Y and 63 per cent of your TAXES went for salaries
Y and ELECTRICITY and went so far as to reflect
upon my honesty by further JUGGLING the fig*
♦♦♦ ures so as to make it appear that I was $10,000
X short and when I came hack and made successful
X answer to every FALSE statement and showed
x you exactly where and how they were MISLEAD-
j ING you and the purpose they had in doing so
Y they got mad and went off in a TANDRUM and
Y came back with another statement of WILD and
.4. _ - — . • ____ i _________1 A TTfr A ru C
t
FALSE accusations and personal ATTACKS up-
on me and WEEPING and WAILING about how
I had made vicious attacks upon him and his fam-
ily and his relatives.
I challenge any fair-minded person to take
mv article and show wherein 1 cast any reflec-
tions or insinuations upon him or any of his family
or relatives. I wouldn’t have mentioned them
had it not been that they attampted to make you
believe that a person had to he a supporter of
mine before they could receive any consideration
at my hand or any srvice from the City and the
statement was so FALSE and MISLEADING I
felt I had a right to submit facts to disprove it
and the best evidence I could submit was the fact,
that I was extending courtesies to certain of his
relatives who had bitterly opposed and fought
me in every campaign and some of whom, in the
face of those courtesies, were presumptious
enough to make such statements and so ungrate-
ful as to go up and down the streets and condemn
and criticize and abuse me in the most scathing
maniAs further evidence of who started this fire-
works and the wilful and malicious efiorts being
used to MISLEAD and DECEIVE you, let’s con-
sider and discuss some of the statements publish-
ed and mailed our under date of March .list,
which was the day after they had seen and read
my article answering their first attack, the con-
tents of which were fully known to them.
In this statement of March 31st they con-
tinue to juggle figures and make it appear that
I spent $31,871.67 for operating the City and to
make it appear big and excessive they reduce
the $31,871.67 down to a daily overage and hold it
up before vou as amounting to $88.53 per day.
The $46,848.75. represented as the balance
on hand and collections for the year is correct,
but where thev attempt to MISLEAD you is in
not DEDUCTING the following items which can
not be calssed as operating expense:
Bond and Interest maturities--------$10,563.50
Payment on fire engine and interest-- l,250.00e
Payment on tractor and interest-------- 590.00
Building new lake dam and purchase
of new meters and water and sewer
connections, all of which are in-
vestments -------- 3,061.1/
Purchase of plumbing merchandise
which is re-sold for a profit-------- 818.31
Miscellaneous items covered by cus-
tomers refunds on water deposits,
court costs and attorney fees in tax
suits which was paid by delinquents,
tax refunds due to errors in assess-
ments., rents paid by O. W. Simmons,
pilimbing labor which naid back with
a profit, long distance telephone calls
And last, but not least. CASH in bank
and PAVING WARRANTS bought
which, when deducted from the $16,818.75 leaves
only $15,362.45 to be classed as operating expense
instead of $31,871.67, a difference of
or over 50 per cent le^s than the> repres
to be. That’s some difference, hut it^ about «.
close to the FACTS ns the statement about the
' City’s indebtedness when they told you it
’ $146,500.00 instead of $lln,00(MMl. f
► Now let me submit some more evidence of
i their WILFUL effort to MISLEAD and
* ^n the next paragraph thev refer to ani Rem
of $55.00 which, for the specific purpose "J. ? »
judicing you, they list it ‘employes presents.
They knew what that item was for <. ‘ *
but if they had listed it as fire boys and‘telephone
girls’ presents it would not have served their
purpose; therefore, in order ’ rqty
listed it employes. Every Chratmas the CUy
issues a cheek for *5 to each member of the Fire
Department, which la every dime In eaah they
receive directly from the City except their tele-
phone which I will explain later. We also give
each telephone girl a dollar box of candy for her
yearly service, which is the only compensation
they receive for answering all the fire alarms.
’ Another item which they attempt to deceive
and mislead you—when they know the true facts
—is the telephone account of $378.12. The fin-
ancial statement which I published and from
which they secured their information set out that
$230 of this amount went for the fire boys’ tele
phones, $42 for the office telephone and $30 for
the pump plant and $5.75 for public calls which
was collected back, leaving only $76.37, or an av-
erage of $5.78 per month for long distance calls.
That’s some extravagance, isn’t it?
It is to be assumed that the Doctor classes
the telephone as a useless expenditure and if he
is elected he will discontinue the fire boys’ tele-
phones and if your house gets on fire he will have
you wait until he can send a messenger out and
notify the boys, and also it’s to be assumed that
he will discontinue the office telephone and if
you have any business with the City office you
will be required to come in person and attend to
it and likewise he will discontinue the telephone
at the pump station and if a fire breaks out and
it becomes necessary to start the pump the mat-
ter will have to wait vntil the Doctor can get in
his Ford whoopey and drive down there and
start it.
It is to be further assumed that these are
some of the items of extravagance that the Doc-
tor will cut out in order that he may give you the
tax reduction which he has promised.
Further on in his statement, in an effort to
prove to you that he can reduce public utility
rates, he quotes from a letter which he received
from former Mayor Thompson of Amarillo, stat-
ing that the rates had been reduced at Amarillo,
but he does not explain how it came about. The
facts are these: Within 5 miles of Amarillo is the
largest gas field in Texas and the expense of pip-
ing it to town is nominal; therefore. Mayor
Thompson had a weapon to fight with. If we
had a gas field within 5 miles of Cooper we might
be able to interest the Gas Company in a reduc-
tion. You note the reduction in gas was 40 per
cent while the reduction in electricity was only
22 Vi Per cent and no amount is stated on the
telephone. My information is that no reduction
was given in the telephone rate and the reduc-
tion was secured in the light rate by the citizens
cooperating with the Mayor in a united move to
discontinue the service, and I predict that if I
were to start a movement of that kind here as a
means of forcing the utilities to give a reduction
in rates I would experience the same difficulties
I have had with every movement which I have
inaugurated. This crowd would do everything
in their power to block it as they did in the gas
project, the oil project, the road project and the
hospital project. . . . . .
He makes mention of San Antonio having
WON her fight with the Telephone Company. I
read that article and the case is far from being
won. It is true a judgment was given in the low-
er courts before a local jury, but if you read the
article you will recall that the Telephone Com-
pany gave notice of appeal; therefore, it is still
uncertain whether the judgment will be sustained
by the higher courts. If we could try our case
before a local jury we would have no difficulty
in securing a judgment, but we would be a far
piece from accomplishing any results. San An-
tonio has already spent over $60,000 in that fight
and no permanent results accomplished yet and
the expense is terrific and utterly impossible for
a town the size of Cooper. The Doctor says it
takes GENUINE EFFORT but he failed to say
GENUINE CASH too.
His insinuations about a former citizen who
is now a high-up of one of the public utilities be-
ing in town and not being here in the interest of
his campaign is too contemptible for consideration
for the reason that it licenses me to say some
things which no one with anv degree of ethics
would want to say for public print; therefore, be-
lieving that no fair-minded and unprejudiced cit-
izen for one moment believes that his visit had
any connection with my campaign I shall not dig-
nify it with further discussion except to sav that
since the matter was referred to I made inquiry
as to his business and am informed that he was
his way to Clarksville on his season’s rounds
getting "ready” for the coming ice business which
WiI1 i^his Saturday’s circular he WHINES about
me mentioning the delinquent taxes which 1 am
carrying for his relatives and calls it an attack
upon him and his family. A careful reading of
mv article will reveal that there is not one word
or sentence that can be construed as an A l lAUv
or REFLECTION. What I said was merely m
answer to the false statement that a person had
to be a supporter of mine before they could re-
ceive any consideration from me or service from
Ihe Citvl In this same paragraph he attempts t»
discredit me by slating that $75.00 of mv delin-
quent school tax had been placed in the hands ol
attorneys for collection. As evidence of his dis-
regard for the FACTS I am informed that a cer-
tain member of his crowd made a special trip to
the high school building and made inquiry of the
Superintendent as4n the correctness of the infor-
mation and he was1 informed that it was not true
and that I had paid my school taxes and yet in
the face of that information, he wilfully makes
that statement, knowing it to be untrue.
Relative to the County and State tax that is
one statement he has made which is true and for
which 1 have no apologies to offer. However I do
offer this explanation: January of last year 1
went to The First National Bank and borrowed
$300 to pay my taxes and the ink had not dned
on the note until the Legislature remitted all the
penalty and interest and extended the payment
until December 31st, and I decided I would
745.64
14,413.68
1 ■
borrow any more money and pay 6 months’ inter-
est to pay taxes until that policy was discontinu-
ed and I have not changed my nind and don’t feel
the lease bit embarrassed. I have always paid
iny taxes promptly and expect to do so in the fu-
ture whenever a universal policy of collection is
adopted and enforced.
In the next paragraph reference is made to
Hoover’s prediction about Roosevelt’s election.
There is quite a difference between Roosevelt and
Dr. McKinney. I suspect if you were to investi-
gate Roosevelt’s record you would find that he has
been much more successful in his career than Dr.
McKinney. I know of no man in Cooper who has
had more opportunity for a successful career than
the Doctor and I know of no one who has made a
more miserable FAILURE. Yet in the light of
thai failure he is presumptious enough to expect
the people of Cooper to put him in charge of their
affairs by electing him Mayor. When a man dem-
onstrates that he is not capable of successfully
managing his own business by what manner of
reasoning can you assume that he could success-
fully manage your City’s business.
In the next paragraph he again refers to the
43 per cent for salaries and the 63 per cent for
salaries and electric current and presumes to say
that I do not attempt to justify myself. There
was no justifying to do, I answer*-’ that state-
ment fully in my other article and c.iStrly show-
ed how he JUGGLED the figures to justify his
statement and proved to any fair-min*!?d and
unbiased person that those statements were false
and made for the sole purpose of MISLEADING
the people, therefore I do not deem it necessary
to rehash it.
He further says that the amount is stagger-
ing. Yes, if you will let the Doctor juggle the
figures to suit his convenience he can make them
staggering but when I turn the light of facts on
they are not so staggering. Take for illustration
my analysis of his statement about it costing
over $31,000 to operate the City. T^ook hack to
the beginning of this article and see how stag-
gering the Doctor’s figures appear and then read
my analysis and they don’t appear so staggering
as the Doctor would want you to believe.
In the next paragraph he states he advocates
a 25 per cent reduction in operating expense of
the City and a like amount in utility rates. Yes,
the Doctor, for campaign purposes, is advocating
many things which can not be accomplished and
as evidence of his wilful effort to MISLEAD you
with attractive PROMISES I sumbit that he has
never, in any of his articles, stated how he would
reduce the operating expense of the cijv, or cut
the tax rate or reduce the public utility rates;
therefore, what faith can you have in his PROM-
ISES or what assurance have you that he will do
so. you have heard these campaign promises be-
fore and you have learned that they can be ac-
complished much easier from the stump than
anywhere else.
In this same paragraph he again harps on
the AUDIT which he will give the City’s books
and further says that I evade a discussion of my
record by injecting personal matters into the
campaign. In answer to these statements 1 again
state that the City’s books have been audited ev-
ery two years since I have been in office and they
will be audited at the end of this term which ex-
pires April 30th. What more is there to be said
about that?
Relative to evading discussion of my record*
by injecting personal matters into the campaign,
t answer that statement by again asking the ques-
tion: WHO TOUCHED OFF THE FIREWORKS?
In the next paragraph he again attempts to
mislead you by making a statement which 1 know
he has nihde no effort to verify by saying that the
tax rates of the adjoining towns—which I sub-
mitted—included the school rate. That state-
ment untrue and the fact that he made no ef-
fort to find out from official sources whether or
not the school rate was included is evidence that
he has no regard whatever for the correctness of
his statements and will make any statement that
will suit his convenience regardless of whether
it is correct or incorrect.
In the same paragraph he refers to the tax
rate as being 65c. Do you know the reason why?
It’s this: When I went in office I found that not
one dollar of the indebtedness of the City which
amounted to the staggering sum of $176,500,
$20,000 of which was scrip issued against the
General Fund, Street and Bridge Fund and <he
current water fund which was selling for ->0c,
and the balance of $165,500 representing war-
rants issued for building the water and sewer sys-
tem and the paving of the square. Depot Street
and South Main Street, had not been paid, and
no funds to meet any of the maturities or inter-
est At my suggestion the City Council approved
a joint meeting with 30 or more business men
and leading citizens, of which Dr. MeKmney was
a member, and the facts were presented to them
and the proposition of whether we would i*sue
refunding warrants or raise the rate sufficiently
to pay off the scrip and provide funds to meet th<
past due maturities was submitted for their con-
sideration and after dicussing the matter,, for
some time a motion was made by R. M. <
and seconded by W. A. Tynes that (he rate be
raised and the scrip and past due maturities paid
off. The motion was adopted by unanimous vote.
The scrip, much of which had sold for as low as
40c, was paid off and the City placed on a ( ASH
basis and it has remained that way ever since
and as the warrant indebtedness has been retired
the rate has been reduced until today the City s
indebtedness is pnly $115,000, a reduction of
$61,500, and the tax rate is only $1.03/2, a re-
duction of 41 1-2 cents.
As the Doctor has brought this matter up
and for the specific purpose of attempting to dis-
credit me in the eyes of the people, I feel Justified
in comparing our records to see which is the b« t
qualified to manage the City’s business.
At the time I took charge of the City’s fin-
ances and found them in the condition above re-
ferred to, the Doctor was well-fixed financially.
He was buying vendor’s lien notes, loaning mon-
ey and considered one of our most substantial
citizens financially. But what has happened? By
my conservative and capable management I have
the City of Cooper in the best financial condition
of any town in North or Northeast Texas, size
not excepted, and today, I am reliably informed.
Dr. McKinney is practically broke and instead
of loaning money as he formerly did he Is bor-
rowing to meet current expenses, notwithstand-
ing, with the exception of the last two years, we
have enjoyed some of the most prosperous years
of our generation.
With this comparison of our records as bus-
iness men and managers which, in your opinion,
is the most capable and the best qualified to man-
age your City finances? On Tuesday you are
to be the judge and I feel confident of the verdict.
In the next and last paragraph the Doctor
dwells at some length on the AUTOCRATIC
ABUSE of power which I have delegated to my-
self by calling your attention to the number of
times I used the personal pronoun “I”. My an-
swer to that aspersion is this: If you will consider
how ! have been singled out and am being at-
tacked by the Tailor and the crowd that is run-
ning him and the efforts that are being put forth
and the tactics resorted to to bring about my de-
feat, I think you will be charitable enough to
grant me the privilege of using the personal pro-
noun “I” one hundred and sixty-six times if l
choose to, and furthermore you will be compelled
to admit that TO DEAL WITH A CROWD LIKE
THAT I am compelled to be AUTOCRATIC and
more or less abuse my power.
In this same paragraph he casts additional
aspersions by referring to the trouble which came
up between the Sheriff and inyself over the car-
nival. I do not deem that matter worthy of dis-
cussion for the reason that everyone knows the
circumstances and the facts about the trouble and
that it arose largely over political and personal
differences existing between us and it could not
be discussed without entering ito matters which
are strictly personal between me and parties who
are not entitled to be brought into this fight
without some provocation on their part; there-
fore I shall not discuss it further.
Further on in this paragraph he refers to
my HOTEL activities and attempts to lead you
to believe that I am in the hotel business, which
is another one of his WILD statements with no
FACTS to support it. So far as the management
of the hotel is concerned I have just about as lit-
tle to do with it as Dr. McKinney. My hoy. with
the assistance of his mother, has full control and
management and pays me my rent just as any
other person would do and The First National
Bank officials will verify the statement that he
has his own account, writes his own checks and
pays me my rent from that account and that I
have no financial connection with his account
any more than any olher customer of the bank.
When our girls went away it left my wife and I
alone and we decided, as a matter of economy,
that we would move to the hotel, which we did.
and I have my home rented and now' the hotel
is mv home and I have a right to go and cornel as
I please and 1 think the Doctor and his crowd are
getting desperate for an issue when they attempt
to bring a matter so trivial as that into the cam-
paign.
He closes this paragraph, which is the last
one. with the statement that all these things, re-
ferring to the autocratic abuse of power, the trou-
ble with the Sheriff and my activities in the
hotel, is a result of keeping me in office too long
and that on next Tuesday the people will retire
me to'private life where I can pursue the activi-
ties as a private citizen and not interfere with
the Doctor and his crowd. Not yet Doctor. A our.
crowd will have to get a better RUNNER than
you before llial happens. When the people make
a change they want to have some evidence of
making a better deal before they make the swap
and when they consider you in the light of your
record as a professional man, as a business man.
as a banker, as a financier and lastly as a farmer
thev will readily decide that thev would get
('HEATED, therefore thev are going to keep the
old nag that thev have TESTED and TRIED and
found to be SAFE, RELIABLE and DEPENDA-
BLE. v;op miv os well go ahead and BEB
your land and get ready to PLANT your crop
and prepare to continue to engage in the enter-
prise for which you are best suited and qualified!
eo do.
In conclusion I again say that T am indeed
sorry that it became necessary to indulge in some
of the things which have been done in this cam-
paign. hut I do not feel that I am resnonsible for
the character of campaign that has been waged
hut this crowd knew that I have never flinched1
from a fight yet and them knowing that, T assume •
that it was the kind thev wanted or thev wouldn’t
have thrown the gaps down and INVITED me to
walk in .and I further assume that no fair-minded
citizen expected me to sit by and permit them to
attack me from every side and not defend myself
and my record which is all that I have done.
I urge that you give careful consideration to
the matter of making a change and keep in mind
that you are a stockholder in the City and any
mistake that may be made in a change will fall
upon you and it would he well to also remember
that your City is in good condition and financially
able to extend you courtesies which are needed
at this time and a change may result in disaster.
Again thanking you for your confidence and
support in the past and urging that you give it to
me again, I remain, Sincerely.
W. C. HAZLEWOOD.
Candidate for Re-Blectim am
(Political Adv.)
I
—-30
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The Delta Courier (Cooper, Tex.), Vol. 52, No. 14, Ed. 1 Tuesday, April 4, 1933, newspaper, April 4, 1933; Cooper, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth980854/m1/3/?rotate=90: accessed July 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Delta County Public Library.