The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1873-10-02


The twelfth plank Of the Radical plat
form condemns the indiscriminate squand-
ering Of the public domain by the Thir-
tenth Legislature, 70 large extent upon
purely speculative and worthless corpora
tions. This Is 3 string that has frequently
been twanged BY Radical fingers, and It is
really pity to have it snapped. Who is so
forgetful among as IS not 70 recall 70 mind
the flush times with them Of 1901, when
railroad corporations were manufactured by
their Legislature 70 order, and went begging
for buyers, not only in Wall street, but even
in the humber streets Of our home cities
and toWnsl Why, bless US. every little
Radical infhc State went 10 Austin, and if
be could not get an Office, he invariably
had him q charter fixed up with his name
inserted as one OF the incOrpOratOrs. Here
IS specimen, taken from page 81, Special
Laws, called session, 1870:
SECTION ]. Be 4 enacted by The LgistI-
ture Of the State Of 7e1as That John G.
Scott, Nathan Patton, George w. Whit
more, John II. Bennett, Elan Stockbridge,
a. Burlington, L. ID. Sanders, A. T. Mon
roe, G.. ID. Kelley and Robert II. Taylor,
and such Others as they may associate with
them, are hereby created body polite and
corporate, under the name of the ''Boliver
Point Eastern Texas and Red River Rail
road Company" etc,
Was ever such an array Of speculative
dead beats named together before in the
Brme connecticut And this list is a good
representative list OF all other incorporatOrs
named by them. They created tsceaty-aiRe
Just such companies. The Thirteenth Leg
islature created only thirteen railroad ineor-
pOrations, and the character and standing
- ffn
tors arc in striking contrast TO the above
almost in every instance men of character,
sanding, wealth and influence.
. But they squandered the public do
main." Has any of it gone, disappeared,
vanishedl Did these speculative creatures
of the Thirteenth Legislature boldly pick
up the dirt and march off with it in their
pocketsl Has any corporation created bv
the last Legislature acquired title to foot
of our public landsl Hardly. Not an acre
passes from us until we have a correspond
ing amount of railway finished and in ope-
ration to show for il. Not even q certifi-
cate Is issued until then. The voice of our
people spoke IN the last election, and they
said, fuse our lands to aid us in having
proper transportation. Their voice was
needed by their servants of the Thirteenth
Legislature, and lines of railway were
chartered for all portions of our great State.
Lands were donated them cOnditionally,
and proper restrictions were, in every in
stance, retained by the wisdom of our ser
wants, in our hands for our protection. from
undue exactions. God speed the day when
every available foot of our public domain
is gone, for then the iron horse will dash
proudly over every section of our great
State, carrying our productions to market
and bringing in return the wealth and peo-
Pile of other lands to swell our population
and intensity our greatness and happiness.
Forty-four million acres of our public do
main are laid carefully away to endow our
common schools and to educate our chill
dren. A like amount is available for aid to
works of internal Improvement. We lay
no taxes and pay out no money for this
but when the work is done, we give dona-
tons of alternate sections of land. of little
value to us, but, by reason eff these internal
our already magnificent
school fund isdoubled and quadrupled.
MADISON.