The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1874-07-14

| llhl Nnullt WIS lnt HI'Nl hlilll lUhl
conceived this idea which II has taken
40 many years 10 develop, aud he gave
10 II llA earnest support. Was itusk,
whose memory Il held ~ dear by Tex
ans, wrong IN lahOring for this grent
enterprise? Was Houston acting IN
bad faith 10 the people Of 'loxas In pre-
yniling upon them 10 bind mp this
great body OF land for the encourage
ment Of this great enterprise II so
then have wronged the people, for l.,
| 10 my humble capacity as legislator,
iabored 20 the Same end,
After this introduced the Memphis
and I'll Paso charter IN order TO have
this road through our section Of the
state. This charter required S50O,OOO
In stock 10 bc taken, and ton per cont
OF II paid In, Young, Morgan, Wright
and myself were the Original charter
mQmbers OF this company, ! made
Iepcoches asking the people TO take
stock In this road, 10 that we might
have the line surveyed and located,
and attract the III tenti0n of capitalists
20 It's Importance with the abiding
faith that the time was near no hand
Il WYNN ~ nbUli U''Hllli ~ li'NiNlA1 Allh
would be built. We had no hope Of
building tho road ourselves. We were
not able to build railroads, but we
wanted TO get the route surveyed In the
hope tllat others would then take the
matter In hand and build II. II viii he
remembered by some, that after this
wien the directors Of this company
brought suit against all the stockhold.
ers IN this state for the full amount OF
stock subscribed, that fought the suits
In the courts IN behalf Of the stock
holders, because they were not In any
event TO pny more than ten per cent of
the amount subscribed.
VIII refer, fell0w-citi2ens, TO one
other instance IN which fought for
the Interests Of the people against this
r0Nd The charter of the Memphis
and III Puso road gave them eight
miles Of land ON each side Of the road,
Along liz entire length through the
state. subject only TO the claims of
actual settlers. In 1868 this company
came Into the Legislature nud asked al
extension Oftheir charter, ] was then
u nember of The senate. | came home
and consulted with my people, and
found out that II great many persons
bud settled ulong IN this reservation,
Who had no valid title to their land,
some had located their lands with
fraudulent certificates and some had
no certificate, aud the land which they
had opened up would 20 to the railroad
company. Event back 10 Austin, and
| said to the gentlemen conducting
that bill that they must allow me TO
amend the bill for relief SO as to give
these actual settlers twelve months
within which 10 perfect their titlcs,and
where parties had settled without any
certificates, they were TO have the
right to buy certificates and locate one
hundred and sixty acres OF their land,
10 include improvements. On this
question had kome OF the members
from the counties east of this to fight,
but | succeeded in having the amend
nient made, and IL stands upon your
statute books to-day.
Remember, iellow-citizens that at
that time was u stakeholder In this
road. ask you il In this fought for
the railroad with which was connect
ed, or il fought for the people?
Subsequent to this, the Memphis aud
III Puso company became bankrupt.
In 1870 went TO Austin and asked from
the legislature the privilege for the
Fransc0ntinental railroad company to
purchase the charter and franchises OF
the Memphis and FL Pas, company.
| asked no subsidy for the TrunscUntl-
mental, but simply the right TO pur-
chase the Memphis aud III paso road.
This privilege was granted by the leg
islature, and at the same time subsidy
of 3,O0O,0OO in bonds was granted TO |
che Southern Pacific and B0OO,00O to |
the International. | opposed this |
money subsidy, An attempt was made
to induce me TO advocate IL. A large !
SUM of money was offered me to advo- !
cate u, more than | could have made |
in u year from the practice of my pro- !
iession, but | refused to do il, because | |
believed H. was not right 10 grant !
money subsidies. After this the Trans |
continental company purchased the |
SOUTHERN Pacific line and congress con.
solidated the two under the name of |
the Texas and Pacific, with the name |
of Marshall Roberts, of New York, at !
It's head. 4
The Texas aud Pacific then applied |
to the Texas Legislature Tor consolida-
ton charter, and subsidy, | was not
ut Austin ut this time, but printed
copy OF the bill WAS sent me by the
member from Collin, and wrote the
from this section of thestate
amendments TO the bill.
The bill granted u money subsidy of
! suggested that no money
ought 10 granted, but IL being u doubt
full question whether the legislature
could grant land under the constitu-
ton, desired them to have the bill so
that land could be substituted
for the money whenever the constitu-
ton was so changedias to admit of It's
being done, ! further urged upon them
that clause SHOULD be inserted, sub
jecting the road to the control OF the
state laws, in the way of freight and
passenger tariffs, and that tho state
should have the right to name one
third OF the directors. The bill was
passed and the amendment requiring
them to accept land In lieu of the
money subsidy was adopted thu
Others were rejected.
After this, when the road was pur-
chased by Colonel Scott, | went to
Austin TO make u settlement of the
difficulties which had arisen out of this
grant of the $1,000 600 in bonds. A
bill was introduced and passed as
compromise measure, giving the COM
pany twenty sections of land In the