The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-02-25
STATE ROUNEIRs-BRAzOREA cOUN-
TE AND HON. GUX M. BRYAN.


adopted the system of granting lands to
aid in securing internal improvements there
was no authority for such legislstiOn, IS
expressed IN the Constitution. s0EantnPnn
grant was made before the CONSTITUTION
was 50 amended as to give aatbority fot
such Legislation, and yet no on. e7eE
questioned the right to makel these
grants. The pressing needs Of Texas
required 1t, and no Legislator, on
account OF principle" /" stopped TO in
quire into the eonstitutionality of such
laws. The grants were made, and Texas
received incalculable benefits from the plan.
Not only were railroad companies and
other Organizations for works Of internal
improvement fOstered with the privilege Of
locating the very finest lands in the State,
but the Houston and Texas Central, the
Galveston, Houston and Henderson, the
Buffalo Bayou, BFazos and Colorado, the
New Orleans, and the Houston and BrazO-
ria Tap Railways were all extended the
most generous loaAs Of money by the State
TO prosecute their works. Galveston and
Houston and the adjacent country be-
came the direct benefciaries Of these boun-
ties, and grew rich and powerful under
such influences.
The Brazoria Tap Road, running from
Houston to the town of -Columbia, on the
Brazos, was built under these most aus
picious circumstances. Not even the Hon.
Guy NJ. Bryan, who, in these days, was be.
ing honored by the citizens of Brazoria
county as their representative in
both State and National councils, was
ever, as we are led to suppose, heard tc
raise his voice. even fer principles sake,
against the not clearly defined constitu
tional powers Of the government to give
away the property Of the State. His county
had layished, upon it what to-day would
make Bexar or COmal spring into new
life. Let us see. The Brazoria Tap road
built for the benefit Of the, people of Bra
zorias county, covered distance of fifty
miles. The original cost of the road could
not have been over $1,000 per mile,
rolling stock included. The State
loaned the road $500, 600 in gold
and gave Is 51e, 900 acles Of land. This
within itself, was enough to build the read
Again, Brazoria county desired obstruc
tions removed from the Brazos river, and
its mouth improved. The State, time and
again, voted liberal appropriationsfOr these
purposes, all, too, for the benefit Of Brazo
ria county, whose people loved to honor
the Hon. Guy NJ. Bryan. Again, the peO
pie of Brazoria desired an inland passage tx
Galveston bay. To enable them to have
this additional facility the State extended
for the success of this enterprise, the cut
ting of q very narrow and shallow canal D
only few miles in length through sons
marshes, 60, 100 acres of land. Home com
panies operated both these enterprise
until the first fell into dlsusec and abso
lutely decayed, while the canal is barely al
open channel in high tide for the smailes
boats. .....
In 1870, after the railroad company dhaC
defaulted in interest on the $500 900 loaned
by the State for the entire term of year
in which it had been held, the State
under judgment obtained in the, prope
courts, sold the road. The loan of $500,
900, and interest upon the same to the frs
of March, 1870, amounting to $17s. $40, ag
gregated debto s47ss s4s due. upon tina
day. The road was offered publicly, but NJ
purchaser was secured. In'the meantime al
the cars had decayed, the ties and bridg
work had rotted away, and the bed of tn
road was almost destroyed. Nothing bu
the iron was left, and, after ffuitless effort
at public sale to dispose Of the road, the In
ternatlonaland Great NoEthern Company be
came the puchssee ats t8R, ,O0OzoiThe los
to the school fund iNas $S4S, S45x TAefoa'
was then put in thorough repair and int
operation, and does not even now, iunde
good management, pay for the wood an
grease to run the trains. The Internationa
Railroad Company is doing it's best to r.
trieve Brazoria county, but, fnds il aver
difficult undertaking. If the cOmpan
fails, the Brazoria Tap Railway, after fal
ing, for the first time in its existence, int
the hands of parties who would keep it NJ
and pay taxes upon it, viii again be abar
doned, andathe people of BrazOna count
left to languish. -
| Aswe have shown, the State has layisheo
even squandered as it has proven lsEg
sums upon internal improvements fOr BrI
zoria county; and even now, when hope
revived, its Representatives, not ITS Sens
tor be it said to his honor become the IL
strpmentss by which itssp psoplenare to b
criPplea. Yes, the lHoAa Guy NJ! Brya
ana Mr.. Munsofn,9 % q q7orp2 q aIpfmtipIc, !, a
they claim are cfippEpgi its energies
These people have had7sthe Santa F
railway taken away ftonp taeui.l Not eve
cOuld-thcy lrsys the poor prfsfege Of bein
heard through their own representative
The protest they sent 20 the Legislator
was hidden GwHy tu the I'1Uk0v Or7dne {
these representatives, away from the eyesc
/ Legislators, and Just as the biiI was about {
pass, Mr.. Lawhou. 3 member from diffel
ent section of the STATE, called upon one Z
these representatives to disgOrge the PR
/ test, but with no elect. It would b
we'll for the people of the Galveston dii
trict, embracing BrSzOria county, to
represented by such men as Senate
Joseph, who, though depending upo
the strength Of Galveston % sustain him, i
willing and anxious TO see thu insiguifcan
minority in BrksOria done all justice. II
does not propose to take away from ther
both the santa Fe and the continuation Z
the International and Great Northern, ono
the BrazOria Tap, and We know fun We
that the people Of Galveston wopld do q
the broad-minded and honorable Mr., il
seph does, although the HOng Guy n BE5a
says that principle lies at the bottol
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