The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-05-04


late 40 as 10 deprive the corporation NJ the
power 10 pay Interest upon It's debt you have
the same pUWof ~ legislatO ~ ~ 10 deprive
IL NJ earning enough to pay the naibte.
uauCp and uperaliOn Of It's roadway, and
you would have singular spectacle pre-
sentcd, which Is In fact presented by this
array Of bills which you have before you.
On the one hand impairing the revenues OF
the corporation below the standard that
would meet its obligations, and on the
other hand demanding that the railways
shall be improved to the standard OF the
roads which have been in existence for "a
quarter of century, and whose earnings
are ten times that OF any railway IN the
state of Texas. These TWO propositions
contradict each other. They cannot stand
together. Ii you require the railway COM
panies to improve their lines up To hrst-
class standard YOU must allow their u rate
of tolls that will justify the immense e%-
penditure of money to do so.
FREIGHT TRAFFIC.
Now in the face of the figures have given
YOU, of the comparative gross earnings OF
| ihe state n, Massachusetts and the state -!
Texas: in the face of the fact that none OF
the railroads in Texas are paying dlvldends
! 10 their stockholders; that every railway in
the state, except the Texas IL Pacific, has
been practically foreclosed that not Il rail-
way in Texas is paying the interest on lts
bonded debt at the present rate OF CONNER
cial traffic and in the presence OF the adul-
tional fact that during the past year you
| had n short crop, and that this year has
dawncd upon you with floods, late frost
and northers, it is now proposed del ioer-
atey to reduce by more than one.halt the
rate of commercial traffic upon every
article carried upon the rail-
WAYS in Texas, regardless of the fact that
very many hundreds of miles of new lines,
trayersing regions without populations,
without commerce. without trade, and
without prospective business for many
wears to come 1t is deliberately proposed
to intlict this injury upon the great railway
, system ofyour state, which has made Texas
what it IS, doubled its population III the
last decade. and increased its taxable values
in the same proportion. The data Is at
hand to show that so per cent. OF the freight
cars of some of the lines have dead haul
one way, and must not for long time TO
come have large percentage OF such pront-
less and expensive work; and in support oil
this l propose to give you few hgures.:
which are not estimates, or the result OF
speculation. In the year 1881, the eastern d.
vision of the Texas h Pacific railway which
comprises the lines lying east OF Fort
| Worth, shows that so per cent. OF all the
cars moved upon that line were what ran,
road men call empties, that Is, they carried
no freight. This arises from the peculiar
|
short season every wheel must be Kept hot
| To move your cotton. For another short
season your cattle are moved; but for more
than six months in the year 5O per cent OF
the rolling stock in your state. when not
used in construction, remains IDLE III the
wards OF their respective companies.
If the nature of your co nmerce was sueh
| thut these cars. like those OF the Pennsylva-
MIA, New York Central, and other ilnes,
could be loaded both ways, you cannot IAN
| 10 see that upon the five hundred ana
twelve miles I have referred you to, the
tonnage for the year 1881 would have peeh
| so per cent. more than 1, was,
al d of course the gross earn; earn,
iuys would have been corrcspondlnSiy
increased, while the expenses would nave
been practically the same; for you mus
hear IN mind that it costs the management
of a railway company jIst as much 10 haul
empty as loaded cars. The engines tbat
haul them, and the crew that operate thehi
OF g way loaded, must return Them at the
same cost, and if they happen to be the
cars of other lines, which often occurs,
mileage must be paid on every car, whether
| loaded or empty.
In conclusion, gentlemen. after eXpresslne
nv grateful Acknowledgements Tor the
marked courtesy and patient hearing OF me
committees and others present, | VIII only
add nv hope that you will calmly consider
the grave and responsible issues involved
before adopting any one OF the bills pend
1 inc before you looking TO any changed rela-
tions of the railroads in your stale lheS
have been
TILE MOST POTENT INsTRUMENTALITIEs
FIR yorr present high degree OF
prosperity But for them, other themes
than an OVERLOOKING treasury and low taxes
must have furnished the occasion Tor tlcN
ling the vanity of the people ana reJolcihe
the popular heart on the musings. other
resources than the public lands must have
been called into requlsition TO construct
fine proud edfice now being erected, to
rival in its graceful architectural lines ana
grand proportions the capitois OF older anu
much more densely populated sisterho91 :,
the Union. And this grateful task woulu
have devolved on the generations TO com,
after YOU. Your worthy governor, me
chief magistrate of a great state, wouIu
have been spared the duty of calling you
from fields and contingencies ana pro
fessional duties, in this NEST ac
tive season of the year, IN estla
ordinary session, to apportion your
territory to meet the renarka-
bic and unprecedented increase OF your
congressional representation, responsive 10
the authentic returns OF the last census o.
Your state bonds, instead of being ,pur
chased by your surplus revenues AT lnr'y
L.
by new issues TO meet deficiencies IN cur
rent expenses, and you would, indeed, hay'
cause OF decentralization If TO this were
: not added, year by year, funded lnteres
bonds, because oE your lHaDlllly 70 Aet
+ the current interest demands on you
treasury. ,a.
over the common school lands, but certaih'
ly not 10 increase their price from fifty cent
10 one dollar per acre. But for the moderi
, nioneer-the iron hoTse-whose shril
, whistle has ut last awoke the solitudes Of
. your ettern wilderness, but yesterday the
pasture O. the buffalo and the huhtint
: ground ofthe hostile red man your ianu
T now the subject Of legislation in ertrsoroi
nary session, would not be worth the psrch
meflt and seal of the patent. The Very
, message which alone enables you, dufihl
vour present sitting, TO iegislate ON the CUES
ton of transportation tariffs, comnrn
every word we utter on this subJeci. IL oir
closes the remarkable fact, but i preie
quoting literally the apt and well chOse'
Language Of the message:
"Our financial condition, our state circuit
: as indicated by the price Of our bonds IN IN
= market, our small public debt, our low and
diminishing tares, our railroads, nov spah
: ming the state in different directions, M
. rapidly increasing prosperity OF our PeopI
, and the immensely Of their varied prod Tue :
, the vast endOv Of lands for eiuc-
, final purposes. our vide extended d.
, main of feriile lands Offered fOr.sale cbeapiy
! have at last been heard OF hnd uel
! & ifed abroad; consequently population. en
, terprise ard capital are more aiirartr.
, towards Texas nov more than ever D. ~
! The are principally directed toward y
, .r, Texas. WHERE most Of our schools larIs
! university lands and asylum lands, ere
! lands reserved 10 pay the public ueDti az
@Tbe time long deferred has now iotu
! nafelv arrived Ehen these lands cau "a
. utiizeB fir the benefit II our sci1
. AID q build ~ our unlfeftliy