The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-04-27
What Texas Owes to Her Roads
Apprrss or COLONEL q. lonpAY.

appear before you by authority of your
chairman, and / thank for the courtesy.
[ am always more or less embarrassed
when appearing in the role OF speaker,
because / have had no training in that
school; but, as the chief officer of the Hous-
ION 81 Texas Central railway, resident in
the state, feel il my duty to represent as
best | can its interests before your com.
mittee.
AS understand the situation, your COM
mittec has before it no less than six bills;
and brom their number and character one
would infer that there was something
radically wrong with the railways
that the citizens were being plum
roads-and that great emergency was
upon you, making it an imperative ncces-
sitv for the most stringent and immediate
legislation.
/ do not propose to take up and discuss
with you in detail the features of any one
of these bills but TO plant myself upon the
broad ground that there is no demand for
legislation in any shape or form, or that
rates should be disturbed, and that the
roads are operating to-day at rates that are
unremunerative rather than oppressive.
In this array of bills-many of them pre-
sented within the first forty-eight hours of
your sitting-there is, to the railway man
ager, lamentable spectacle, proving the
ingratitude of republics and that corpora
tions have ''nccks to be hung
and souls to be damned" Within
the last two years, over two thou
sand miles of road have been built within
the state Nearlvcvery mile of this new
work has been through thinly settled
may say almost unsettled districts, and
practically without cost to the people. BY
Inc construction of these new roads there
H., loI ! INr to M
taxable wealth Of the state over $200O0,000
The value Of millions of acres OF lands has
been more than doubled; taxation has been
diminished everywhere, transportation cX-
penses reduced at least so per cent, and
the comforts of the people immeasur2bly
increased. Yet the cry comes up from
some quartcr-I know not wherein the
shape of the. six bills demanding absolute
punishment for comforting upon the coun-
try the well recognized comforts and ad-
yantages of railway facilities II the repre-
sentatives from Shackleiord or Eistland are
present, | appeal to them and ask Ii the
| Texas ~ Pacific and Texas Central roads
have not given them good service, increased
values and diminished expenses of trans
portation? | address the same inquiry to
the honest reflection OF every memoer rep.
resenting districts recently brought to the
enjoymenkof railroad facilities, and ask
wherein ~ have been aggrieved? But |
do not propose to rest my inquiry alone
with frontier representatives. appeal to
the members from the line Of the Houston
| AZ Texas Central railway | turn to the rep
resentatiye of my own county, who has a
| bill before you, aud so ably represents
| Harris county, and Houston, the greatest
| railway center of the stahe-l ask the gem
| tieman frankly whether single constituent
his has lodged complaint against the
DIS of his district tor excessive charges or
unjust discrimination that cannot be rem
edied by existing laws?
That there have been delays and errors,
| admit, but no rights of the citizen have
! been touched that had not its speedy rem
| pdv in the courts, under existing statute;
| and stand before You and do most SOL
emily declare, that beyond those incident
| 10 delays in times of very heavy lreishts, no
complaints have reached me from along the
| entire 700 miles of road under my direction;
| on the contrary, we have had every assur-
ance that the people were being well served
/ and we're satisfied. Then why are we called
hero nv this seeming evidence of public
WRATH Ii oppression and discrimination is
being prgcticed upon the people-or the
! grogth and prosperity of the country were
| being retarded by the roads the zeal that is
manifested in the six bills before you would
he admissible.
If the legislature was not at all times
nowerfl aud capable of correcting abuses
Iif the statutes were pot already ample to
redrcss the wrongs of the people-there
might be cause for some fur her legislation;
mi. to-day, when progress and prosperity
Is felt in every county in the state-when
vour treasury is overlooking with the
revenues drawn from enhanced values-im-
narted bys railway influence. u ere is no
sround reason for the array OF bills bufyrc
you and they must emanate from vain
year,-or q desire TO fall into an imaginary
popuiar current.
nave before stated that the situation de-
manded no legislation, and rs proposed,
under the sundry bills before you. would
ne manifestly unjust. This vast and mag
nificcnt system OF railroads, stretching from
he Gulf Of Mexico TO Red River on the
north and FROM the Sabine TO the Rio
Grande on the west and that has
made and is making your great state
nnnulous and prosperous. has been built
wholly by the money, OF others than the
citizens of rexas. aud il has been perma-
gently invested for their benefit, and the
facts should make the people and the leg
tslatnre cOnsiderate In their treatment Of
rsiiSvAv properties and not level at them
heir seyerest laws as il there was entertain
"a a special resentment towards fureign cap
itai / hold that II j. as mucu the right of
the citizen VINO puts lis money into rail-
raw properties % enjoy aud pursue his Law
r,l bnsi1ess, subject only 70 a Just respon.
,;h;iitv Tor all wronIs he may commit
Herein. asi. is for the lawyer, doctor, mer-
800. farmer or mechanic. and when YOU
..,tea,pt TO say that he shall take tire
.~snts Ser mile for transporting passenger
You can as VII say lac shall
-, that voa have Tue right 30
,,s,iuteiv destroy this class Of property.
tvI,en v,u undeTt IKE q regulate raies.
80, what basis DO Won afliu-t yOgf ch1rcus
80 ,-ial rrtIe arr you g1rerue in making
-a5grii,Is2 l. il done il the lieht o ~
4. rienreg Izn reiuctiun 'r3n five - three
cent. per mil On passenrers the result 81
ary kn0gledge on The sa19-ci, % .tleorg
that nav be 81 poEesiul fJr mischief, bui
--;fbont pswef 20 restore the bral-en for
times Of one mile % rosa
- IN the light Ofthiriy -three years eK-
-. ,s..ose fbat tlers j. moi a road In the e ste
ibaf enn 0psr1te its passenger trains with
r.r,fit ct three cents per mile. Honest per
lsps NAV differ with me, but they vii n0t ]
ne f0und among those Nh9 nave experience
4 ~ honest supporters u slch D measure I
-. r,,,lv he Influenced By the conviction /
,sf the rnass are csiFing 100 much for
80 r,ass,n~er service, and 20 I
10 declare. IN unequivocal
.e-rns that no cla.s Of business !
- Maid TIE roads 81 ne Eiate - I'ooriy,
nd that our passenger trains. = ~, hnFe
Deen practically run e. = plrnc e2nyen-
.,.,.ls ,..rjr,r fl,e lefds afId Interest ~ our
--,rr..,Ir. ana IN sdr1e a The ronds ] BE-
i..,-s 10 r,4..-ur.r SERVES 4 being rendered
Il -, arfr.i los. ] make tbis declaration I
-~l.ouf frrr III d-nia 81 AM one nt al .
,r0uaiufed viii the subject ~ facis-
7he Houston A IeEas Central rauyey
~ 81 far TIE bset trarel 81 Any 80 m
~ safe. ard 20 run or pTesent oo1ole
$50 rr-riIa - r.er cent ~ our entire
- r~iIrrrr has ben r1ntt ~ rs
'errrr f-nins. from wbic1 - hare DE-
.s-.-l f-f = rer c1t. a cur ~
- Vrfw-fIIsts1Idinc or comparatively
s-rr lr...I brliDess. TIE - e1r.Iirfs irurr
80 r.s.snrsr iI..ns ~, -. n-'s - = ~ y.