The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1882-01-13
4 FICTJTIOUS ISSUE.

= flCI1llOUS ISSUE.
The purely suppositions contest,
between Senator Coke and Governor
Roberts, for the senatorial succession,
is made the text for communication
| (presented on another page of this
mornings ExAMINER) that appeared
originally in the New York Herald.
The article will repay perusal,
although its premises and conclusions
are markedly fallacious. The old
| question of the states settlement with
he International railroad company
u Is too well understood in Texas to
figure as a factor in the solution Of
the senatorial problem. Texan"
who writes to the New York Herald,
surely forgets that all these technical
exceptions to the cOnstitutionality Of
the land grant were considered and
discussed during the pendency of
legislative action. Texas, at that
time, possessed a landed domain OF
not less than 6O,OO0,OOO acres. The
granting of land to railroads was not
an innovation. The International
subsidy was not precedent, save as
to the exception of alternate sections
for school purposes. Years before
number of railway enterprises, nOta-
blv the Houston and Texas Central, |
the Galveston, Houston and Hender-
son. the Southern Pacific anu others,
had received grants aggregating mil
hons Of acres. The state was abso-
lutte owner of the domain, and such
ownership carried with it the right
of disposition. Railroads were re
garded, and justly so, as developers
OF those interests best calculated to
increase the population and values of
the state. lu such spirit the state en-
them by grants from her
public domain. The principle in
golyed in Texans" argument has
Deen tested in our supreme court, and
las yet to be declared unconstitu-
ional. 50 far as Coke and Roberts
he one as governor and the other as ,
.hief iustice-are concerned, they !
ach, no doubt, haye clear con :
cicnces respcctirg.this International .
natter and rest their vindlca- !
ions with the law and the D
eople. The closing portion of 3
Texans" letter is perhaps the ;,
lost noteworthy feature of it. c,
tripped Of all superhuities his prop II
,itiou is; that ALL land subsidies %, %,
-anted TO railroads-but notably the ci
Ileruational grant-sre illegal and 10 {
warranted that the railroad cor an
,rations incur the risk OF having
cir lands Wrested from them when
cr the state gets governor and III
yislalure who have nerve to take W
Id Of the matter; and, finally, il tn
, railroads do not aid Governor pl
berts III his senatorial aspirations. co
out OF pure spite, will as Gov
Tor (assuming he gets third term)
TO work to show up the illegality c
these land grants and bend every BI'
We TO despoil the International PEe,
1 other railroad corporations of the ua
Us they hold by title from the Gin
tc. The proposition is immense ''
y ridiculous aud that it is
IS known by 40 man better
Ii Governor Roberts himself. There W.
no grounds on which to base tho Oh
lecture that he entertains the belief ban
[ the land grants were uncomstitu- hot
.al. Should we concede (purely wa
arguments sake that he might be
Icod to take such position (belpq r.
sajed for the senate) and institute wea
aT Of recovery against the roads ,uil
would render himself liable to rid
e and contempt, for people would T
why Ae did not iuaugurate such que
'ecdinSs at an earlier day He the
Id write himself down as either III t
yus or foolish. As matter of the
he Is not either. Governor Rob pref
nor any Other public man can at
to let Tie people of Texas incur
uspicion that he is actuated, one on one, g
or another, by railroad influences. ZOI
International matter cannot and - e,
not figure in the senatorial =, Us p =
ISL who.