The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-02-22

actually used"
Mr.. Terrell accept the first par
of the amendment.
Mr.. Terrell said:
On former day discussed, when the school |
land bill was pending, the proposition en- |
braced In the amendment and will not now |
weary the senate, but ask indulgence TO call |
attention to a danger before us: No statute |
was ever more loosely guarded than the gener- |
al law of corporations, which the senator from |
Dallas sought 10 amend by this bill which was |
properly the first bill of the session Under Il |
corporation OF nonresident capitalists can
lille charter for cattle business with the secre-
tary of state, and under it lock up from settle
ment million of acres of the best land in the
state; for the corporation can buy it either
from the state or an individual. This, in my
Judgment, is against public policy. My amend
ment proposes to limit the ownership by cor
porations OF land to 81 acres in any one eoun-
", except under laws heretofore enacted and
for services or public works done in pursuance
thereof. Permit corporations to continue
their their purchases, and they lock your lands up
period OF their charter power. Suffer this thing
TO go on and they will soon have a monopoly
OF your sol, for the citizen for lack of means
must go to the wall In competition with them.
My resolution Is in harmony with the policy
| of Texas for over thirty years until the pres
ent loose law OF corporations was enacted. Alta
| time whenTexasw was without navigable streams
| or railroads, and all people wanted to en-
courage railroads to convey the products of
their labor 10 the sea and were willing TO do
/ almost anything to aid in their construc-
| ton, Texas offered them as bounty sixteen
| sections of land for each mile built. Yet even
tnen " we o remembered the traditional ZEAL
| lands. and denounced forfeiture of the gift
if they failed to sell it in twelve years. At a
| later period we passed the present law which
| required all railroad companies to sell their
lands In five years, and that is still the law.
| though by some strange oversight any other
FSe% Gan buy AZ the Lands q Texas and
wrong; II Is dangerous and unless checked
will bring bitter fruit hereafter, unless have
Ia laws vain of the Ea sasadnsS IF FROM asO an
early period show how experience had
made them jealous of the powers of corpora
| tons, and especially of their ownership of
land, which is never permitted except by ex-
press act OF parliament. The proposition is
simple. Shall we keep orr lands for men Of
flesh and blood who live upon and develop
them, or transfer them to an artificial being
called corporation, a creature of law-not Of
nature, heshless and soulless, which cannot
die, and which may hold in its iron grip en-
tire counties? Shall we suffer these corpora
tons TO enclose entire counties with
wire fence, preventing forever their organize
ton and settlement?
1t has been asked what other states have
made such restriction on corporate owner
ship OF land as propose? answer by ask
ing what state on this continent except Texas
owns its own lands and is required to adopt a
policy for their settlement? With vast mill
ions yet owned by us and soon to be again for
sale IN the Panhandle, and millions yet of the
1
an emergency and a call for wise statesman
ship concerning this question, which
we cannot measure by the conduct of other
states The federal government pursued the
same policy which Texas always did here
tofOre. TO sell land in limited quanti-
ties to actual settlers, and prohibited
corporations from owning lands except for
manufacturing. irTigating or mining purposes,
and for colonization in forwarding such enter
prises.
The question is simple: shall we devote these
lands to corporations or to men of flesh and
blood, who will occupy and improve them,
and VINO, unlike corporations, must die and
there Is any one thing to be feared in our
future more than another, it is this monopoly
Of land1the source OF llfeIand its very worst
feature is found in monopoly by corporations.
I What the man fences and ann.OIriateS his
children snbdiyide. or sen, but the corpora
ton ifves though its members die, and its stock
only is sold. Ireland should teach us q lesson,
and If we have made blunders in the past it is
yet time to repair them.
Syndicates with foreign capital are even
now buying vast bodies of public land. Our
Texas stOckmen with $4,000 and $4,000 fall
| before them like frosted reeds. IL We do not
apply a remedy you will soon find whole coun-
ties under one fence, whose owners are not
men but corporations, whose stockholders,
like the Irish landlord, live abroad.
want to return to the old policy of Texas,
which was founded on jealousy of land
monopoly by corporations. Ii we must have
vast pastures let them be owned by men who
must die and their estates be divided and
up in the iron grip of these corporate and arti-
fetal creatures Of the law-blOOdless and soul
less, with whom individuals are unable to con.
tend, and which never die. Their rights would
| respect when already acquired, because the
law secures them, but the evil of so leaving
| the law that our public domain may be fenced
up by corporations for half century would
stop.
Mr.. Davis, opposing the amendment, said
that l. gislatIon, instead OF Encouraging IN
| vestment OF capital In the country, shOul
l 6p nat hgf
English, I1sh and Scotch capital was seeking
investment in tn: country and increasing the
value OF property, was not misfortune, bat d
benefit Only few years ago the funds in the
Panhandle were worthless aud could Lot be sold
| on time credit or leased land the fact that We
eau now lease them is due altogether to the
| flow OF lpttal into the country, from the north,
from England, or fro m somewhere else. hathCr
than to drive this capital from the country, and
cause values TO go down and prices to fall, we
should rather encourage this capital to come
and still further increase taxable values and
reduce tSxes on ourselves, and increase the
revenue Tor the school fund. That there is DO
reason why private corporations should not
own land the same as an individual; corpora
tions are composed of individuals, can onl,
exist for fifty years, and there is no reason for
saying tiey should not own more than $40
acres OF land, except to ipjure and
hamper the sale and lease of the
hoOl lands, which seeking to place
upon the market. By statute corporation car
not now Own more land than is necessary tn
carry on its business, and cannot purchase lanr
Tar as any state has ever gone towards limit ,ng
the right of a corporation to acquire real estate
and Is as far as We can go In Texas without plac-
ing corporation at an Unfair disadvantage with
every one else.
No state has ever thought 1t wis. TO lcgislste
so as To prevent money, IL matters not from
| what source, from flowing into the country, for
: the whole people are benefited; and IL is bad
policy to rhcw by our Legislation that we have
contracted views upon the subject of corpora
tons inimical to capital and money ana stcu-
| rity investment.
Mr.. Gibbs withdrew the second
proposition OF his amendment, and in
support of the amendment to the sub
stItute said:
The pending bill reported by the com.
mittee in lieu OF the bill introduced by
myself restricts corporations 10 some ex.
tent, but not 10 as great an extent as
desire TO see them restricted.
wished 10 prevent the creation Of a cor.
poratlOn to carry on any business W hicb
did not require extraordinary eombina-
lions of capital; In fact, TO limit them to
railroad and telegraph construction and
| operation.
L believe that state which permits
the creation OF corporations
for any other purposes allows
an Infringement on individual rights, and
permits an.evil which will develop itself
more and more, rs these franchises con-
| lidIo W c4leb anu lucSc CuTpOTALlOnS Ac-
quire more wealth and power.
/ may be al extremist on this question
IL so, It is because of Inc fac: that feel
that all the grievous burdens to be bor1e
by the people In the future, will be those
imposed by soulless corporations.
The gent eman from Cooke says we who
support this amendment, forbidding cor
porations to own more than $40 acres In
any one county, are scared at shadows.
Yes, sir; we are scared at the shadows
of history, with are but the sad expert
ences of the past, and should be to us as
dapger-signals to the mariner.
| asked the committee to embody pro.
vision in this bill preventing the exist
ence OF q corporation TO transact any
business which could be operated by In
dIvidusls. i feel assured that this Is the
correct political principle, and one which,
IL adopted now, will save US q political
and social revolution In the future.
By permitting this wholesale formation
of corporations with unlimited power,
wealth and objects we are, in the name
OF prosperity and rapid development,
building q temple which our posterity
will have to pull down though they be
crushed by its tall.
prefer to see less rapid development
on basis that gives more promise of
national happine>s and individual secur-
ity. The senator. from Cooke says
let US not stay the hand Of
progress or check the growth OF wealth.
say, Mr.. President. that If we learn any
thing from the history Of other states and
nations 1t is that national prosperity and
IL -