The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-02-14

lung governmental power instead o
augmenting it. Popular government
to be wise must be limited, and tn
power TO govern must be kept as nea
the people as possible. Every addi
Conal assumption at Washington il
in the nature of political revolution
in which the peoples indepen
dence Is curtailed, while the force O.
centralism is made stronger. Tht
tendency is to govern too much, ant
the purpose of federal laws seem di
rected, mainly, towards the curtail
ment of popularly supremacy. This
tendency has gained impetus not only
from the acts Of Republicans, whose
policy for twenty-three years has beer
to substitute centralized for popular
will, but even from Democrats. Judge
Reagan's bill is the furthest removed
OF all the interstate commerce bills
from such purposes, but its tendency
is towards them, and there is where il
will drift whenever adopted. The
federal government has already as
sumed to do too much, as is proven
by its blundering practices, and the
administrative power of its agencies
should be prescribed. Thirty years
ago Herbert Spencer said:
Private enterprise has done much,
and done it well. Private enterprise
has cleared, drained and fertilized the
country and built the towns, has ex-
cavated mines, laid out roads, dug
canals and embarked railroads, has
invented and brought to perfection
ploWs, looms, steam engines, printing
presses and machines innumerable,
has built our ships, our vast manufac-
tories, our docks, has established
banks, insurance societies and news
paper press, has covered the sea with
lines of steam vessels and the land
with electric telegraph. Private en-
terprise has brought agriculture, man.
ufactureS and commerce to their pres
ent height, and is now developing
them with increasing rapidity. There
fore do not trust private enterprise.
On the other hand, the state so fulflls
it's protective function as to ruin many.
delude others, and frighten away
those who most need succor; It's
national defenSeS are so eXtravagantly
administered as to call forth almost
daily complaint or ridicule; and as the
nations steward it obtains from some
of our vast public estates a minus
revenue. Therefore trust the state.
Slight the good and faithful servant
and promote the Improbable one from
one talent to ten."
The history of efforts to own, direct
or control railways by governments
has not been satisfactory. This has
been proven in England and the late
determination of France to diVest
itself of all railway control, is another
proof Of what is here asserted. Mr.
Reagan's bill proposes to prohibit dis
in freight rates and
charges between individuals, to pro-
hibit rebates or draw-packs. Here it
is proposed for the federal government
to pretendIto do a thing already por-
bibited by all the states. That the
laws of states are not sufficiently OBJ
served is no excuse for federal inter-
ference, because it is proven that the
states may exercise more perfect cor
rective influence in such things than
the central government. The facts
are proof of what has been already
asserted, that efforts at governing too
much prove futile, and consequently
bring governments into disgrace.
Let the laws we have be enforced be-
fore others are added to them. Had
the laws on our state statute books
been thoroughly enforced there would
have been no excuse for an extra ses-
sion of the legislature to devise new
ways of preventing crime. Prevention
by the old processes had notibeen tried.
and when new processes are added to
these the governed under
stand more forcibly the made
quate ability of executive
power. A few laws, well enforced
are better than a multitude Of statu-
tory provisions not observed. AS to
the prohibition of rebates, it is well
known that the principle involved
enters into all trade. When gentle
man orders one or two hundred copies
of THE STATESMAN they cost him
eight or ten dollars. If the order be
increased to thousand the rate pei
paper is reduced, and so on as the
number increases. What sort OF a
law is it that would say ten thousand
copies of THE STATESMAN shall be
sold as low as one thousand copies
What sort of a law would it be, pre-
scribing that a blacksmith shoe five
hundred horses for one man at the
same rate he shoes five horses? Legis
lating against rebates will always be
avoided in variety of ways. Mr.
Reagan's bill proposes to prohibit The
pooling of freights by different
competing railway companies
so as to secure to the
people the benefits of competition
in freight rates and as means of linn
iting monopolistic tendencies. While
pooling has in some instances put VI
rates, in the great majority of instan
stances it has been of vast benefit T.
the public, as is shown by the stead,
reduction of rates by competing rail
way systems and combinations. Law
against pools would destroy competi
| tion-the strongest bulwark of popu
lar interest involved in the railways
Ten lyears ago it cost, with one raj
way, So to send bale Objection froI
Austin to Galveston; under compel
tion it has been hauled for as low
50. while under its influence a bale {
cotton is now taken to New York fo
about the same money as years az
was paid to Galveston. Comp
Jition creates business, and wit
increased business low tariff ratl
may be made to pay railway expense
Pooling has enabled the corn an
wheat growers of Wisconsin and {
, Minnesota to put grain down in Ne
| York at fifteen cents for transport
! tion, and corn is therefore utilize
now for food instead of for fuel. B'