The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-04-02

defied. When l tried to amend i
last night in order to destroy by Law
the evils of what is called dealing II
futures, its sole author, director anC
sponsor, the member from Harris
voluntarily protested against tht
adoption of the amendments, which
Only could make the proposed law eff
fec5ual. His hostility to the amend
ments proved conclusively to every
man Who knows anything about this
question that his sole object was tC
aim poisoned arrow at a man, who
under my advice, refused to be black
mailed by two clerks OF this Legisia
| ture, who represented to him that
| they controlled the vote and actions
of the member from Harris. In his
insane desire to make himself motor
ious, the member went out of his way
last night to abuse and Villify the peo-
| pie of Galveston, and has sought to
excite the prejudiceS of the honorable
| members of this house against that
devoted city. l here declare my sol
emn conviction that in attempting to
do this he misrepresents the people of
I Harris County. There is no antagon'
ism of interests or feeling between
| the people of Harris and Galveston.
| Shoulder to shoulder the great and
small merchants of these two cities
have stood together, worked to-
Sether in a common interest for mu-
tual preservation AID have appealed,
through Mckinney, CraYens and Sen
ators Jones and Jerdone, to save them
and their people from the unjust dis
examinations which the present rail-
road laws now countenanced and al
lowed in favor OF others who are not
citizens of Texas. The Houses, the
Clevelands, the Bakers, gthe Bremonds
and Bolts, Of Houston, have been
found working side by side with the
Sealeys, the Willis. the Blums, the
Runges and the Ballingers, of Calves
ton in everything that had for its OBJ
ject the general good of our own great
State" Here followsa repetition of
the objections of the member from
Harris, Mr.. Tankersley, to his amend
ment. Mr.. Fisher continued: "My
amendment proposed to make the bill
apply to all bucket shops and bucket
shop men alike, no matter whether
they carried on their illegitimate
dealings in 100000 cotton ex-
change, or in rented Office.
He (Mr. Tankersley) repudiated my
amendment and declared :; -. they
would kill the bill. Why? If his
position is correct that dealing in
futures is an evil, why is it not as
great, or greater evil in those who
deal in 1000 bales of cotton futures,
as in him who deals in 100 bales? If
it is wrong for Mr.. Floyd to sell fifty
bales of cotton to any one in New
York to be delivered in July, it is
wrong for the members of the HouS-
ton or Galveston Cotton Exchange to
let their members sell each other 1900,
ora 900 bales day to be delivered in
July, and, it is equally wrong in far
merto sell 100 bales, the seed of which
is yet in the ground, to be delivered
next November to Mr.. Runge. But [
will tell you why the member from
Harris prefers to make war on Mr..
Fioyd, rather than on the Cotton Ex-
change: 1t is because it is his nature
to control the weak and defenseless
rather than the strong and powerful.
But he will learn before he gets
through with his contemplate game
that Floyd is not weak; that
there is sense Of Justice
remaining among the representative
of the people that Will not tolerate
such monstrous proceedings against
one class of men and let others equally
guilty, Of guilt there be,tgo free. I said
In the outset, this bill was conceived
in sin and brought forth in iniquity.
1 will read you the proofs:
These letters and this statement
show deep laid scheme to blackmail
an honest man. have not charged
that the member fa0m Harris is gull
ty of matchmaking. Why2 Because
these letters do not prove 1t. But
when his intimacy Sampson and
Tryon rendered, the refusal of
Floyd to be blackmailed, the putting
off of this bill to the last Of the ses-
sion, and his urging its passage with
out any amendments, so that it could
apply only to Floyd, the reference is
| irresistible either. that Mr.. Tankersley
has been the willing tool of two
knaves, or he is the victim of a
| conspiracy with Tryon and Sam
son as the heavy villains, and Floyd
the man to be placed. 1t is not for me
to pronounce as to the extent the
member from Harris may he impli-
Gated in this matter. 1t can be mat
ter for legislative investigation, and
persons and papers can be sent for
and will be forthcoming when called
for. [Sensation.] While I have not
taken upon myself to declare the ex-
tent of Mr. .Tankersley's implication in
| this disgraceful affair, his savage at
tack upon me and my people, without
cause, has made me doubt his sinceri
ty. Here Mr.. Fisher reported the ru
NOR that Mr. Tankersley went to
Houston and helped to hang Senator
Jones in effigy, and which Mr. L. We
hemently denied on the floor.l
"Sir, the guilty men, whoever they
| may be, ought not to escape condlgI
punishment from this honorable
| house. These letters show there il
| guilt somewhere. If the member
from Harris has dared to advocate
this bill in the name of right and duty
| but really at the instigation of SCI
of designing men, then he was despi-
cal enough to become their willing
tool. But for them also an hour OF
retribution is fast approaching. Sir
a distempered and snarline
cur has nobler mental and moral
qualities than a blackmailer. The
viper that Wiggles in decomposiDg
filth is higher In the scale of existence
the unclean bird that DELEGATES in it,
own nest is less odious. The wretch
who, actuated by perverted instincts
revels in nastiness and denominations
is less execrable. The monster wht
insults the mother who bore him i
more entitled to human sympathy
Whether he receives his dues in thi
world or the next is a matter of n,
consequence to me; but if being a
heartless, groveling, hypocritical
fraudulent and polluted as black
mailer could, through any means, es
cape the punishment to which hi
!: crimes entitle him, then 1 should los
faith in an omnipotent God and won
der Tor what purpose hell was insti
, tuted Applause and sensatlon.] NJ
sir; let this graceless, irreclaimablt
, hardened and infamous blackmailel
i sane or insane, knave, tool or maDiat
90 and repale his devious fancieS i