Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-09-15

die and laboring classes OF men. IL love
equality OF right II strikes with ~
hand the red anarchist and the corr .o,.,n,
tribe Of monopoly, and with - Other
holds aloft the standard Of ',nerfv Tegn.
lated by law. To the gre, lsnoyino md
producing classes 1t nast looS Tor helm,
and II is madness 10 alIeuate them from
our support by barsh words or bitter
epithets,
The national Democratic platform
OF 1855, contains this plank: "Thc
proceeds OF the public land
ought to be sacredly applied
to the national objects specified in the
constitution, and we are opposed TO any
law for the distribution Of such proceeds
among the states, as alike inexpedient in
policy and repugnant to the constitution.
Now, prompted more by a curiosity to
see how Senator Maxey could reconcile
his views at different times of popular
education by q paternal government, l
called his attention at Weatherford to his
bill offered some years ago to sell the
public domain, and invest the
proceeds in federal bonds, the
interest to be divided beween the
states. His bin provided for the invest.
ment OF little property of 500, 900, 900 of
acres OF land worth $500, 100000. The
curious feature about this measure was,
that 1t prescribed the ages OF the children
who should be educated, the length Of
time each state should sustain free
school, aud 1t required yearly report
from the dependent state to the paternal
head, showing many things concerning
It's school matters and especially how
much each, state itself gave. For falling
10 report as required, state was
TO be disinherited, and the money 90
TO the other states. Now this looked
to plain man like myself like dividing
the proceeds of the sales Of public lands
among the states under the general well
fare clause, in violation Of our old-tash-
Toned Jeffersonian doctrine. He meets |
me by the statement that the government
had given land for canals and schools be- |
fore. know that every sixteenth section |
OF land had been surrendered to each |
state In which 1t was situated, to be used |
as the state pleased for education, but |
never heard of any division either of land
or OF Its proceeds among other states, or
That any OF them were required TO report
yearly their action to the federal head
But, my friends, observe further: When
sold the proceeds of the land were not
TO be delivered to the states, but they
were to be invested by the secretary OF
the treasury in federal bonds, bearing
four and a half cents interest and that
interest was to be forwarded by him to
the states, yearly. Now, that interest on
$500, 900 would amount each year
to over S30,000,000 Of money.
How did he expect that in
teress to be paid Out of the
general revenue raised by taxes on the
people, of course. Mark you, the money
was to be invested in United States bonds
by the treasurer. Can the wit of man
any difference between the prln-
ciple OF the Blair bill, which proposes to
educate from federal taxes direct, and
the Maxey bill, which proposed to edu-
cate with interest on federal bonds raised
py federal taxation2 l leave this ques-
tlon to De solved by the lawyers OF Texas, ,
caring but little for it myself. The bill ,
ala no harm, for 1t went quietly to sleep,
nor did ever even hear of it until re.
Gently. Now | care but little about this
except to show that consistency is not
virtue always observed and prac-
tlced by this constitutional lawyer. !
lie informed me that a bill OF like pro- |
visions afterward passed the senate and
That Senator Coke voted for it, and many !
other Democrats. Well am not here to
question the Democracy OF either Sena-
tor Coke or Senator Maxey, but venture
to say that the bill which Senator Coke
voted for, was not this Maxey school
bill.
My fellow-citizens, the hour of mid
nights here, and hasten to close. Letno
friend dream that | ever expected to be
anything else than mark for the shafts a
oil malignity when l began the work of :
attempting to arouse the people from !
theil apathy to consider the dangerous
encroschments and oppressive methods
Oh corporate monopoly. know how
dark the stream and cold the
waters | must cross to reach
the further shore. Almost uuaided
and alone among those who aspire to
federal honors, | have arraigned the
Migrant defiance Of our constitution and 9
laws, by corporate properties in their :
pools and combinations, and II defeated.
let no friend believe that the struggle '
mas been In vain, for the seeds of truth, '
now being sown VIII sooner or later bear Z
their fruit for the benefit of the natural '
man made by God, and to emancnate I
aim from the power of the corporate :
hing created by himself