Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-09-12


acquired fortunes as have been piled up
I'm this country, under governmental IA
yoritism TO railroad corporations. What
will YOU think when | assert that the
Hepburn committee (aiter whose report
the New York railway commission was
created, reported TO the legislature that
In 1879 New York railroad men, with one
stroke OF the pen added thirteen millions
OF watered stock, pure and simple to the
capital OF the elevated railroads OF that
city; that stock was sold on the market
at 100 cents on the dollar because the
government permitted them
TO PLUMBER THE PEOPLE
in charges TO pay interest on that water
ed stock, Was not Senator Coke right
when he said, In the American senate,
that eve need not shrink from a contest
with the corporations Of our own Crea-
tlon which coolly INDEPENDENTLY use
their power TO wrong and defraud the
peopleW
II competition were possible the rail-
ways in Texas would solve the problem
OF cheap transportation without legisla-
tive aid But there is no competition
here In water ways, and where comblna-
tlon is possible, competition is never
found We have nowin Texas that COM
bination which defes law and
dictates freight rates. Not two months
have passed since 1t was unbush-
ingly proclaimed that certain
representatives of Texas railways bad
gone to Saratoga to adjust traffic rates
This was another name for the fixing Of
pools and combining in defiance Of the
constitution
Now, II the separate power Of one road
corporation, even over its own business,
requires constant watchfulness by the
state to protect the people from Its ra-
pacity, how much more to be dreaded is
a pooling combination which consolidates
that power and seeks to establish an auto
cratic control over all the avenues OF
trader As in old times all roads went to
Rome, so now every road leads to New
York and while carrying our produce is In
the sense OF the constitution u competing
road. Pooling combinations among such
competing roads now openly proclaimed
with unblushing effrontery, In defiance OF
the constitution, are all of them illegal
and criminal conspiracies TO suppress
competition and establish monopoly. A
people who will blindly elect representa-
tlves without pledging them TO break this
railway conspiracy, and create an intelli-
gent tribunal to govern these roads, de-
serve TO be plundered. II the railway
men were wise, they would cease to
offend popular opinion and stop alienat-
ing popular support by maintaining their
combinations against the freedom of
Texas.
THE BLAIR BILL.
My fellow-citlzens, ] approach sub
| ject about which | feel constrained to
differ from many educators who met re-
Gently in convention at Austin. / refer
} to the Blair BILL My objection is not to
| federal help, but because such help was
never contemplated or authorized under
our form ofgovernment. The paternal hand
that bestows gifts would soon claim the
right to dictate their disposition and dom
mate and control the training Of our
children. Such power | would never
confer on the federal government. Be-
yond all this find question OF finance
involved in this gift of over seventy
millions O year for education. 1t would
be raised by gathering taxes with one
federal hand, TO be returned by another
federal hand, and would constitute an ad.
mlrable preteXt for sustaining thievinl
tariff.
MAXEY AND THE BLAIR BILL.
But, my friends, when look at bill
which now hold in my hand, and re-
member that 1t was drawn by the dis.
tinguished constitutional lawyer from
Texas whose term in the American senate
is about to expire, think people SHOULD
quit censuring Mr.. Blair anC
pay their respects to Mr.. Maxey. VIVA
is itP 1t Is bill introduced by the Hon
Sam Bell Maxey into the American senate
on the 9th of March, 1873, "To establish
an educational fund and apply portion
OF the proceeds of the public land to pub
lie education, etc" The first section set,
aside the net proceeds of the sales of pub
lie lands "for the education of the
people," Now this bill undertook TO SCI
aside about sol 900, 900 acres, for we hat
that much OF public land to educate in tn,
states, but provided that It should not in
teriere with prescriptions, bounty lands
etc.
The bill is long, and will describe in
stead Of reading 1t. 1t set aside the pro
+ ceeds as an educational fund to b,
Invested In United States bonds at no
. less than per cent, and to be divided
, among all the states on the basis o
illiteracy. The bill gave some OF thi
, money to colleges, but 1t provided tina
no state should have any OF 1t unless |
sustained for three months free schoo
Tor children between six and sixteeI
I years old. The states are by this bill
1 required To make yearly report TO tn,
, United states government OF the humble
OF schools IL has, the number of teacher
employed, the number OF school-house
: owned, the number hired, the number o
, children taught, the daily attendance
hew long the schools were taught an,
how much money the state had spent O
! her own that year.
; Now all this looks rather paternal; bu
/ observe further, this bill In It's fifth sec
I tlon denounces against any states tina
1 fail to send up to the federal source o
. paternal bounty report every year show
Q Ing how such state spent her money,
p forfeiture OF all benefits of the act. Nov
/. fail
0 TO SIZE MUCH DIFFERENCE
d so far as the question Of federal power /
o concerned between the power to appro
!, pirate money to be raised by taxes a
T proposed by the Blair bill, and the powe
l to sell land bought with meme
J. raised by taxes on our father
o labor, and appropriate its proceeds
Q But however that may be, the distribu
}, ton OF the sales OF public lands amonl
u the states for any purpose, has in ever
o period Of our history been branded by III
n Democratic party as unconstitutional.
Listen to the national Democratic plat
form Of 1856 80. Resolved, that IN
It proceeds Of the sales Of public Ian
q Ounht 10 ha aarradlv annuaa /,