The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-09-23

ing amused at the manner in which he
committed himself-at last to the rail
way theory of legislative nonaction as the
remedy for railway monopoly-for he
used these words: II believe that compe-
ton is the best remedy after ALL" How
different is this from the manly language
of Richard Coke, who, only the other day,
said in the American senate: "Pooliug,
which is now the order of the day among
railroads, is utterly destructive of compe-
tition, and gives to railroad corporations
power to exact full dividends upon their
fictitious watered stock
All! gentlemen, there are three thous
find seven hundred millions of this ticti-
tious capital which sets like a night mare
on the productive energies of the country,
plundering it in freight rates to force
dividends, and constituting a burden on
agriculture twice as heavy as the national
debt. These are no times for temporiz-
ing with duty; in this crisis men must be
on the side of the people or against them.
We know where one Texas senator stands.
and those who know him expected nothing
less. Again l quote Senator Coke, who
declared in open senate his conviction,
that corporate power as developed and
manifested in this country, in its corrupt
ing power over legislators, judges, gov.
ernments and the press, and in its power
to plumber and rob the people,
is standing menace to liberty
and free government" 1t is
believed that Gov. Coke's remedy is
found in commissions-federal and state
to adjust rates so as to stop dividends
on fictitious values; in no other way can
this be done with justice alike to the
roads and the people. The remedy of
Gen. Maxey is ito invite competition"
when he knows that every road in Texas
is now in traffic pool, to adjust which,
in defiance of the constitution, their
agents assembled only few weeks ago in
Saratoga. His new roads through the In
dian territory will, if ever constructed, be-
come parties to this pool to fix rates and
divide receipts, just as the Gulf, Colorado
d Santa Fe road fell into the combina-
ton pool trap as soon as it was purchased
by eastern capitalists. And what is this
pooling? 1t is system of combinations
by which several roads practically create
one mighty corporation, which monopo
Lies all the avenues of trade and en-
trenches itself against the effects of COM
petition or the possibility of reasonable
rates. 1t is system which fills the long
purse of the corporate king with the
highest rates, by establishing a monopo-
ly over the routes of transportation, from
whose extortion no business interest can
escape. 1t is high-handed and criminal
conspiracy against the rights of agricul-
tural labor and commercial enterprise,
and which now crystalizes in Texas the
power of railway monopoly.
And now, gentlemen, under this system
of railroad combination, while agriculture
no longer yields its rich reward in high
prices of earth products to the farmer,
we find some of these roads earning an
interest on actual values which, between
private parties would be declared usuri-
Gus.
Only Saturday last stated at Weather
ford that the Missouri, Kansas d Texas
railroad, according to its sworn report in
1884, earned, above all expenses, enough
money to pay % Gil per cent. interest on
valuation of $4,000 mile. That
money is in the end paid by him who tolls
in the furrow. Why, these roads have
been endowed by Texas with so much land
that if it were now sold at 81 per acre it
would yield enough to pay $50 to every
man, woman and child in Texas; and yet
we have Texas senator aspiring to a
third term who, in the face of this whole
sale plundering, says, "the remedy is COM
petition, and to build more roads," There
are now three roads from Texas leading
to ST. Louis; will the construction of his
fourth road better the situation when its
interests will be served by combining with
the others instead of competing with
them? | had hoped in this crisis to hear
something else fall from that senator's
lips except advice to encourage manufac-
lures and build railroads. He told you
how manufacturers under an average pro-
lection of As per cent. were impOverishing
their discontinued labor, and being en-
riched under partial laws. Was he sin
cere? If so, why does he think that cur
social condition would be improved by
demonstrating their robbing enterprises
in Texas. and recruiting the ranks of dis
contsnted labor here! There is some
thing higher in craftsmanship than tempt
ing avarice by showing how the area of
monopoly may be increased. To restore
confidence by controlling the pernicious
HebnOuS VI Cdpltdl ID JHe IuloSlOu VI Uno
hour and the duty of the statesman, nor
must he shrink from the duty of de-
nouncing the anarchists as an enemy of
man, no less dangerous than the
vampire of monopoly. Social order can
repose in safety only on just laws, and
while loyalty to order demands that evil
laws shall be endured until they can be
corrected, craftsmanship should point out
remedies, unawed by financial power or
the Establishments of wealth. The distin-
guished senator says that the complaints
of the men of labor and Farmers alliance
SHOULD be respectfully heard, and if well
grounded, the remedy should be applied
Well, this is consoling to the great masses
of the people who look to their political
leaders for light and advice.
The misfortune is that the great masses
of our thoughtful people are two years
ahead of their high officials, who they see
only on the eve of elections.
asked Senator Maxey at Weatherford
whether he agreed with his colleague that
stock and bond watering was "a crime
against the public" and that the people
of the state should make war on it with
earnestness, energy and determination,
and then, as now, he has answered me by
talking about the powers of congress and
of the states. The remedy is with the
people, that we all know; what would he,
their trusted servant advise them to do ?