Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-02-26
JUDGE TERRELL.
HIS views Nine Years Ago ~ Conformity
with His Views Now.


AUSTIN, TEN. Feb %. 1856
10 the Editor OF the Gazette.
In your issue OF February %, YOU refer
to Judge Terrclps address at the uni
versity of Missouri last June, on the
dangers Ss@om the growth OF corporate
mower as foreshadowng his candidacy
for the United States senate and as an
effort to capture the knights of Labor
and Farmers alliance.
inclose herewith an extract from
speech, made by Judge Terrell in 1877,
lust nine years ago, before an agricultural
association ut Georgetown, and taken
from pamphlet copy in my possession
at a time when there were no knights of
Labor or Farmers alliance in Texas.
ask you in justice to publish IL. Re-
specuuliy CIvIs.
EXTRACT FROM SPEECH on JUDGE TER
RELLAT GEoRGETowN, oCr., IL, 1877.
assert that no state can
long exist IN which universal suffrage
prevails, where majority of the people
consists of disconnected aborcrs, who
own no property, and whore the minority
Interested In corporations and perpetui.
ties, control the policy of The state. This
must be especially true IN states where
the laborcr has been educated under a
free school system; being educated, he
sees the authority of government pros.
stltuted to enrlchlng corporations under
the plea OF developing the state, and
which claim, under the doctrine OF vested
rights, perpetual privileges; while no
special legislation Is dreamed of for him.
He ILLS his pipe with tobacco which pays
aduty to government, and lights it with
match from box which also has the
government Sign of revenue, while he
laborsata forge the vast products OF which
under the operation OF the tariff, pay no
duty to the government, lut enrich still
more the millionaire may be that he
works for a railroad corporation, whose
stock has been watercd five for one. His
employers, expecting dividend ON
every artificial dollar, reilce his wages.
Standing To his post u ough sunshine
and storms, with 100 lives daily depend
ing on his skill and ildellty, he sees the
palace car OF the railroad king 20 by,
and knows that his $4,000 salary has
not been cut down To whom shall such
a man look for relief? The government
which lnFokes his care tells him Il has no
power TO interfere. Is IL strange that
discomfort should be widespread when
corporations have SO nearly absorbed
every power in the state; that congress
has been considering, and will again
grayely consider, whether the bonds OF a
speculative franchise shall be indorsod 10
the extent OF $3.50, 100000 TO build an
other railroad for private owners? Such
Is the discomfort felt by labor in other
States, and duty 10 ourselves requires us
TO seriously think not only OF Its causes,
but how 10 avert IL.
Sooner than we think, We may be re-
CURED TO consider whether our govern.
ment with It's present corruptions, meets
the ends OF governments; whether the
man has outgrown the garment made for
the boy. Governments are hut human
Institutions; as they exist only
from tao necessities, so they should
endure Gully through the con
sent OF the masses. All power,
whether OF one man or many, whether of
government OF the Individual, no matter
where, or in what interest II Is exercised,
bears in itself an element OF proneness 10
abuse, which makes il necessary that It
should be limited With ms this limita-
tlon exists nowhere but On written con
stitutloli, which Is powerless In the alb
sense OF public virtue. But Ia fact our
constitutions are ignored, and the policy
OF this administration or that
administration becomes practically
the organic law There Is moth
ing but exact 0delity to the constitution
which VIII secure the freedom OF every
right, interest aud opinion, with the full
manifestation Of rs legsl existence, and
which wiilpreyent each, not only from en-