The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-04-05
HON. A. W, TERRELL.
Grooming Senator Coke for
Third Term.
Refuses to Fight Coke as Long
as Coke Fights Corpora
tons.
AUSTIN, Tex, March 2S, 1885,

or Coke when he was last elected ana ne
received the vote of every senator; oInIe
hen 7 have discovered nothing in his pup
ic service recurring his retirement lrou
the senate. Opposition to third term Is
he clan tran which spoilsmen substitute
for argnment, and ought 10 be dlscour
aged. do not agree with those "ho 20
Iieve that public servant snouiu oe
tired from office SO soon as time ana eA
perience have qualified him to discourage
we'll its duties. VIA;
In letter published in the Star Vlndi-
Gator, of February Is, 1888, Senator OoAe
said that he was in favor of "a thorough
in the interests of the people,
of railroad corporations, ana ge6'ine
down their profits to a reasonable per,
centage on the capital actually invested
This was the very central idea of my can
vass, made two years ago. The plumber
ing methods of railways in Texas, IN nX-
ing high rates on short hauls to pay lhter-
est on watered bonds, constitutes the
giant evil of the hour, and all know tha'
the interstate commission Is powerless 10
correct this evil; the remedy can only
come by creating a state tribunal FOE
mo. e than four years a combination VI
RAILWAYS in Texas has exs.ed, with ltS
traffic agent, created as an officer Tor alt
the roads, in open defiance of the state
constitution, fixing oppressive tre'ght
rates, and exercising power over the
industries and commerce of this state
never before permitted among American
people to be exercised by any one man.
nly
courage equal to his convictions, ana, pc
lieying as 1 do that he will wage IN the
next state canvass open and aggressive
warfare on this giant wrong, Will sustain
him until | find, if | ever should, that he
waivers or quails before the corporate
| powers he must antagonlze. Nhetner our
state constitution is a rope of sand VIII be
tested in a suit already brought by our at
torney-general, who Is fearleasly discharg-
| ing his duty, in attempting to restrain all
the roads now banded together in that In
famous pool. When that suit Is criticised,
there will be music all along the line by
these politicians and newspaper men VINO
are employed to discuss public affairs on
business principles, and who always drift
to the corporate magnet. Courts, how
ever, unaidad by further legislation, can
not settle the tran 'pUrtation problem;
statute law, subjecting lexas railways to
firm yet Just control by state conmis-
sion, is indispensable. Many members of
the house arraigned the state senate III a
published card during the last session OF
our legi. lature for failing to pass a rail,
way commission bill, move unprece-
dented, and only to be excused because OF
the extremity of the need for legislation
Those who see no present danger in the
growth of uncontrolled corporate power
will have cause to reflect when they re-
member that this startling arrangement
of the senate was published in but few
Texas papers, and commented on by still
fewer.
Almost Immediately after this, our peo'
pie seemed to forget everything that in
volved their financial welfare in the ex-
citement over prohibition, whose remain:
some politicians are now trying to ex-
hume in order that they may do duty for
selfish ends to stock primary meetings
and through them to stock legislature
In this new enterprise to revive the prohi
bition issue extremes cooperate. The
prohibition extremist, inspired by desire
to make people good by constitutions
law, now co-operates in the work of agi.
tation with the local politician, who il
fearful that his influence. at primary meet
ings might o. herwise be lost These extrem
lists forget that there is more powerful ell
ment than either of them in this state
The masses of our people are now watch
ing earnestly the drift of public affairs
and will suffer neither politicians nor plat
forms to stand in the way of their strik.
ing the shackels from agricultural in
dustry, which is now chained to the wheels
of corporate power. To sustain and Civ
direction TO this element should be tn
high mission of the democracy. No maj
aspiring to leadership in Texas can afforj
to be silent now. The time has com
when men sent by Texas to that house O
lords-the United States senate-wil re
member that they represent a state anc
cannot preserve silence about its publi
policies. The election of United State
: senator by legislature removes that Off
Ger too far from the people, and has filled
the senate with millionaires. Two YEAR
ago | advocated an amendment to thu
federal constitution, requiring the Ameri
can senator to be elected by a direc
, vote of the people. The thick -and-thi1
corporate press of Texas then deridet
my views. A few days ago such an amend
ment was recommended by committe,
J of congress without dissenting vote. 1
; it should be adopted we shall see less O
that compression al dignity which refuse
to grapple with live problems that involv
the prosperity of state-which lose
, itself in the mysteries OF the tariff, an
, sees nothing to condemn in the exaction
of corpora power tyraniziug over tn
highways of the people. We now hav
much of that patrician apathy that charac
: terized the privileged classes who, i
, France, gathered tolls on highways an
everywhere else from patient labor unit
the revolution of 1889 burst full. arme
upon them. If we would escape such
calamity, economic problems inyolyin
the relations of all labor with all monopo
lies and trust combinations must h
solved, for, unless they are, the man VIII,
Is not fool may stand erect and hear tn
= rumblng of the coming revolution.
believe you were present when | mad
the first anti prohibition speech ever de
llvered in the senate of Texas after III,
t constitution of 1876. l will therefore h
2 excused for reminding you that I the,
) predicted that, if prohibition was eve
submitted to popular vote, it woult
inject into the general stat
casvass thereafter an issue that voul,
threaten to Dominate all others. Such a,