Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-04


porations for the corporations, and the
| agitation will continue 10 grow until this
question is solved, and the people are
not going to buy their rights by buying
| the railroads. The Republicans at the
North use an occasional rumpus in the
South to scare or fire the Northern heart.
The corporation influences use an oc-
easional spasmodic outbreak of one-half
dozen anarchists in Chicago to brighten
conservative people into submitting to
the exactIons of corporate power. The
people are getting on to both raekets.
WRONG METHODS.
There is no use pitching into the mer-
chant, for he is in the same boat with
you. He must add his freight to all that
he sells to the consumer or buys from the
producer. He must get the freight
charged by the railroads even If he loses
his profit. There is no sense in pitching
into the railroad lawyers or newspapers,
for they make their living and money by
serving the railroads professionally, just
as you do by blowing or stock raising.
Why pitch into the railroad employees?
They are paid salaries to perform certain
duties in certain ways. These men who
get their daily bread from corporations
know as little as you do why or what is
done at.the Eastern headquarters of these
corporations. The wealth and power of
these corporations are such that they will
absorb the control of government unless
the people are vigilant in the exercise of
: their power. These corporations will
either be servants or masters; they will
either shape your laws or defy them.
They can be neither patriotic, sympa-
thetic or just, for they are machines
owned by foreign bondholders and busy
capitalists who want their pound of flesh;
they can have it as we understand the
contract, but must not have the blood of
the nation with it.
There is but one relief or protection for
you, and that is TO keep your depart
ments of government clean and continne
to leGislate on railroads until they are
forcedeto do business on fair basis, and
recognize as fact that they were char
tered to perform q duty TO
the public on the basis of res-
sonsble compensation. They have the
money with which to employ talent; you
have the same, and in addition can con-
fer honor upon those who serve you
faithfully. There are many men who
hold reputation and political honors and
the gratitude and plaudits of their fell
low citizens above all earthly things.
Were it otherwise no free government
could be established or perpetuated.
Continue to recruit your army of officers,
from the lowest to the highest, from the
ranks of such men and you will always
have guards on duty. Gen. Hogg in his
able speech (Which every citizen should
read no matter what his prejudices or
predictions are) gives a complete his
tory of the corporations and their duties
and powers. 1t is only since the rail-
roads have gathered so much wealth and
strength that they have attempted to set
up this absolute right to charge what
they please for public service.
When they were lobbying your legisla-
ture for franchises, land grants and bond
subsidies it was on the ground that they
were to be public highways, and only
wanted q reasonable interest on the
money actually invested. Now, when
they can get no more of these things
they want TO sing another song-if rail-
roads are to be permitted to say how
much of your produce they should
have as freight, and how much
you should keep for your labor,
they own you just as absolutely as we
owned the slaves before the war. The
consuls of Rome never claimed or OBJ
tanned imperial power until they oon-
trolled every road that led to Rome and
could fix the supply and price of bread.
Even If control of railroads bring no relief
yet the power should be exercised lest the
right to exercise it be forgotten or the
railroads claim vested rights because of
your failure to exercise this power. Our
forefathers knew the breakers ahead,
when they declared "eternal vigilance
the price of liberty Just as Mr.. JEFF
ferson did when he said that the greatest
danger to the perpetuity of our institu-
tons lay in the Federal judiciary.
The struggle to obtain free govern
ment has always been shorter and easier
than one to maintain it. Aggregated
wealth always seeks power, and Will even
buy an earl without an esrldom that it
may have its shadow if not its substance.
From the birth of the world wealth
has arrogated to itself all power and has
never understood why popular rights
should not have market price like oats
and corn. II the railroads are permitted
to use their advantages to exact from the
people more than they fairly earn then
the producer becomes disgusted if the
law don It put him in as favorable con-
dition.
INTERSTATE COMMERCE.
Some men say that they admit that
the state has the right. but there is no
use in trying to regulate railroads be-
cause they are so smart and rich. Such
men wouldn't make decent bait for
game fish. This character of men never
had anything to do with establishing a
free government and will do US no good !
IN its perpetuation. They say that
the interstate commerce law is c
failure. What if the railroads did get
q clause in that law that enabled them to
prey upon the interior towns and COM
that had no water Transports
ton? Is that any reason why we should |
cease to try to regulate them2 It is the |
more reason why we should continue the !
struggle. Even boys have more pluck |
than this, for if they can't chop rabbit |
out they smoke him out. Certainly the |
people can command as much talent and |
on their side to regulate rail- |
roads as the roads can to prevent it. |
Suppose the people get together in every |
community in Texas, and when men |
come seeking their suffrages this summer |
whether for constable or governor, re-
quire him 70 say whether he is for or |
against q railroad commission. If you |
resolve to confer no official honor or |
emolument, however small, upon any |