Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-19
COVERT DESIGNS.
What ara George Clark and the CD.
News Up To?
Is There Purpose to Disrupt the Democracy
of Texas with NoEpartisan Bust
ness "a Mems Clubs
CLARK's COMMENTARIES ON HoGG.
G-D-News Editorsal, April %.

/
When Satan, as described by John Mil
ton, sat on his lofty perch in Eden de-
| vising the conquest of the new world and
the ruin of man, he pleaded "public
reason just, honor and empire with re-
venge enlarged, - as considerations COM
| pelling him "to do what else, though
damned. he would abhor." $50 spake
the fend,'' adds the poet with pregnant
commentary, "and with necessity, the
| tyrant's plea, excused his devilish
| deeds.' Ex-Attorney General Clark
| submits a highly interesting series of
| commentaries on a recent tremendous
| deIiveranoe of Attorney General Hogg,
| and the sum of these commentaries is &C
centuated with the pregnant criticism
that the glst of Mr.. Hogg's argument
and eloquence, as foremost advo-
cate and great captain in the
| plenary commission enterprise, resolves
itself into the proverbial and historic
| plea of tyrants, necessity. With this
view of what MIR. Hogg and his fellow
commissioners are thinking, meditating
and driving at. Judge Clark is naturally
distrustful of the genuiness of their De-
| mocracy. He is satisfied indeed that no
Democrat, true to traditional articles of
Democratic faith, could advocate
measure that would merge lawmaker,
| judge and executioner in one monster of
arbitrary and uncertain discretion.
| Judge Clark can conceive how Repub-
| lican, bred in the school of centraliZa-
ton and paternalism, might plausibly
defend his position as an advocate of
such measure on party grounds. He
| can conceive why the leading spirits in
orders and leagues agitating for gigantic
strides in national policy of paternalism
| and socialism should favor, as they do
favor, such a commission as Mr.. Hogg
proposes. But he cannot conceive how
Democrat, bred in the faith that distrl-
button of power into distinct departments
Of government is indispensable 10 free in
stitHtions and that the BEST, government
is tao one that interferes least with,the
| private .lnterests2 private pursuits and
EFe+Sonal liberties Of citizens, can advo-
| Cate such measure or find any plausible
defense for it in the generally recognized
tenets of his party. 1t is very obvious,
however, in these days of chaotic tumult
of ideas anu tendencies in politics,
that there are Democrats and Democrats.
Mr.. Hogg represents an element of
reaction against conditions and guaran-
tees of individual liberty and towards
absolutism of power in discretionary
magistracy claiming to act for like ab-
solutism IN q voting majority Judge
Clark represents the school of Democ-
racy which holds that the fundamental
object of constitution Is to limit alike
the power of magistrates and of MAORI
ties, and that to sweep away such limita-
tions is TO sweep away the foundations of
government of law aud liberty. Dem
oerats of this school, while they believe
in reform, believe that the true wsy of
reform is not to multiply new laws, but
to repeal q mass of old ones; not to
clothe government with new powers and
new missions, but to diEest it
of some functions thas have already
been unwisely conferred or unwarS
rantebly errogated. Democrats of Mr..
Hogg 81 persuasion, on the other hand,
believe or propose, to the contrary of.all
these tenets and contentious. Now las
Judge Clark has propouuded q formld+
able string of interrogatories to MIR. HoEg1
and his colleagues, it may be in order to
inquire how Judge Clark aus his co1-s
leagues expect to InaintaIn their standard
of Democratic faith in the practical bus
HISS VI hCOLlhSot SAoSS-
ing delegates to a Democratic state con-
vention and organizing that body and
conducting Its work. Are they ready to
recognize as competent voters in the prl-
maries persons notUriously allied with
enemies to the Democratic party at
large? Are they ready to affiliate in the
primaries or in the convention with per-
sons who notcriously hold in contempt or
in adherence principles which men of
Judge Clark g school hold to be the es-
sence of true Democratic faith and the
only security of free government? If
they are ready for all this, then 1t is not
seen where or how they are to make a
successful stand for their cause inside of
the mechanical organization of the party
with its lines extending around vast
medley of incongruous elements. If
they are not ready for all this, then what
next?