Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-28

part of the law makers, and the law had
nothing TO do with my creation as it had
to do with tine railroads. My business is
also private, and / have plenty of COM
petition in my line. If l want to go TO
Houston L have got to go over the Cen
trail. 1t has monopoly between here
and there and | am bound to patronizs
it. No other road Is running from here
to Houston, and l am not corporation.
But then they say that Is centraizing too
much power IN one body. Where do
they get that from? Certainly the amend
ment says nothing about giving n COM
mission Legislative, executive and judi
cial powers. - Where do they get it,
then? Oh, they say that's the kind of
an agency that Mr.. HOgg wants.
Well, here l disagree with them,
for as understand Mr..
Hogg's doctrine he simply wants
commission with the power to make and
maintain reasonable freight and passen-
ger rates and prevent unjust discrlmina-
tions between persons and cities. Now rs
/ understand that, he muRns the commits
sion shall fix the rates, then IL the rail-
road charges any more than the rate
fixed, you would be entitled to sue them
IN the courts for over charges and for the
penalties for over charging already fixed
by law and the fact that they charged
you more than the rate fixed by the COM
mission, would be sufficient ground on
which to maintain your action. You
would not bring this suit before the
commission. Hence where is its judicial
capacity? If the railroads keep up q
refusal to observe the rate fixed, the
commission would report it to the attor-
his duty TO enforce the law which L sup
pose will be enacted with sufficient PEN
alties or fines for such refusals to make
them observe the rate fixed by the COM
mission. Then where is their executive
capacity? 1t will only be endowed with
one power, the legislature creating it
will simply transfer its legislative power
to the commission for the purpose indi-
Gated above.
But then, says Mr.. Cook, what as
surauce have you that the commission
will be honest? To which 1 reply, the
same assurance we have that you are
honest, and if they are not honest we
can get rid of them. The law of i'm
peachment for I9alfeasance or miscon-
duct in office could be enforced against
them as easy as against any other dis
honest officer in our state, and others ap-
pointed or elected, as the case may be to
fill their places. Now as we
believe MIR. Cook Is honest and
known that he received his nomination
to run for governor from railroad attor-
neys, and friends of the railroads, who
by their call published in the Dallas
News declared themselves IN favor of
railroads, capital, etc. which is against
the people. Judge Cook accepted their
nomination and is running on their ticket.
Judge Cook is honorable and honest,
therefore it Is not reasonable TO suppose
if he is elected governor, and the amend
ment is carried, and the Legislature Gre
ates commission to regulate freight
rates, that Judge Cook will see, so tar
as he Is able, that freight rates are regu-
lated in the interest OF the railroads. If
he should fail TO exercise his power in
their favor would he not prove traitor
to his party? think SO.
But while on this subject 1 want to
know if it was oentralizing power in the
| old states and in our state,
| to give the county commissioners
court "a body composed of five mem
| power to regulate the tolls on macadam
| and plank roads, and 10 see chat said
! roads are kept in good repair, etc., for
| the benefit of the travelling public; also
| to fix tolls on bridges chartered for thai