Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-19
WILL FIGHT TO THE LAST.


WILL FIGHT TO THE LAST.
The Only Hope of the Anti- Commission Peo-
pie Is in the Next Legislature.
Special to the Gazette.
DALLAS, TEX, June 16.-The fact
that Judge Watts in his speech at Oak
Cliff Saturday night omitted all mention
of the different gubernatorial candidates
now in the field, and confined himself
solely to the commission amendment
question. created the impression in your
correspondent mind that with the
speaker, at least, the amendment was of
primary, while the candidates for gov
ernor were of secondary Importance, and
that the great Thing to De done was to
secure the defeat of the amendment by
the votes of the people at the November
election.
Then the question arose whether or not
the commission amendment will be con-
tinued as an issue inside the Democratic
party after the San Antonio convention,
taking 1t for granted that the nomina-
ton of Attorney General Hogg is inevita-
BILE and that his name will be placed at
he head of tho state ticket.
If Attorney General Hogg is nomina-
ted the platform will undoubtedly con-
tain a commission plank, thus placing
the party on record Us in favor OF the
adoption of the commission amendment
and the creation of a railroad commits
sion clothed with such powers as the
general assembly may see fit to grant it.
viii party fealty require of Demo-
Gratis that they vote not only for the
candidates whose names appear on the
ticket, but for the commission amend
ment as well? In other words will the
result of the primary elections now
being held in the different
counties of the state, bind DEM
ocrats after the state convention shall
have done its work, to endorse by their
votes, not only the ticket named, but
the platform adopted? That is, will a
Democrat who votes for Attorney Gem
eral Hogg. supposiug him to be the
nominee, and against the commission
amendment, be amenable to charge of
disloyalty to his party?
One thing is certain, and that is, that
even if Hogg is nominated, the anti
commission men will make q strenuous
and determined effort to keep the con-
vention from inserting a commission
amendment plank in the platform, thus
making the adoption or rejection of the
amendment party question. The ar
gument advanced will be that
no question embodying change
in the fundamental law of the state
should be made party question, but
that the voter should be left free and I'M
trammelled to vote for or against any
proposed amendment to the constitution.
Wishing to learn, if possible, what
course the Cook campaign committee iE-
tended to pursue after the San Antonio
convention ana the nomination of Gen.
Hogg, your correspondent called on Hon.
Bryan L. Barry this afternoon and asked
him whether or not, in the event of
Hogg's nomination and the insertion of
q commission amendment plank in the
platform such action would not only
bind the Democratic voter TO vote for
Hogg but for the amendment.
Mr.. Barry answered in substance,
that while the convention might endorse
the commission amendment, it could not
afford to make it party question. Such
a thing was unheard of in Texas politics.
At Galveston III 1876 the Democratic
state conven ton refused to adopt q reso-
luton offered by Col. W. L. Crawford of
Dallas, endorsing the state constitution
then before the people for adoption.
The voter should be left free in all mat
LET'S duSClluS IL cudu1S III Tue 1uuud-
mental law OF the state.
Mr.. Barry was next asked il the
Cook campaign committee proposed to
fight the adoption of the amendment
after the convention.
He answered: ''You can say for me,
as chairman of the committee, that its
work will end when Judge Cooks name
has been presented to the San Antonio
convention. What the individual mem
beers of the committee may do is matter
concerning which 1 can have nothing
whatever to say. Our purpose will be
accomplished and our work ended when
Judge Cooks name is formally placed
before the convention.
1t begins TO be apparent that the anti
commission men look upon the nomina-
tion of Attorney General Hogg as thing
beyond their power to prevent.
His nomination also means the
adoption of the constitutional amend
ment. "But,'' said a well known
anti-oommission man recently, although
in saying it he conflicts with the argu-
ments put forth by "Warwick" Clark
and others-''the amendment is not
mandatory. 1t may be adopted and yet
the legislature may not see fit to create a
commission. +" Herein lies the last hope
OF the opponents of a commission. The
amendment may be adopted and Hogg
elected governor, but the legislature
may be prevailed on not to create COM
mission. Defeated IN the primaries and
overwhelmed at the polls, the great |
warwick will renew the fight at
Austin in the hope of still further delay
ing the day when Texas shall take her
place among the railroad commission
states.