Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-10-23
TEXAS LEGISLATURE.
The Coming Session TO Be the Most
Important in the States History.
Warm Personal Friend Of Attorney General
Hogg Talks About HIS Administration.
No Offices Promised.

AUSTIN, Oct. l3.-There is a notion
abroad-and one is constantly having it
dinned in his ears--that the approaching
legislature is going to be the most i'm
portant one in the history of the state,
that great things are to be done, or at
tempted, and that a rollikipg time is an
ticipated, with no end of fun and fury
The assurance has an encouraging sound
! TO q newspaper man, who at once de-
scends so particulars and inquiries as to
the reasons for it-what is on the carpet?
| What is TO be done? What great meas
ures are in coutempla alton? What bene-
| ticent work of reform is struggling TO get
| itself enacted into wholesome law? In
| every instance the answer is 1.-the COM
| mission - just as though a railway
| commission was something new under
the sun, and a hazardous experiment,
| when il is in reality as common and as
| well known in most of the states, as the
law against stealing. Why such a foggy
| notion should exist in the minds of many
| about n commission, or why others
| should anticipate a monkey and parrot
time over its consideration in the legis-
| lature, is tritie strange, unless it be for
| the reason that a strong and obstinate
fight is expected TO be made against it.
There appears to be no other question
agitating the public mind, and that of
the commission even is far from exciting,
so that at present the ship of state having
tloated since the. convention into the
region of Gains, is moving slowly along
under clear sky in the most uneventful
way, while all aboard are sitting idly
about. waiting for the political equiuoc-
tiaI that will stir them up when the
| solou5 get together two or three months
| hence. OF course there are a variety of
| questions 10 be considered, and he will
! be d poor stick of legislator that will
| not come to the capital with dozen or
| more important bills which the states
welfare and his own political advance
| ment demand recognition for. But none
| of them are now being discussed, and if
anything worth talking of is going on it
| is entirely sub rosa, and very much in
! the dark.
Luckily there is considerable feeling
| and speculation here touching the sale
| of the dam bonds on Wednesday, and
everything else is of minor Importance
compared with thaS. The assurances
given out by the committee having the
matter in charge have inspired good
uGdl Ol COuuucuC6 III Iu6 Sulc VI Luo
bonds and stimulated real estate deals to
some extent. The dam is at present a
far more important matter TO the aver
age burgher IN Austin than any question
of state politics, and occupies public at
tention to the exclusion of everything
else.
Said q warm, personal friend of At
torney- General Hogg to-day in response
to an inquiry concerning the general 8
policy as governor, 81 think, sir, that
he will give us a clean, honest and able
administration. l have no doubt about
it. happen to know something about
him and his course since he became q
a candidate tor governor. You will hear
it said that he has promised offices to
men in all parts of the state, and that he
has already selected the fellows for the
commission. All a lie, every word of it.
l tell you nothing but the simple truth,
and / say il fearlessiy and boldly, know
ing what l am talking about, that Jim
Hogg has not promised an Office TO a soul
from the first until now. He has not
made promise to man in the state,
and does not now know who he will name
TO single Office in his gift. No man
ever made cleaner or fairer canvass, or
kept himself clearer OF all pledges and
promises than he did. l don't
say that he may not have some
few men in view for certain
Offices, for that l know nothing about,
but he has not told them SO, and Is at
perfect and entire liberty to dispose of
every Office at his command to the man
who in his judgment is best qualified to
fill it. Merit, and not partially, will be
the test of fitness tor office under him;
and no man will get an Office from Jim |
Hogg merely because he happens to be |
his friend, or worked for him in the |
campaign. He must have something |
else besides those things to recommend !
him. Neither do i think, as it is some
times said, that he will put weak or I'M |
fair men on the commission, If a COM
mission law should be passed. He will |
select, not bitter partisans and radical |
anti-railroad men for that office, but |
able and honest men who will execute the |
law without fear or favor. He is not an
anarchist. He recognizes the fact that /
any injustice to the railroads Is an in
justice to the people, and as such, Is to
the roads, that is some roads, haYe been
imposing on the state and on the people,
and if the necessary law shall be enacted,
establishing commission to prevent |
that, he will appoint, as the law may pro-
vide, commission that will execute the
law to the very letter. That is all he
aims at, and is not that fair and equit-
able? He wants, as we all do, to see
more railroads in Texas, and believes
that the quickest way TO get them is to
establish commission that Will stop the
dog-in- the mayer policy of the trunk
lines, and give others an opportunity to
build. Is that reasonable? Is it COM
munistic? The trunk lines and their at
torneys and hangers-on don't like it, of
course, but shall he listen to them, or
to the voice of the thousands in the state
who demand railway regulation? So,
repeat it, that he Is not under promise to
any mortal for an Office. Why, sir,
the mass of letters in his Office making
application for places aud containing Pc
titions and recommendations of all sorts
of people for office, would surprise you.
Delegations call everv day to recon-
mend some one for a certain place, but
never does he give the slightest intima-
tion Of his purpose in any instance. He
keeps himself free of all entangling alli-
ancas, and frequently puts of applicants
or their friends by saying that he has yet
to be elected, and may be downed by
Col. Flanagan.