Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-21

bGLlSHSu LlAL LIS pdSSARB OIL law giving
such powers to q commission at this time
VIII practically stop railroad CONSTRUCT
ton in the state. 1 know that distin-
euished gentlemen are ready to deny
this aud IN support of their position refer
| us to the state of Georgia. They seem
TO forget that the conditions in. Georgia
are entirely different from those in
Texas. Georgia is q very old state, be-.
| ing, as we all know one of the original
Is colonies. She is denssly populated
I and is so located that q
great part of the traffic OF
| Alabama, Florida, and the Car
olinas go through her territory. It is
very natural, therefore, that all of her
| roads are good paying properties, take
| it that no extensive portion of Texas is as
I densely populated as the most spsrsly
| settled district in Georgia; besides the
| character of the country which surrounds
the TWO states and which contributes to
| their through traffic is entirely different.
| But suppose we discard the question OF
| population, surroundings, etc., and
make personal application IN regard
| TO railroad building. As well as
we all love Texas, and as anxious as
we all are to see the state develop would
| we put our money into railroads and
! yield their control to the arbitrary will
| and unrestrained discretion of q COM
mission? The very suggestion of letting
| Others take charge of our property and
| deprive US of its management is repug-
! uant to our independence and manhood.
| II we, with all our loyalty to Texas,
! would not do so how can we expect
! others who are non-residents and have
| no interest in the state to bring their
| money here and invest it IN enterprises
! to be controlled. by strangers. If we
| would have more railroads, the commits
| sion with extreme powers, Is certainly
| very doubtful and dangerous experiment
at this time. 1 venture the assertion
that there is not a community in the
state which would not give the right of
| wRy-a town or city that would pay
liberal bonus to secure another railroad.
If this be true would it not be foolish in
US to adopt policy that may preHentour
getting what we want and need? All will
admit that Texas cannot bs properly de-
veloped without more railroads. Middle
and West Texas must have better trans
portation facilities for conveying lumber
from Eastern Texas to improve their
farms and build and make COM
Portable their homes. To de-
velop the inexhaustable iron fields
of Llauo and Eastern Texas
and utilize the coal fields of North and
Northwestern Texas, manufacture our
own iron and other products we must
have railroads connecting the iron and
coal fields and extending to the deep wa
ter ports on our coast. We have some
80 ZOO, 900 acres of fine land belonging
to the school fund which cannot now be
occupied for the want of lumber and
fuel. Nothing but railroads can supply
these essential articles: With one or two
trunk lines and the necessary branches
the fuel and lumber can be supplied, and
before many years that whole section
will be inhabited by happy, industrious
and prosperous people, and the school
children of the entire state will be enjoy
ing bountifui income as result of their
occupations, and that extensive region,
which Is now unprotected, will be con-
verted into the finest cereal region on the
globe. To illustrate what benefit rail-
roads have been to Texas, we may take
any county in the state and ne will find
that its development has depended to
great extent upon railroads being built
through its territory, and its prosperity
and increase in property values have
kept pace with the extent of their con-
struetion.
In 1874 we had 1409 miles of railroad in
Texas and the taxable values OF that
year were S244 $50, 558, while in
1889 we had 1886 miles. and the taxable
values were S729, 175, 564. We thus see
that the property values have advanced
in about the same ratio that railroad
mileage has increased. That you may
know my relations to railroads I
wish to state that 1 have never
been, nor am 1 now their champion, as
against further interests in the state.
have never served one as an attorney or
otherwise q moment in my life, but I be-
lievs in dealing justly with those we have
because it is right TO do so, and such
treatment win encourage capitalists to
construct more roads. which. are neces-
sary for the convenience Of: the people
and. development Of Texas, to the extent
resources justify.
believe that the state has the right,
and it is her imperative duty, to fix
reasonable freight and passenger rates
to prevent discrimination in favor of one
person or town against other persons and
towns and prohibit oppressive freight
rates, and if the state does not exercise
that power for the protection of her oiti-
zens she is dsrilict in her duty. Laws
regulating railroads should, however, be
similar to those regulating any other
business, they should be fair, Just and
conservative, with penalties heavy
enough to prevent their violation, and if
they are disregarded by the railroads
their obedience should be enforced II it
took the entire power OF the state. Such
endorsements, however, should be made
without malice and with no feeling of
resentment or revenge, but simply be-
cause it is the law and they, as well as
all other corporations and individuals
should be compelled to obey the law.
There seems to me to be q desire on
the part of some parties to this discussion
to array one portion of our fellow-eiti-
zens against the other who follow differ
emit avocations-such teachings If Needed
will MARI the peace Of our beloved state
interfere with the enjoyment of our in
dividual property and personal rights,
and IL followed to their natural conse-
quences, will ultimately destroy free
Democratic government. II we should
be free, happy and prosperous, We
must not build up class preiudiees
in Texas, simply because We follow
different avocations. The farmers are
being appealed to and asked to support
and advocate commission with extreme
power, and they are assured that it will
prove TO be the great panaccs which