Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-23
THE FREE PASS.
Sad State of Affairs Brought Gut By the
Faulkner Letter-High Time the Rail-
roads Reformed.
FRANKLIN, Tex, June 81, 1890.

FRANKLIN, Tex, June 81, 1890.
Editor Gazette.
In the Galveston News of the 10th
inst. is communication signed A.
Faulkner, in which, with much adroit-
ness, Gen. Hogg is accused of riding on
free pass and then abusing the rail-
roads; and this conduct, it is Insinuated,
is unbecoming q gentleman, so much so
that even Tom OchiItree disdained to
take so mean an advantage of the roads,
but returned his pass when he found
himself constrained to abuse them. This
incident is in itself calculated to discredIt
the entire communication. 1t is pre-
sulned, however, that Tom Ochiltree was
brought into service merely for dramatic
effect.
Evidently that little f'billet doux" of
Mr. Faulkner was q labored effort,
aud his self satisfaction can well be i'm
agined when he called up friends Clark,
Barry and Holt and exhibited it to their
admir- ing gaze as product of his fertile
brain, with the exclamation, cain t it
O dandy?'
1t was intended to be trump card,
and was PLAYED for all it was worth, but
it was more of q knave than joker,
and was calculated to do less harm. 1t
must be confessed, however, that its
effect was TO cause the friends of Gen.
Hogg to suffer some chagrln, for hither-
TO they had come to regard HIM as in
vulnerable; but he, too, it appears,
Achilles like, has sore heel-or, as a
friend puts it, "It is too bad that big
buffalo should be caught on pin-hook
baited for minnow.'
Admit, however, that it is bad enough
from commission standpoint, does it so
appear from an anti-commlssion or rail-
road view? Heretofore they have claimed
that free passes were extended to state
officials out of courtesy and in no
sensense as O bribe to procure silence
or TO suppress opposition; that
it left the receiver perfect freedom OF
action. They would scarcely contend
openly, that a man cannot
run tor so high an office as
governor in opposition to their policy,
and ride on free pass, and yet not
continue to be gentleman. 1t is true,
that for the railroads TO carry around
such candidate would be trying, and
"tne CALLED jade might vince" little,
especially if the proposed distance be
long, ana the body heavy, and the cart
rather severe to a free going animal,
still they would hardly go TO the extent
of saying the rider was not gentleman.
And so they are constrained to put it
that Gen. Hogg abuses them, much like
the old darky IN slave times, who with
out leave rode his masters saddle horse
overnight, u pretty hard ride, and in
the morning after receiving gentle
castigation for his conduct, when asked
by the other darkies what was the matter
replied that 'sMas Tom had been busin,
him. - 1t will be presumed that there
will be no disagreement as to what it
takes TO constitute gentleman, and the
only question is. what does abuse mean?
1t will doubtless be conceded that q
man may oppose an interest or institu-
ton, or he may seek to reform or regu-
late it decently and in order, without
abusing it. On the other hand, he may
90 beyond the bounds of genteel dis
cusslon, and indulge in personal vitu-
peration or denunication of men or
measures so as to render himself liable to
the charge of abuse. So far as has
come to the knowledge of the writer
from his published speeches
Gen. Hogg in advocating q
policy in regard TO the regulation
of railroad companies has not gone be-
yond the proper limits of unwritten par
liamentary law on the subject. While
some license is allowed a speaker in the
heat of political debate, aud while Gen.
Hogg has been terribly in earnest in his
canvass, it Is confidently asserted that in
no instance can it be shown that he has
spoken in such terms of disrespeet or
disparagement of railroads as to subject
him to the iInputatfons contained in the
letter alluded to, and well does Mr..
Faulkner conclude, "that he does not
think Gen. Hogg has abused the rail-
road.
If on the other hand, it is assumed by
the railroads, that free passes are in
tended to buy silence, or to prevent OPP
position, the sooner the people under
stand this the better, for it will furnish |
additional reason for railroad legislation.
Think of it. Gen. Hogg's pass is num-
Der 527. 1t is reasonable to suppose that |
the Houston and Texas Central has. sis-s3
sued thousand of these, mostly tesst1fe
officials and men of influence, and take |
each of the roads in the state, under a |
like ratio, this would alone, under the |
now claimed by the roads, |
operate very powerfully to prevent re-
forms, and moreover, do not beguilee4
yourself with the idea, that this is a ,gtzSsf
tuity on the part of the railroads.
is paying for this. Out of
whose pockets does it come?
]. n. II.