The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-07-03
THE SPEAKING.
HON. R. NJ HALL ADDRESSES A LARGE
AUDIENCE AT MILLETT's
OPERA HOUSE.
He Wants FailrPad Commission With
Limited PcwerE-vbe Wind Knocked
ou' S1Hosg's Big Suits.

hOueo looU hlSuJ W d large audience,
among whom were many ladies.
He was introduced by Mai. WIN.
Walton and at once branched off
upon the land question and land
policy of Texas, subject with which
he was familiar and which he handled
well and clearly.
He referred TO the vast land sales
which he stated had increased from
10000 to 17S,000 acres per month.
Leases had reached 100000 acres.
and the school fund had to it's credit
about half a million dollars. He re-
ferred to the Confederate soldiers
whose bravery and patriotism he highly
eulogized and recommended that 600,-
600 acres Of land be set aside for the
benefit of the Confederate Home in
this city.
| THE COMMISSION.
He touched upon the railroad COM
mission at length and discussed the
question fully. He favored commits
sion whose duty it shall be to overlook
the railroads and see that they rigidly
conform to all laws enacted for their
regulation. He wanted the powers of
the commission restricted and wanted
it kept under The control of the legis-
lature. He denounced commission
with absolute power such as some ad-
vocate, and said if such commission
was created it should be selected by
the people and made accountable to
the people. He warned his hearers
that a commission as advocated by
some would almost surely come in
conflict with the Federal authority
which would take it by the throat and
choke its life out. He wanted the
railroads of Texas run in the interest
of Texas, and with a proper commits
sion they would be. He advocated
the passage of law to prevent the
railroad companies from issuing bonds
without authority from the State.
This he contended would prevent the
watering of stock of which there is so
much complaint. He would have a
commission to investigate the opera
tions of the railroads. They should
have no secrets from the people for
they are the creatures of the people
and he would have a commission to
examine into all their details and re-
port all violations OF law to the attor-
ney general and other officers whose
duty it is to enforce them. The laws
now, he intimated, provided for the
punishment of railroads for watering
stock and not complying with the law,
for some cause the attorney general
have failed to even attempt to make
them obey laws he vehemently alleges
they are daily violating. If he knows
of stock being watered, and he says he
does, he can bring suit to declare the
bonds null and void and fictitious.
There is law requiring him to do it.
Why it has not been done know not.
TWO SIDES TO THE QUESTION.
He commended that there was two
sides to the railroad question. That
they had blessed Texas no reasonable
man would deny. By reason of them
the State was more prosperous. Salt
would never be $40 sack again in
Waco nor flour 500 barrel in Austin.
He insisted that freight rates were
reasonably low. He showed that
can fruits Texas raised were hauled by
the railroads 100 miles and over at
81 cents per 100 pounds, and in eleven
miles for 4 cents per 100 pounds, Is to
100 miles, y cents per 100 pounds
and 250 to 1000 miles at IL cents per
100 pounds.
Mr.. Hall was very severe upon what
he pleased to call Mr.. Hogg's expert
mental and political litigation, and he
quoted from Mr.. Hogg's Rusk speech
where he said "of all the suits l have
brought since my induction into the
Office of attorney general l have never
lost but two"
Mr.. Hall said: "He brought suit
against the International and Great
Northern railway to cancel its charter.
The supreme court reversed and dis
missed it, which means that he had no
ground upon which to base a suit and
that it ought never to have been
brought.
He brought suit to recover 100000
600 acres of land Ghe supreme court
reversed and dismissed it.
He brought suit against the drum
mers and pursued them to the SUI
preme court of the United States.
The case was reversed and dismissed
and the attorney general rebuked as
no attorney general ever was before.
The court said to him in substance:
"If you had read our decisions you
would never have brought the suit
and would have saved yourself much
trouble and expense in coming UP
| here"
Mr.. Hall alluded to other
cases which had gone against
Attorney General Hogg and stated
that out of all of his suits
he had never turned one dollar into
the treasury or recovered one acre of
land.
Mr.. Hall advocated the building of
more roads and said with deep water
on the coast, great trunk lines would
be constructed and they would do
more to cheaper freights than all other
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