Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1890-04-24
A MATTER OF BUSINESS.
The organs which have bC

bounding the encouragement OF
the state and denouncing him as a
demagogue in connection with his
land suits against the railway com
panies, are at last showing the
cloven foot and are disclosing their
true purpose. Nobody but the
most guideless, simple and unso-
phisticated, however, needed to have
their purpose disclosed. It has
stuck out as clear as MONDAY all
along. It is almost inconceivable
how any person of ordinary sense
could believe that the laws Of Texas
making grants to the railroads could
have ever been intended to dupli-
cate these liberal grants for sidings
and switches, which are mere appur-
tenances. And, yet, when the cues
ton was first sprung by the attor-
ney-general and steps were taken to
reclaim the lands, he was laughed at
and was NOT only denounced as a
dangerous demagogue and as an en-
envy to the best interests Of the
state, but as a crank. As matters
developed these anti-Hogg papers
were compelled to shift their posi-
tions and take another tack. They
were forced to give up the absurd
idea of duplicate land grants for
sidings and switches and to admit
that such construction of the law
was unreasonable and absurd But
at the same time that they make
this confession they seek to avoid by
harping on vested rights and the in
terests of innocent purchasers, and
claim that thousands of the latter
would be sent adrift and homeless if
the railroads should be made to dis
gorge. If there was any sincerity
in this argument it could easily be
met. Where the railroads had par
ted with their title to the lands to
actual settlers and innocent purchas-
ers the proper relief could be af-
forded them by special legislative en-
actment. There are very few of
such actual settlers and innocent
purchasers, comparatively, and their
cases could be easily remedied,
while the state, in retaining lands
from the road where the latter have
not parted with the title, would
simply recover what belongs to
them without harm or injustice be-
ing inflicted in any quarter. For in
stance, in the suit just decided in
the district court of Val Verde coun-
ty against the Galveston, Harris
burg and San Antonio road, twenty
million acres of land are recovered,
which are not held, owned or
claimed by any actual settler. This
land is valued at fully sixty million
dollars, and will go to the education
of the children OF Texas. The anti,
Hogg organs are not sincere IN OPP
posing the suits against the rail
roads on the ground of its iniuring
actual settlers. 1t is simply politi-
cal claptrap and demagogism on
their part instead of demagoguery
on the part of Mr.. Hogg, as they
are SO accustomed to Familiarity as
serting. They prefer politics to
business and to the interests of the
state, and only refuse to applaud
the attorney-generals acts in moving
to make the railroads disgorge be-
cause of the fear that it will re-
dound to his advantage in his guber-
uatorial race. This IS shown by the
fact that they are now trying to take
away from him the originality of the
suggestion that the railroads are not
entitled to lands for switches and
sidings and to deprive him of the
credit therefor and popularity by
claiming that the same view was adj
vanced by a republican attorney-gen-
eral (Alexander) during the admins
tration of E. j. Davis. All the
same, the state is to be congratula.
ted on the prospect for retaining
millions of its public domain fraudu-
lently Invested.