Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-27
THROCKMORTON.
He Addresses a Large Audience at Bon
ham-An Enthusiastic Reception.
Among Other Issues Discussed, He Fsvors q
Road Tax, a Railroad Commission
and Confederate Home.
Special to the Gazette.

BoNHAM, TEX, April 26.-Ex-Gov-
error Throckmorton came in from Honey
Grove last night, and though the rain
was povrIng down in torrents, a number
of the citizens, accompanied by the
Bonham silver coruet band, met him at
the depot and escorted him up town.
At o CLOCK this evening he was escorted
TO the large district courtroom, the
floors and galleries Of which were crowd
ed to their full capacity with people
eager to hear the grand old statesman.
The gray heads of old times, with whom
he had shared the hardships OF frontier
life in this county, were prominent in
the crowd. They were anxious TO see
and hear their old comrade and favorite,
and many OF BOnham's fair and lovely
women were in attendance. They had,
in appreciation Of the great man and his
past service to the people, placed a
large, handsome boquet of flowers
upon the Speakers desk. r. NJ.
Fisk, in his most handsome and
eloquent style. introduced the ex-gov-
ernOr, after which, and the frequent ap-
plause of the hearers, he addresses them
for more than two hours. To say that
he was truly eloquent and went right
down into the hearts and reached the
understanding and met the approval of
mis- hearers is not half describing the
effect of bis speech. He said: ''Thomas
Jefferson, the greatest statesman
this country had ever produced had said
that the true test for Office was honesty
and capacity, and that by this rule he
was willing to be tried. -
He referred to the past services he had
II
and as governor of this state during the
dark and trying hours Immediately after
the war, and that to-day he could
daughter of Texas or friend
of liberty has ever had cause
to blush for the part he took in that
eventful drama in our history.
On the subject Of county roads he ia
vored the adoption of the proposed
amendment to the constitution, author
iZing the levying of an additional tax of
34eguts on the 500 for road purposes.
En Some counties this amount would be
sneeded, in NOthers it would
not; that with the additional levy
and with proper drainage and
grading the roads could be made good
He was in favor Of changing the criminal
code in regard to thefts. Where the
amount stolen was not ovef $50 make it
q misdemeanor punishable by fine and
imprisonment, and put all such conYicts
10 work on the public roads.
He wanted uniform system OF schools,
because it would save the expense oc-
casioned By frequent changes requiring
the purchase of new books, and because
they could be published by the state,
and published at one-half the present
20
be wanted them prepared by our own
people, who could furnish our children
with q true history Of our country, and
could hand down to the generations an
unbiased, just and uuprejudiced history
Of their noble ancestory. Our public
scneol, asylum and university funds
were large and should be well
managed. The public schools and state
university nurtured and encouraged.
He wanted to see every son and daugh-
ter OF Texas educated at home. Our
public schools were good, our state uni
versitY, an Institution of which we may
well feel proud, and our state normal
schools and the Agricultural and Mechan-
jca{@6Ilege were all institutions that de-
.sG6TTed encouragement and patronage.
As to class legislation, he said that
there was no class legislation in Texas,
but that there was a national class legis-
ton, and proceeded to show how congress
had by protection laws given benefits to
the few at the expense of the many.
In regard to the Confederate home, he
said: ''When the civil war closed many
Of our soldiers were broken down in
health and incapacitated by disease and
wounds from earning living by any
calling they could follow. While they
have a government to which they are
loyal they cannot look to it for pension
or for that care that is bestowed upon
the disabled veterans who fought
under the flag of the Union. While we
have been prospecting under the blessed
auspices of peace, these heroes have
pinned in want and been dependent upon
the charity of friends and, oftentimes,
strangers. Our people have made, and
are making efforts to secure home of
comfort for these survivors of the grand
armies that bartled in freedom s cause.
But, slrs, these men should not be de-
pendent upon the charity of the people.
The state should see to it that home is
provided for them where their last days
may be made as comfortable as their
years of manhood were glorious in the
days of our trial. If there are coustitu-
tIoual impediments in the way, let them
port and comfort we honor ourselves and
, tbe cause for which they suffered.
% He favored a railroad commission,
.Snd says: ''My views as TO the powers
SAnd the duties of a commission are SIM
I pie and easily understood. l would have
the commission fully authorized from
time to time to establish and arrange a
uniform classification of articles of
freight and also from time to time to
affix to each class maximum rates to
freight charges for each railroad accord
ingto its circumstances. This classified
N5i1B and these rates when established
bythe commission should be prima facie
evidence of their being reasonable and
just. In case any railroad company
should refuse or neglect to adopt such
rates the commission should be required
TO institute suits IN the proper courts to
enforce compliance and recover such
penalties as the law shall provide against
them. The details of the bill must be
arrived at by the members of the legisla-
tuTe, aud cannot now be properly dis
cussed. The committee Sd ould
be empowered TO examine the
books of railroad companies