Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-29
A ONE SIDED GAME.


contest in reality. 1t is too one-sided to
be so dignifed. Whether we consider
the arguments offered pro and con, O.
the attitude of the people towards 1t, the
conclusion is the same. The arguments
produced against commission are pure
ly theoretical and speculative in charac-
ter, to say nothing of their being wild
and visionary. They are based neither
upon experience or observation. They
are strikingly jeJune and vacuous;
school boyish in fact. But for their
demogogsm they would smell of
bread and butter. The argument from
experience is aIpowerful one. Why have
not the able and shrewd minded enemies
of a commission made use Of 1t, If there
ist in two score or more states. Why
does not Judge Cook cite us TO the injury
and damage wrought by them, if there
be such? Would he not do so if he could?
Can such q fatal omission on his part fail
to escape the observation of the people?
Must they notiinfer that commissions work
well in other states, when he
fails to cite any proof to the con-
trary? They would be arrant blockheads
IL they did not. But when facts, figure
and statistics are adduced by the friends
of a commission proving its beneficence,
and salutary influence not only upon the
affairs of the people of other states, but
upon the railroads themselves, is it any
wonder that the people of Texas flock en-
masse to the support of the commission
idea? Would it not be extraordinary if
they did not? They recognize the force
of the argument from experience, and
are convinced.
They see that Georgia has had COM
mission since 1879 whose working she is
proud of. 1t has not only greatly re-
duced passenger and freight rates, but
gave an extraordinary impetus to rail-
road building, and enhanced wonderfully
the price of railroad stocks. We have
the authority of L. N. Trammell, chair
=
for these facts. So well has the system
worked in that state, he assures US that
every state official, every congressman,
every candidate for office, and so far as
he knows, every citizen of the state ia
vors it. When it is remembered also
that the commission In that state was the
conception and creation of Robert
Toombs, TO whom the state is indebted
for it, what will the Texas far
mer think of the ''prairie
orators'' and jay statesmen who
oppose the ideas concerning railway reg
ulation OF Georgia's greatest orator and
statesman as 'paternalistic, "com-
munistic, - destructive to s'personal
liberty and the rights of corporations, P"
and other such fol de rolf If eleven
years. experience in Georgia justifies the
establishment of commission and sane
lions the wisdom of the statesman who
conceived the idea, why should we give
the slightest heed to the vapid nonsense
urged against similar system in this
state?
Kansas adopted the commission system
about the same time Georgia did, and
what state in the Union has built more
miles of railroad IN the past decade than
she has? Not one, If we remember cor
rectly. Are the people of that state not
pleased with it? Yes, certainly. No OBJ
jections are heard and the railroads and
the people are alike satisfied. Under
commission Kansas has built more miles
OF railroad than she has any use for at
present. This disposes Of the foolish and
preposterous notion that commission
will stop development and railroad build
ing. Chairman Trammell of the Georgia
commission shows very clearly how
commission will stimulate and promote
instead of retard the same.
AT another time we will take pleasure
in showing how the commission system
works in other states, how it s'tears up
railroads. 'sconfiscates'' property,
''stops development, brushes out
personal liberty" and does all manner
of absurd and outlandish things.