Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-04-24
A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT.


While meandering around the corridors
OF the hotels yesterday, What-Not met j
| quiet. elderly. scholarly gentleman, who
| bore the impress of long. continuous public
| service. He had served severa! terms as u
| district Judge and retired from public life by
refusing a denomination. When engaged
| in a conversation by What-Not he said:
My retirement from the strife and turmoil
| oil political life IS permanent. There is no
| Office in the gift of the people that will
| again allure me into the arena, and / do not
| desire 10 see my name in print as IndCrsing
or opposing any legislation. However, J.
firmly believe that the bill introduced by
MIR. Gresham, lending the school fund to
the railroads. should have pasSed-at least,
u provision providing for the lending of
money to q railroad terminal at deep wa
ter port. and forcing the state officials to
see that the road was organized on an hon
est basis and built without fictitious in
debtedness, should have become law.
\ law of this character would practically
demonstrate the feasibility of the regula-
ton of the railroads by the state. The
freight tariffs of 4 road OF this kind would
be levied according to the money invested,
and the public could then discover whether
the present rates are eXtOrtionate or not, az
the company would not be forced TO pay in
tereSt on fictitious Indebtedness.
In my opinion, this transportation prob
lem promises the destruction of the present
form of our national government unless
statesmen appear who can guide public
sentiment in manner that will prevent
the demolition of our governmental inSti-
tutiOus.
Railroads are either private institutions or
pubic highways, subject TO the same gov
ornamental control as are the water ways.
If they are private property, the govern
ment has no earthly control ovep them, and
the Federal constitution will debar any
drastic legislation.
If they are public highways, subject to
legislation, they are subject TO government
ownership.
And Mr.. Terrell, Notwithstanding his de-
NAL, meant what he said in stating that u
commission presageS government owner
ship. Mr.. Terrell is right This question
will never be settled until the government
operates the railroads of the country.
Without attempting to argue the matter,
l assume that the creature cannot grow
greater than the creator, and that railroad
corporations are the creatures of the state.
These creatures are gradually going into
the hands of 4 few men who are crushing
out competition and using them for private
rather than public purposes, for which they
were created. They are becoming instru-
ments of eXtortion, and the public is the
victim.
This aggregation of capital, not only in
the railroad business, but in many other
businesses, is manufacturing paternalistic
sentiment The people feel that their com
mercial and personal liberty is rapidly pass
ing into the hands OF the corporations, who
control labor and the products of labor
Now, in the days of jefferson, when we
We're \ primitive people and there were no
miilionaireS, individual effort yielded re-
enumeration, and it was practical TO enunci-
ate the doctrine that those ''people who are
governed least are governed BEST" but in
ventiou, when capital controls all invention
and intellect, individual effort is rapidly
sinking into oblivion and the people are
transferring their commerce to the rich
and opulent ana entering into something of
4 corporate peonage.
In fact the teachings of Thomas Jeffer-
son are inadequate 10 meet the eXigenc es
Of the mighty present, and the idea is
growing steadily that, in order to hand in
dividual citizenship and freedom of action
down TO poSterity, ii is necessary that the
government take absolute charge of these
vast undertakings and run them in the in
terest of the public. Ii combination of
men can successfully operate railroad.
surely a great combination of people can do
likewise!
The idea of paternalistic government is
as obnoxious 10 me as it is TO any other
staunch Democrat; but | honestly believe
that the American people will eventually
vs.. individual citizenship by assuming con-
troll of these undertakings and establishing
the line of demarkation between individual |
liberty and monopoly.
AT present we are between two extremes.
Some Of our citizens are opposed to strong |
government and some are in favor of gov |
eminent control Of everything.
The line of demarkation is between the |
two extremes. We must have govern |
ment strong enough TO grapple with every |
problem, and yet humane enough to guaran- |
tee freedom to every citizen.
In the struggle between these two ex-
tremes honest statesmen must spring up |
who will prevent the complete destruction |
OF the government and the sweeping out of |
every vestige of liberty
There is undoubtedly something wrong |
with civilization that permits the amass- |
ing of fabulous fortunes by few men, |
while honest labor staryes and prays for a |
subsistence.
The American continent can support |
500, 000.000 of people in ease and comfort |
sTexas alone will support 60,GO0 600 Of peo-
pie, and Nautilus proposition that popula-
ton increases al a seometrical ratio while /