Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-03

70 my DNu party. Dub
voluntarily turns TO similar condition OF
affairs which existed in the most intensely
Republican state of the Union / allude to
Vermont a distinguished senator from
that state who had served his constituents
Faithfully for many years in the United
States senate, for reasons satisfactory 70
himself, resigned his high Office about the
time OF Judge Reagan's resignation. There
was no haste by the governor of Vermont in
filling this vacancy. He took his time. It
was supposed that a distinguished gentle
man who then held cabinet position at
Washington. Mr.. Proctor, would be the i'm
mediate recipient OF the honor. But yet
there was delay in making the appointment,
aud this delay passed from days into weeks
and from weeks into months, until there
was q clamor among his friends to know
the reason why. It was supposed that the
governor of Vermont had some sinister
motive in Withholding the appoin tment OF
Mr.. Proctor. And yet, af5er the expiration
of many months. congress not being in seS-
sion and there being no pressing exigency
demanding that the vacancy be filed, the
governor of Vermont rendered Mr.. Proctor
the appointment with substantially this
statement: ~ have
ALWAYS BEEN YOUR FRIEND
and have always wanted to appoint you to
the seuatorship, but this appointment was
d trust r5posed in me by the people of YER
mont 10 bb cActtlscd lOF Gu5if DcueEb anu
according TO their wishes. ! have delayed
rendering you the appointment in order to
ascertain the viii OF the people Of Vermont.
And now, after making q thorough canvass
Of the state, ] find that the public viii com
ports entirely with my personal inclination,
and | take much pleasure as your friend in
comforting upon you this high distinction"
Shade OF Thomas Jefferson! What com
parison this lofty and patriotic action of a
Republican governor bears 10 the action of
our Democratic governor in TeXasi Why,
the latter has dealt with this high trust as
if be supposed that the of1ice of United
States senator was
HIS PERSONAL CHATTEL,
a playthiug 10 be passed to his friend as
any other gift, with total disregard for the
wishes of the people of Texas. Now / be-
heve in standing by my friends It IS a
part of my religion. / have no recollection
Of ever having turned my back on either
friend or Zoe, and / hope 1 never may. And
this inclination upon the part of the gov
ernor Of Texas to stand by lis friends IS,
under proper circumstances, most com
mendable have no fault to find with him
for loving his friends But we must deal
with Our friends In the proper manner, and
give to our friends as a friendly favor only
that which belongs TO US. If a trust fund
is cOntided to our care, we cannot make a
present of IL to our friends without a
DIeGCE OF JfuSJ. II IOfJuQ6 Smiles upon
Us and we are blessed with wealth and
riches, we have Z right to give to our
friends Of this wealth such portion as we
see fit. because it is our property. There
is a distinction. And when Judge Reagan
saw lit to resign his seat in the United
States senate and accept position upon
the railway commission Of Texas, matter
purely for his own decision, it did not lie
with the governor of Texas to say even to
himself, or to think even to himself, that
MUST GIVE THIS OFFICE
to my friend because he is my friend. His
appoiBtee goes 10 Washington, not as the
friend Of the governor, but as the repre-
sentative Of the people Of Texas in the
highest position at their command And
the people are entitled to be consulted rs to
how this Office should be filed, even by APP
pointmeut, and their wishes are entitled to
respect and 20 obedience. / allude to these
matters, felloW-CitiZeus, in order to show
the evil effects of placing undue power in
the hands of any one man. Human nature
is weak and il ought rot to be tempted.
Had this commission been elected by the
people, think YOU thht this arrangement
could have been consUmmatedl So, let US
return to the good
OLD FASHIONED WAY
and give back to the people what rightfully
Is theirs under the cOnStitution-the right
to select all their officers. The governor has
40 business appointing any. If he devotes
his time for the best interests of the state
in maturing measures for her welfare and
the happiness of her people, he will have
ACCOMPLISHED all that lies within the power
of any one man without troubling himself
with appointments Let US go back to this
old Democratic practice and hereafter look
back on this marked departure simply as Il
beacon light TO warn us never again to VIC
late the great and essential principles of
republican government for the benefit and
a. the command of any one man.
There is another feature Of the present
administration which would be almost
farcical il 1t had not proved so traeical I
allude to the tinkering Of tyros with the
law regulating the ownership of lands by
aliens For the disastrous effect of the
alien land law upon the prosperity of the
people of Texas, I hold the governor of
Texas directly responsible; he recon-
mended it in his message; he
HAsTENED TO APPROVE IT
when brought to his once, when the statute
book of the session shows that nearly one
half of the laws passed by the legislature
were permitted to go without his sigma
ture. IL is most amusing on the part OF the
governors defenders TO attack the legisla
ture for this gross ignorance and reckless
ness SO displayed; and Il Is equally laUgha-
bic on the part of the governor in bis at
fempts 10 lay il upon somebody else. He
was placed IN his position for the express
purpose of carefully guarding against such
destructive legislation. Members of delib-
erative bodies often times in the hurry of
the moment, or perhaps moved by excite
ment or by undue passion, or from a variety
of other conceivable causes, are not able TO
give to proposed legislation that calm and
deliberate and careful examination requi-
site before legislation shall fractify into
law. And for this reason, the governor
HOLDING THE VETO POWER
Is placed in his ONCE to represent one-third
of the legislative power Of the government
and to call d halt rs soon as he ascertains
that undue haste has penetrated the cOun-
ellis Of the legislature and is about to pre-
ciptate upon the state some disastrous law.
He Is given ten days for his careful exam
nation of the law. lie IS authorized to
sound the note Of warning by his veto mes
sage and 10 call the attention not only Of
the members, but OF the people Of the state,
To what is going on in their capital, so THAI
public opinion may ind some mode of Civ
ing itself expression SO as To influence mem
bers When this law was laid upon his
table it was his duty to examine it most
carefully. And it was supposed that by
reason OF his elevation he had acumen
TO DETECT ERRORS
and the manhood 10 prevent them. If he
examined this law and failed 10 detect the
disasters lurking beneath the words he
wrote himself an ignOramus. If he eS-
2mued this law and detected the disasters
necessarily lurking beneath the words, and
then approved it, he ought to be lmpeached-
Il he failed to examine the law, and affixed
his signature to il without knowing its con-
s. 1sl, Of