The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-03-03


And the people grew desperate by re-
| fiecting upon these evils so greatly
magnitied and entered upon a career
of legislation which scarce has par
allel in the history of republican COM
mOnWealths. We threw behind us
in our efforts to reach remedy and a
preventative for evils, many of which
were imaginary,
PRINCIPLES OF GOvERSMENT,
sapctified by the blood and efforts of
our ancestors in their struggles for
liberty, and the effect of our action
has been only to vindicats in lines of
sorrow the soundness of these princi-
pies. We proclaimed to the world by
our votes that we did not want other
peoples money to come H.'e and
help US develop this great 4, and
other people have kept the money
at home. We announced in manner
equally official and authoritative that
we believed railroads were a curse to
the country, and we wanted no more
of them built, and the world has
taken us at our word and has not
built any more for us. No Texan has
ever been found foolish enough to put
much of his money in q Texas rail-
road, and the Yankee has been equal
ly as smart as the Texan, for there is
but little Yankee money in Texas
railroad. They had better use for
their money up in the East, and so
they prevailed upon the alien to come
and put his money in railroads here
through them, and the railroad mile
age of Texas represents to great de-
gree the confidence of the alien. The
Eastern man had better use for his
money; he kept it in the shape of
money so as to depredate upon us
whenever our crops began to move,
and thereby he had shown more sa-
gacity than the alien, for he doubles
it pretty much every season, either in
interest or in speculation. And in order
to see that ne is duly fOsteTed and
encouraged in his depredations, we
passed an alien law, which has result
ed only in driving the alien from us,
and preventing him from dealing di-
reCtly with us, and enabling the,
Yankee to borrow the aliens money
at per cent and lend it to us at 10.
The logic Of Governor Hogg's election
two years ago was the elimination of
a series Of aggressions upon capital,
which had been invited here for in
vestment under guarantee Of protec-
ton. 1t was the closing act of long
war inGugurated for political pur-
poses, and its result has cost Texas
and her people many, many millions
Of dollars.
| am not here for the purpose Of
DEFENDING RAILROADS,
tor they have ADLER men than myself
employed for that purpose. | have no
connection with them and 10 special
interest in them, except in so lar as
their interest may compOrt with the
interest of the people of Texas. Recent
lessons in government have taught us
i that these interests are reciprocal and
inter-dependent, and that a blow
aimed at one will necessarily recoil
dpon the other. Texas cannot destroy
her railroads without bringing ruin
upon her people, no more than she
could destroy her people without in
jury to her railroads. We are in the
same boat and must float or sink to-
gether.
There was no necessity, fellow citi-
zens, for disturbance of business or
terrorism Of investments from the
passage of commission law or an
alien land law. Other states have
these laws upon their statute books
which have worked no serious detri-
ment to their people, but not such
laws as Governor Hogg recommended
and approved. The administration of
railroad affairs by a commission is
not necessarily hurtful to the
railroads Vi 10 The state
if conservatism prevails in our legis-
lation and administration. 1t was
promised US two years ago by those
who felt that the problem of railway
control was unsolvable, EXCEPT
through the form of commission.
that no Tadicalism should obtain in
our Legislation and that those of us
who were distTustiul Of the plan were
unnecessarily alarmed. But the re-
suit has more than indicated the
gravity Of the apprehension, and we
have, today upon the statute book of
Texas, q constitutional monstrositv in
the shape of law rs the result of our
experiment I undertake to saw asa
lawyer, and if the test is ever applied
in any court, l am willing to submit
my vindication to the Judgment of
the court, this commission law mn.
der which $500 miles of railroad are
being operated, managed and con
trolled today in Texas,
WILL NOT STAND ONE HOUR
otjudicial scrutiny in the supreme
court OF Texas, on account of its vio-
latlOn in many provisions of both our
state and federal constitutions. That
it has not been attacked is due, per
maps, as much to my own efforts. as
to any other cause, for my advice has
been to these people, to obey the law
and trust to the justice Of the people
OF Texas for a remedy. I have told
them that the people of Texas are q
liberal people and just people; and
tnat they would not tolerate wrong
on their own part when discovered.
And if it could be made to appear to
them that gross injustice was being
done any person or any interest, they
would be more prompt to remedy
that injustice at the ballot box than
would court, and the remedy thew
applied would be more etficacious
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