The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1892-04-06
Masn Ruflu NeSana.
SENATOR HARRISON AND THE COMMITS
SION.

the adoption of the majority report of
the conference committee on the rail
road commission bill in which it was
agreed that the senate recede from
the amendment making the commits
sion elective after the first commits
sioners were appointed Senator John
H. Harrison gave the following excel
lent reasons for voting for the ma.
jority report:
believing it to be a fundam entail
principle of right in domestic gov
eminent that all public servants shall
be elected by the direct vote of the
people, and made directly responsible
to the people. And believing that the
preservation of our free form of gov.
ernment depends solely upon the ex-
ercise of the sovereign right of the
people to elect all those who are to
fill places of trust and responsibility
IN government.
And believing that the lodging Of
tho appointive power in the hands of
the executive to any considerable ex-
tent is threat and must end in the
final overthrow of our system, l op
pose granting the executive the power
to appoint the railroad commissioners
provided for in this bill, and now vote
for the passage of the bill protesting
against the provision, surrendering
the rights of the people into the
hands of the executive. And because
| know that the people whom | repre-.
sent demand the passage of a law
creating a railroad commission.
vote "yea" only brcause the execu.
tive demands this surrender of the
right of the people to elect these, their
servants and that the power to appoint
them be lodged in his hands is "sine
Que non" to his approval of the bill.
| make the surrender of this now, be-
cause l do not feel that | would be
justified in an attempt to defeat the
bill because of this provision an APP.
peal to the people 10 assert their pre-.
rogative as sovereigus and wrest this
enormous power from hands in which
it could be made so hurtful, and exer-
else themselves, the power and the
duty of choosing the men who stand
as arbitrators between themselves and
the railroads of this state"
JNo. H. HARRISON.
Last Monday April t, 1892, Sena.
tor Searcy offered the following in the
Senate:
Whereas, We believe the people
of Texas to be enlightened, intelligent
and patriotic people, and in every
sense amply competent to fill every
position of power aud trust with Off
oials chosen by popular vote; there
fore be it
"Resolved by the senate, the house
concurring that it is the sense of this
Legislature that the laws of this state
should be so changed as to provide
for the election of railroad commits
sioners and the commission of agri-
culture, insurance statistics and his
tory by a direct vote of the people,"
Iii reported that Senator Harrison
voted against this resolution, thereby
putting himself on record as opposed
to an elective commission, and THE
NEWS is puzzled to find reason why
the senator should recede from his
position on March 27, 1891, for which
he gave such excellent reasons, and in
giving them expressed such patriotic
sentiments. If the senator can now
give better reason for opposing the
election of commissioners by popular
vote, than he then gave for
favoring the same THE News would
take pleasure in publishing them, and
we tender any reasonable space for an
explanation of the opposition to the
Sesrcy resolution This is not an at.
tack on Senator Harrison, but a
friendly criticism Of an honered and
honorable senator, 1t is proper to
state that the Searcy resolution passed