The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-04-28
GOVERNOR HOGG.
Continued from 2nd page.)

YOUR land when a railroad company
wants to condemn it for right-of-way
or depot purposes? How far can you
appeal the case from that decision?
In those par iculars, as we'll as in fix
ing railway rates, public policy de-
mands that there must be an end to
litigation. 1t is so with a great meny
other classes of cases. But with a
railroad company, it can sue the com
mission in the district court, carry it
to the supreme court uninterrupted
unimpeded. While doing this it
must submit to the rates fixed by the
commission until the litigation is over;
otherwise there would be no end to
\ such suits, for they could keep the
\ rates tied upindefinitely. They could
NRise the schedule at will, and in one
Neason collect enough money by ex-
4 tortion to pay the expenses OF the
!. courts until every living member of
this generation shall have died of old
age.
THE COMMISSIONS WORK.
From all that has been said recently
an unposted man would suppose that
the commission has been at work for
two years or more, when the truth is
it has been at work fixing rates only
since last September. 1t organized in
June and began it's preliminary pre-
parations for the execution of its
duties. From that day to the present
time it has met with every obstruction
the power, the ingenuity and the SUBJ
tilety that skilled opponents, experts
and traffic managers could possibly
place in it's way. While the people,
the shippers, merchants, business
classes and friends to the commission
have been pursuing their peaceful
avocations, It's enemies have swarmed
around it's doorway and into it's rooms
in every manner attempting to i'm
pede, embarrass and thwart its work.
With all this, it has gone steadily
along fixing rates and performing it's
duties in the face of the relentless
fire, never ceasing but blazing hotter
day by day. What has been the re-
suit OF it's work? Investigate before
you condemn it. If you have not
shipped anything, then go to some
one who has, and ask him to show
you the commission rates compared
with those in existence before the law
was passed. Beware, however, of the
men who had secret rates or were
Axiven rebates by the railway compa-
niCN. They have never been and will
never be pleased with an open pub
lished rate binding on all alike. Go to
some well posted man and ask him if
the commission in any instance has
raised the traffic rates in this state on
any article above those collected by
the railways before the law took effect.
If you find they have been increased
on anything, then write to the COM
mission, make your complain, point
out the reason why the rate should
be reduced, and see, if they are unjust,
that the commission has the oppor-
tunity to correct them.
general effect of the commission work
may be relied on as correct:
l. Rates have not been increased
above those in force when the commits
sion law took effect.
9. Rates so far fixed by the commits
sion have been reduced below those
enforced by the railroads.
8. Low rates on traffic, like cheap
excursion rates for passengers, have
su stimulated trade that the people
and the railroads have each been ben
Gifted thereby.
4. That the commission rates have
been maturely made after notice, and
are therefore regular, equal and stable,
while the rates adopted by the rail
ways were made suddenly, without
Novice, and were irregular, fluctuating
Shd uncertain. The former inspires
fconfidence in trade, giving the ship
per chance to estimate the cost of
transportation in purchases and sales,
while the latter unsettled commerce
and disturbed trade relations, for no
man knew one day what transporta-
ton rates he had to pay the next.
5. The commission rates and rules
prohibit relates, special rates, dis
examinations and eXtortiOns. Railway
rates produced each of those iniqui
ties to trade, impoverishing the many,
enriching the few.
6. Every reduction of the rates goes
directly to the benefit of the producer
and consumer. When drawn down to
the line of Justice, upon the principle
of q reasonable return to the carriers
on their investment after paying leg
itimate expenses, stable, fixed rates
result in prosperity to the railroads
and the people.
On the principle that cheap rates
stimulate and give life to trade, the
railroads have carried more traffic
with better returns during the COM
mission period of five months, begin
ming July 1st and ending December
1st, 1891, than during the correspond
ing five months OF the previous year.
The gross earnings of the Interna-
tional and Great Northern for five
months'of 1890 were ST sos, 0998S; for
the same months of 1891 they amount
ed to $1,750,9l864; or an increase of
$61 ,87S.76, while the operating ex-
penses decreased SIZE, 05606. Add this
saving in expenses to the increase of
receipts and you see that the increase
surplus earnings for the commission
l,period aggregate 1898, 934. 80. For the
XsAne months the Galveston, Houston
Fan8 Henderson had increased gross
earnings of $44, $3.50. The "Cotton
Beltn increased its gross earnings
S25,72O.S1 and reduced it's expenses
during the same period 1926, 174.80;
aggregating in saving of expenses and