Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-28
THE RAILROADS ARE ROBBERS,
Said the HOgg Supporters in the Last
Campaign,
BUT THE CHILDRENS' MONEY
would Have Been Loaned to these Robbers
IL the Governor Had Had His Way.
Enforcing Lsw--An Elective
Commission-IssuesM Made.
Clark at weatherfOrd.
Special to the Gazette.

ing people began to arrive, and by the hour
announced at which Hon. George Clark
was to speak the city was crowded. Judge
Clark was in fine voice, and his audience
were soon en- rapport with the speaker. He
was enthusiastically received, and fire.
quently interrupted with hearty applause.
JUDGE CLARK SAID
FELLOW CITIzENs-It is said that after
the charge at Balaklava, and which re-
suited in the useless loss of many brave and
valuable men, the cry went up from the
army as the remnant reiterated back to its
lines, Somebody has Numbered. And so,
when we look abroad at this fair land, and
recall the many wonderful advantages
vouchsafed to US by kind providence, and
which ought to make US the freest and hap
piest and most prosperous people upon
earth, and realize the stagnatlon around US,
the prostration OF trade, the loss of conf
dence,
THE OPPRESSION OF LABOR,
the destruction of investments, the arrest
of progress and the general devastation and
ruin which rise up before our vision, that
Same cry repeated by the English Soldiery,
might well be repeated now with reference
TO Texas, for somebody has blandered. )"
Texas. to-day, ought to stand among the
Bisterhood of states the brightest and most
peerless star in the galaxy. God has done
for US more than we could have asked. He
has given US a land fruitful beyond compu-
enjoyed by the children of men and people
who will compare most favorably with the
best, the bravest and truest of which his
tory gives account. And yet, no Thought
full citizen of the state, who respects his
reputation for veracity, can say and say
truthfully, that Texas is prosperous to-day.
For some reason her development has been
arrested, prosperity has left her borders,
sTAGNATIoN AND BLIGHT
have come upon her people, her agriculture
is depressed, her labor fails TO find remun-
erative employment, her money is garnered
in banks, her people are distressed beyond
measure. And yet she is the banner Dem
ocratic state of the union. 1t is to be sup
posed that her government and her laws
are based upon Democratic principles. If
these principles and their application have
produced these results as legitimate conse-
quences l do not hesitate to say for myself
that 1 am ready to abandon any party
which advocates them. If a strict adher
ence to the teachings of Thomas Jefferson
have resulted in prostrating these people
and bringing them to their political and
commercial ruin,
CAUSING DEsoLATIoS
TO sit upon their hearthstones and sadness
10 rest in their hearts, these principles
have been erroneous and ought to be aban-
doned by tree people. But if, on the con-
trary, this result has been attained by an
evasion or a perversion of these principles,
we cannot go back too soon to their reasSer-
ton, and ought not to neglect or forego any
effort until they are re-established as the
land marks of our government. For one l
do not hesitate 10 say, aud 1 believe it with
fervor equal to that of an enthusiast, that
all the evils and all the ills under which our
people now suffer, come from u departure
from the true principles of Democratic gov
ernment as taught by the fathers of the re-
public, and that we can trace every we'll
NJ nj qf1u ms OYs
by any class in our midst, to neglect,
either from
IGNORANCE OR DESIGN
Of those principles which must be the es-
Bential basis OF every well-organiZed repub-
lie.
The trouble has been. fellow citizens, that
in our mad rush for wealth and for power
and for office, we have not been careful to
preserve the true landmarks and the true
principles of genuine liberty in our country.
Too frequently we have been disposed to
sacrifice principle for eXpediency, to base
our political action upon what we thought
might win, and not upon what we thought
was right. And the result has been that
our platforms of party principles have be-
come paper promises, and their fulfillment
has been usually postponed to some more
convenient season so as to evade response
biities or retain place, 1t is time, my fellow
citizens, that we should call halt on this
line Of political action. If we are a party
of principles, we must assert those princi-
piles, and not only stand by them but be
ready to fall with them and for them. If
we are
PARTY oE TRIMNERs,
the sooner we acknowledge it and disin-
tegrate the better for ourselves and the
country. In so far as the governmental
evils under which we are laboring may
come from Federal sources, every Demo
crat can very well congratulate himself
that We as party, can not be chargeable
Herewith, for we have not had possession
of this government for thirty years. 1t is
true we may not have done all that we
should have done to abolish that system of
legislation which has precipitated these
evils upon the country, and our sins of
omission may be many; but, except in rare
instances, no sin of commission can be prop
erly laid at our doors. 1 say except in
rare instances, because we are not alto
gether blameless even upon this basis.
Some of the most advanced steps
TOWARD CENTRALIsM
in our government have been precipitated
upon the country through Democratic IN
strumentality. I allude to the interstate
commerce law, and the oleomargariue
law, but 1 do so, not with the
inspiration Of carping criticism, but simply
as Illustrative of the tendencies of the
times and of the broad road we are travel
ing to destruction. have no desire or in
tentlOn TO enter upon the question OF Fed
eral politics. neither does it concern me in
this campaign who shall be president I
have already spoken upon Federal ques-
tons with no uncertain sound. and / retire
those issues here and now with the simple
remark. that notwithstanding any mis- takes
of the Democratic party, decline TO join in
any rebellion against the organization of the
party, and expect 70 support its nominees
most heartily, no matter who they may be-
am here to-day to discuss Texas interests.
solely, 70 join issue with those who have |
been in power in Texas for two years past, /
and to lay before you my views of the situa- |
zion and the tendencies of legislation, in |
order that with JOINT counsels we may i'm |
prove our condition. 1 am here as
CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR
in opposition to the candidacy of the Hon |
James S. Hogg. the present incumbent of /
that office. 1 am not here TO abuse him per-
sonally, or 10 say aught against him in SO
far as he as an individual is concerned.
With his personality have no concern.
propose TO deal only with his public acts as
q servant Of the people. And an candid |