The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1892-02-27

more grlevouS, how much more dam
nable is it when by means OF such op.
preston it lays its heavy hand upon
abor, for labor cannot live without
employment, and stagnation means for
it starvation Now it would be unjust
to charge the whole responsibility for
this condition of afl'ai upon the
present administration in Texas. 1t
comes from several causes; from
scarcity of circulation; from the rob
berry of a tariff which ruthlessly tram
pies us under foot for the benefit of a
favored few, and deprives us of the
power of making exchanges of our
products for the products of other
countries who wish to trade with us
and to buy of us; and it comes also
from an organized system of robbery
under various guises by which, under
the forms of legislation the functions
of our government have been per-
verted to the accomplishment Of pri-
vate ends and for private gains. But
the chief cause, so tar as Texas is
concerned, is attributable to our own
action. We have passed through
similar emergencies in the past, but
without such conditions as confront
US to-day The crash of 1873 found
Texas prosperous, and its effects were
scarcely perceptible here, because the
prostration IN other lands and In
other states coupled with the liberal
laws and inducements then held out
by Texas to the world, brought to us
a tide of population and flow of
capital for investment, which enabled
our people to secure prosperity with
out being reminded OF the fact that
other states and other countries less
fortunately situated we're suffering
serious evil. To. day the states Of the
north and of the east aud of the west
and of the northwest are prosperous
and their people contented; even from
some states of the desolated South and
Southwest comes no wall of discon-
tent. But Texas, which before sur.
passed all of her sisters in the rapidity
of her development and building up,
stands to day the chief sufferer; and
for what? Because, in an evil hour,
we listened to the demagogue and
forgot our wisdom. Our people were
taught to believe that those who came
among us to help US build up the
state, we're public enemies and ought
TO be in our penitentiaries. They
were taught to believe by designing
and INSCRIPTIONS partisans that the
chief function of the railroads of the
state was to rob the people of their
) substance and that they were rioting
in their illgotten wealth, when Sigh,
, investigation would have convinced
the most skeptical what yeur com.
mission already admits that three
fourths of the railroad mileage of the
| state was bankrupt. 1t was charged
5 that the stock of the railroads had
been watered and that the people
f were being taxed in order to pay div
idends on watered stock, when il
truth and in fact, as is well known to
day, there had never been a railroad
! in Texas that ever paid one dollar o
t dividend on its stock. They were
, told that bonds to an unlimited
! amount had been issued upon the
mileage of the railroads and that il
S order to pay the interest on thes,
!, bonds the people were being grounc
n to the earth by exorbltant rates leviet
upon them by these unscrupulou
=. carriers. And yet there was scarce
railroad in the state that paid its inter
h est on anything except the first mort
. gage bonds and usually upon tn
|; basis of about $4,000 to the mile
!; cheaper than the road could be bull
+ at the present time. They were toll
e and the apprehension filled them wit
Y alarm, that aliens were swarmin
e upon us, individuals and cor poration
Il were seizing upon and gradually al
e sorbing the lands of the state so as t
d deprive our people of their home:
t when as a matter of fact, if there wa
d one thing above another which a
r alien did not want, it was Texas lane
b And the people grew desperate Will
t rejecting upon these evils SO great
e magnfied and entered upon a caree
y of legislation which scarce has para
e lei in the history of republican con
r monwealth. We threw behind US i
=. our efforts to reach remedy and