Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-25


All other items of expense in comparison
between the foreign and home mandatory
can be calculated IT additional columns cor
responding IN result with above, and the
credit and debit side summed up and bal
anced will Indicate to the home works what
their competitive conditions would be to all
distributing points within the state, as well
as to foreign distributing centers. If the
method 1 nave suggested is impracticable
in any or all cases, certainly there must be
methods by which approximately the same
result can be reached, and it is the results
we are after, no matter how OBJ
tanned. Now, right here come
to the railway commission of Texas. am
now a citizen of Texas, and under no ogliga-
ton to any railway company, and have a
right to use my professional knowledge in
the interest of my state, besides which l
have property interests at home, and IN
other parts of the state which would pre-
serve, and l state boldly that l regret the
reacdonary feeling against the methods
of the present commission which is over
whelming the state is uoteYen yet sufficient
to rid US of the curse Of commission en-
tirely, unless it be an advisory commission,
and elective, thus separating the church
from the state and putting the power and
responsibility connected with it in the peo-
pie, where it belongs. As at present the
commission is but the plaything of the ad-
ministratiOn. Now, l feel that my past
connection with railroads makes it neces-
Sary l should prove to the public my sin
cerity in what state.
In my letter to the people few days ago,
/ stated ''9S per cent of professional traffic
men throughout the state recognized that
the commissions in every state in which
they exist are injurious TO the states best
interests" 1 did not state they were in
jurlouS to the railroads best interests
Where honestly ana fairly conducted AS
general freight agent of the Fort Worth
and Denver City railway, speaking for the
railroads in an address before the commits
sion in August, 1891, 1 made the following
statement:
Il beg to call the attention of the COM
mission to the fact that reduced rates on
grain locally in Texas in no manner adj
yances the price to the producer, who is
the farmer. Under the present conditions
the markets of the world are open to Texas
farmers, and regardless of the rate of
freight Texas millerha to pay for his
grain the highest market price made by
this general competition. The greater the
competition IN an agricultural country
the greater is the home protection.
The millers of to-day can buy wheat and
lay 1t down at their doors at what we con-
slider to be reasonable freight rates The
fact that we extend these freight rates to
other markets at extremely low figures
does not IN any manner prevent
The Texas miller from obtaining
his supply at home, but it does
give such general stimulus in competi-
ton to the grain interests of Texas that the
farmer feels he is not at the mercy of any
clique or combination Mr. Chairman, the
enterprise Of the merchants within the state
OF Texas is beyond expression. They fight
for every. inch of ground they believe can
by any possibility be brought within their
territory. They come down on Us and
say the town forty miles from
them has such a rate, and wheat
tributary TO my town is going down
there; we cannot stand it: we have in
vested a great deal of money here; we
have come into the country to build it up,
to develop it, and we want the protection
Of the railroads in order 70 do il. In other
words, MIR Chairman, it is net an exaggera-
ton TO say that the railroads to-day have |
sacrificed themselves to the interest OF the |
people of Texas, and 7 wish to state here |
that II this commission win adjust US fair |
and equitable rates, on basis-ef rule thistsn1