Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-20

=
| had occasion TO look into its books-de-
clared dividend>of over 100 per cent upon
/ its capital stock, for the profits made in
| building the Texas and Pacific railway.
| They pocketed those profits. Soon after they
| had completed their lines Of railway they
| began to consolidate. They began to set
! the laws of the state at defiance, Which for
| babe such consolidation of competing lines.
| They began to withdraw their principal
\ Offices from this state in defiance of the
| statute; took their treasury and their
money TO st. Louis and New York and Chi
cago, and administered the commerce of
| Texas from their Offices in those large
| cities, all of which was contrary 20 the law
| of Texas. They formed so-called traffic
associations or pools, and few freight
agents would meet together in committee or
in association and divide the proceeds of
| the growing crops of Texas. On the eve
of the gathering Of the cotton crop there
! was generally meeting OF traffic asso-
citation in some Northern city. The
question with those people was not
| what is a reasonable, fair consideration for
carrying the crops and produe of the
farmers of Texas to market. Not that
The only question, gentlemen, discussed
by them was ''ThGt viii this traffic bearl''
Those INSCRIPTIONS organizations would
fix tariff upon your cotton crop and your
wheat crop what to the last cent they
thought it would bear without being driven
from shipment, and you would have to sub
NIT to IL; and the farmers would have to
submit to it; and the merchants would
have to submit to it. Merchants also would
frequently awake in the morning, look at
the paper and find by Geographic dispatch
some of the Northern cities, that the rates
between different points in Texas, with
which they were doing business had been
changed by the ukase of these trafic asso-
Citations; that their business was
damaged or destroyed without a
security for him and no safety for him.
Then the question began to be agitated
among the people of Texas and especially
among the farmers of Texas, whether or
not these things could be remediei,
whether or not these violations of law
could be fsuopped. One encouragement
after another had taxed his robe and oath
OF Office. his term of office had expired
without his having accomplished anything
toward the remedying these evils, railroads
remained in statu quo so far as violations
of law were concerned. They did what
seemed good in their own sight Then 1t
was as l say, that the people OF Texas, es
pecially the producing, the agricultural
classes, began to inquire into this matter.
And right here, let me say, that what
ever may be said against that organization
in Texas known as the Farmers Alliance,
however much they may be ridiculed by
men VINO ride in Pullman palace cars and
who take their ease while its members are
earning their living by the sweat Of their
faces, the people of Texas owe the organi-
cation d debt of gratitude for one ching,
and that is for bringing to the front this
question of the regulation of railroads.
GGreat applause. They may strike it
wrong sometimes. They may go of in their
efforts for relief after strange gods. so to
speak. They may be mistaken in some
ideas, according to Democratic faith, but
upon that proposition of railroad regula-
ton they are sound. They can stand upon
one plank IN their platform and that is,
that the state is entitled to control her own
highways. [Applause.I Fellow citizens,
the efforts Of the people were directed
towards legislative action to remedy these
evils. You remember that. The legisa-
ture would meet; and they would meet
again. At the same time with the meetings
of those legislatures there would be an as
semblage of the third house. Applause.
That house held its sessions in some first
class hotel possessed of suite of rooms,
with champagne of the finest brand, cigars
at 90 cents apiece; headed in every instance
by a paid shrewd and political lawyer
to direct them. The business of this
lawyer was - and he was paid for
it, as a laboring man is paid
for his labor-his business was to obstruet
and divert legislation wherever it affected
the interest of railroads. Applause. And
the means used by these political railroad
lawyers We're, in almost every instance,
effective. In the year 1888 there was
tolerably fair commission bill introduced in
the legislature; tolerably fair, to read its
caption. But when that third house and
these railroad lawyers got through with
the bill, when they had thrust in their
amendments in committee and had stricken
~ pft nv of
plant tools who were in the legislature,
when that bill emerged from the house,
when it became law, it was simply law
with lengthy and delusive caption making
a state engineer. Do you REMINDER it,
TApplause.l Simply law requiring paid
clerk to inspect the bridges and roadbeds of
these railways. Made him an inspecting
engineer for the roads. The late j. H.
Britton OF Sherman was appointed to the
Office, and if l remember right, although he
himself was an old railroad man, he re-
signed because he considered the law SIM
ply farcical. Applause
The cry of the people became louder.
Their demands became more urgent; they
still clamored for relief. The farmers had
done most Of the talking before, but now
the honest merchants of the state joined
them. There was no security for them or
their business. They also were being
destroyed. Iu6y WOulu lOOh dUEOdu dI1OIl8
their competitors in trade, and
see perhaps one man selling goods
at a figure at which they knew he could not
sell at if he paid the same freight rates that
they paid, without bankruptcy; but never
he would still sell his goods and |
prosper; and the fact would soon be devel- |
oped that this merchant was getting a re- |
bate. A rebate; the deaduest poison to an |
honest merchant that was ever conceived. |
I Applause. Honest merchants felt inSe- |
cure; unless they would uoady to some rail- |
road freight agent, unless they would |
crouch before him as a whipped hound to |
his master, their business, the bread for |
their wives and children, their very means |
of living was thus jeopardized.
Towns were insIdiously assaulted in the |
same way. Some fiouFishiug town would |
become possessed Of the knowl- /
edge that another town, favored by soma |
railroad man who probably owned property |
there. was getting freight rate that was |
simply destructive to its business, although |
further from market. Towns were built up |
and destroyed by railroads at their own
sweet will l say then the merchants and |
the manufacturers who had attempted to /
start some infant industry, joined by the |
inhabitants of the cities and towns of
Texas, joined the farmers and began to
swell the outcry for relief. About this
time, as l have said, there was elected in |
this state an Encouragement for the first
time for 10 these many years who knew or
what his duty was. IGreat ap-
Dlause This man was brave man. He |
took hold of this railroad business. He at
lad r-alr