Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-11
An omciaI-of the Katy Calls on
the Governor.
He BRINGS GOOD NEWS TO US
The Road viii Double Its Mileage in this
State Shortly.
a single Rate WIN Probably be Made on
Cotton What will Warwick Do?
after the Billiard Table TaI-Ine-
qualities of Insurance Taxes.
NEW COTTON TARIFF.

AUSTIN, TEX, Feb. Sit is quite prob
able that the commission viii before long
modify the present tariff on cotton and adopt
q single rate on fiat cotton. the roads TO pay
or COMPRISING out of the rate, If they
choose to do SO. This would eliminate the
question of COMPRISING entirely, and leave
1t to be settled between the shipper and the
roads The conferences held lately on the
subject have thrown considerable ight on
il, which, in connection with the experience
OF the past few months, enables the com
mission to decide upon more liberal plan
of action. The general freight agents viii
be consulted in the meantime and requested
10 cooperate in maintaining the rulings OF
the commission. All of them that have
spoken on the subject expressed themselves
heartily in favor OF the single rate suG-
gested, and there is hardly doubt that
any of them will object. They are now
paying for COMPRISING, but do so in COM
pliance with the commissions rulings
and according to the regulations
laid down for them. 1t is believed
that they will agree to do so without any
special rulings, since they agree now that
they would prefer to stand the cost of COM
pressing TO hauling fat. The establishment
Of a single fat rate would remove the dis
CT .minatinn Of 80 cents bale against Gal
We ston cotton buyers and place them upon
an absolute equality with interior buyers.
THE KATY's INTENTION.
and Texas railroad was here recently and
called on Governor Hogg. During the con-
versatIon, says the governor, the official
told him that his company contemplated
duplicating the present mileage Of that
system in the state before lOng-that is TO
say, ii would extend its various lines, make
needed connections and run out other lines
TO the extent of 500 miles additional. As an
earnest of what was said, a company was
chartered few days ago for building line
connecting the Trinity and Sabine in East
Texas, disconnected branch, with the
main line at Granger. The latter will ulti-
mately be extended to this city. These as
surances of the railroad official respecting
the wide extension of the Missouri, Kansas
. and Texas system in Texas were given NE
by the governor himself, who had no doubt
of their correctness. DOeS this cOntem-
platad action of one Of the largest railroad
systems in the state indicate very alarm
ing fear of the commission, or that their
property will be contiscated or damaged to
any extent whatever2 On the contrary, SO
far from that being the case, i is very evil
dent that the real owners of that system,
who are, 1 believe, Europeans principally,
regard the law regulating railway
property as wholesome and beneficial
within the state and so far as it can
operate. Under the commission it is
no longer possible for managers to
wreck railroad in this state, to the meal
culable injury to the public, in order that it
may be bought in at a forced sale. The
Europeans have put their money in the road
as an honest Investment and not for specu-
lative purposes. They therefore want an
honest administration stable and uniform
rates, and no more rate wars or other ruin
Gus coutriv2nces of cut-throat competition
that do more to deplete their revenue than
any commission has ever done in this
country. There is no doubt that Texas is
49, E,z1I .
ing equal to any she has had, and perhaps
beyond any. Besides the 500 miles men
toned above, there are numerous other
projects on foot or being incubated, not the
least Of which is the extension of
THE ROCK ISLAND
system into the state, which will not only
make for the gulf, but will doubtless grid
iron the state as far as necessary in self-de-
Tense. When Kansas adopted a commission
law in 1883 she had only about twenty-five
hundred miles of railroads. In five years
thereafter she had almost as many miles Of
railway as Texas has now, and at present
her mileage exceeds that of Texas, and you
could hide Kansas in the Panhandle 1t
should not be forgotten, too, that in some
respects the Kansas commission has powers
that the Texas commission has not. Now
oppose these facts and considerations to
the irresponsible clap-trap vented contin-
ually by the paid agent, aud other advo-
Gates OF the railroad interests, and you will
see how utterly inane and grotesque be-
come their statements and arguments about
condscation and injury 10 railroads result
ing from the commission. So thick and
fast do their misrepresentation and chop
logic come of late as to be well nigh sitting
to themselves.
BILLIARD TABLE TAX.
State Revenue Agent Il. S. Harrison has
recently turned his attention to the occupa-
ton tax on billiard tables and like contriv-
ances, and says that there is some EVIL
deuce of looseness observable here as in the
collection of the liquor tax. In fact it may
be SAID that there is a deplorable looSenesS
and lack of method running through the
whole revenue system in vogue, especially
the occupation tax feature of it. The tax
on billiard tables is $50 each. except where
not used 'for profit" as the law expresses
It. These words mot for profit" occurs on
the tax table sent to the collectors, who, it
seems, not understanding the full meaning
in law of the word profit" frequently ex-
empt billiard tables kept in saloons where
no charge is made direct for playing, but
where players are expected to treat, to 'set
'en up"
The statute says expressly that tables so
used are operated for profit and do not fall
within tho exemption. They must pay 4
tax of $40 each. AT present the total tax
collected on billiard tables is in the neigh
borhood of 10000 showing that about one
thousand tables in the STATE pay the tax. 1t
is believed that there are a great many
more tables than that subject 10 the occupa-
ton tax. Letters received by Mir. Harri-
son from q few collectors indicate that
there are. For example, only five tables in
Galveston have paid the occupation tax for
the current fiscal year. Mr.. Harrison's in
quirles into the states liquor revenue sys-
TEN have convinced him that it is sadly in
need of mending.
In the first place, the officials at head
quarters have no means of knowing GER
tainly who are engaged in the liquor bust
ness in any given community. The only
record made Of The liquor dealers is that of
the assessor or tax collectors, who. as
shown by recent Investigations, have over |
looked or failed TO report q great number OF |
such dealers. There being no reliable rec |
ord At hand, Mr.. Harrison was forced 10 |
The rather unpleasant taskv0f soliciting the |
of examining the books of the |
United States collectors 10 ascertain who |
had taken out liquor licenses, and what |
kind. Uncle Sam has complete record of all |
such, and lets no guilty man escape. Texas |
has no record whatever, and knows nothing |
about it at headquarters. The whole thing |
Is divided up among two hundred or more /
county collectors, who may favor or forget |
whom they please-or might have done so |
before the revenue agent came.
LIQUOR DEALERS.
Another matter that Mr.. Harrison thinks /
should be corrected is the classification of |
liquor dealers into four classes, to-wit: |
SaiooniSts who may sell drink 10 a quart: /
the quart dealers, who may sell quart to
five gallons, and wholesalers who may sell |
uf,f all, 4