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

reads further: tsThat it has not been at
tackled is due, perhaps, as much to my own
efforts as to any other cause, for my advice
has been TO these people TO obey the law
and trust to the justice of the people Of
Texas for a remedy" Trust to tho people I
Now he comes here and says it is not an
issue, although he has declared in his
| original petition, speaking as a lawyer, that
it is the main issue before the people.
READS again. This commission law is
not the result Of matured Judgment OF your
| Lawmakers" l am selecting phrases at
| random through his speech. In other
| words lit is a fraud and travesty upon
JUSTICE - he here refers to the provision
| which says the railroads shall not attack
| colls5erally the rates of the commission,
: because when taken and considered with
I ether provisions OF the law this right or ap-
| peal is incapable 81 exercise except upon
the contingency of practical confscation."
| etc He says this bill was ingeniouSly
framed to cut the railroads OF from their
! constitutional rights; its purpose was
| arbitrarily 10 force them to obey the orders
| OF the commission without appeal. Here
| reads furtherl. ''lf this be that due process
of law granted TO US by the constitution for
| the protection of property we had best
amend the constitution and make it m ere
stringent for this sacred right"
| Yet, after this man has delivered this pro-
nunciameuto in Weatherford he goes TO
1
| tence he there utters is that the commission
| law is not question in this canvass. He
| has the cheek to say that. Gentlemen, l
| have heard that word "cheek" before, but
| did not know its full meaning. I remem-
| Der the last time I saw this hoGored gentle
man and astute lawyer in Austin. How
admired his portly form, his three chins,
| commencing at his mouth, and ending IN
| gradual ana sequant convolutions about his
collar button. Then Iiadmired his ample,
| large fine jowls, which hung upon each
side of his shirt collar. l did not know
then, when l admired the vGStness of his
physical cheek that it was an indication of
the extent of his mental endowments in this
direction. After being fastened down to
the proposition that he is q railroad lobby
ist, he denied first that he ever lobbied,
then said he was there for a week, and that
he went there in behalf of the state ALI
anCe: that he could not accomplish any
thing and went away; but Thomas ].
Brown, who met and branded him rs
fal5ifier. says If he was ever absent for four
consecutive days from the time the legisla-
ture began until 1t adjourned, ne (Brown)
never knew it.
No; it won't do for Judge Clark now to
deny the accusation that he is a railroad
lobbyist, and has been for fifteen years.
Applause. All! gentlemen, some fifteen or
twenty years ago we used TO see the name
of George w. Clark in the newspapers, the
''W'' was always there, by mistake proba-
bly,, but after awhile the "W" was dropped.
I suppose he corrected that. 1 suppose in
the eternal fitness of things, of which he
had some conception, he realized that the
wv would not do in his name if it stood
for "Washington. [Applause.I Why, if
he had been accused of cutting down
cherry tree, he would have hid the Ratchet
in his breeches-leg and attempted to prove
an aibi. Applause and laughter He
comes out now after having been selected
as their standard bearer by the combined
railroad interests of this state-and l take
occasion to say here that this canvass is
carried on by railroad interests if ever can
yass was carried on by them. He 0came
here to Weatherford to deliver his first
speech. He had a big crowd, band of
music, banners flying, and what have we
here as the result of that long deliberatioul
We have here a speech which consists of
oue-third part abuse Of Governor Hogg,
one-third part denunciation of the railway
commission law, and the other third part
euiogy upon and fulsome praise of George
Clark. Laughter.
Now, he says in the outstart Of his
speech, which l have here before me, in eff
feet that he is brave man, that he never
turned his back upon his friend or lis foe
say to you gentlemen that as to his per-
sonal valor and bravery know nothing and
care enothing. He is doubtless, as he
claims to be, brave man so far as physical
courage is concerned. But so far as this
political canvass is concerned he has acted
the arrant coward. Applause. As q
politician he has not been brave. He has
gone from one END of the state to the other
yituperating a man who he knows is
chained down to his duties and cannot be
on hand to reply to him. The addresses he
delivers from one end of the state to the
other consist simply of charges against
Hogg, misrepresentation of Hogg. ISLANDERS
Ill,
form of his own, without advocating any
principle of his own. He stands upon the
platform simply that James Hogg is not fit
for governor and that therefore he, George
Clark, must be ft for governor.
Now, l want TO examine briefly some of
the charges made against Governor Hogs.
In the first place, Mr.. Clark says That
Governor Hogg appointed Horace Chiffon
United States senator. Now, gentlemen, 1 |
frankly admit that in my deliberate opinion |
the appointment of Horace Chiffon was one |
Of the gravest mistakes, so far as policy is |
concerned, that jim Hogg ever made. Whyl |
It arrayed against him number Of the best |
Democrats of the state of Texas, whose |
feelings were in favor of other candidates, |
and especially of those who were in favor |
of that distinguished gentleman who had |
been the chairman of the committee on |
ways and means in the lower house of con-
gre5s, and who it was expected would sue |
coed John II. Reagan as senator. That was |
mistake on Hegg's part, politically speak
ing, although myself am not in favor of |
that gentleman. Applause. Yet, 1 say |
that in my humble opinion the bravest act,
the most manly deed of Jim Hogg since he
has been governor was to appoint Horace
Great applausel.
Hogg is not man of policy. He is a |
man, my fellow citizens, that has q heart
in him. He remembered the time when he
and Chiffon stood side by side and
struggled for bread. He remembered that
Chiffon was his companion and the friend
of his bosom. He knew likewise that
Horace Chiffon was no obscure stranger to
the people of the state of Texas. That
man had been nominated in your state con-
vention and chosen out of hundred eandi-
dates, so to speak, as one of the two who
should represent the Democracy OF Texas
for the state at large on behalf of Grover
Cleveland. Were any of you present at
that assemblage of Texas Democrats2 When |
the name of Horace Chiffon was mentioned
shout after shout arose. He obtained the
nomination because they had confidence in
his ability and integrity. say that when
Jim Hogg took upon himself to nominate
Horace Chiffon he did brave act, and one
for which it i'll becomes men to censure
him. 1t was an act of friendship. He ex-
srcised the prerogative which was given to
him by the constitution of the state to fill
this vacancy. IT