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


powers TO another body, they said This
attorney general and his friends II
| the legislature proposed to shut
! up that clamor. The legislature
enacted an amendment TO the constitution
to satisfy the timid members who had been
Influenced or pretended to be influenced by
the arguments OF these railroad lobbyists.
| This amendment is short. Permit me to
read it. 1t is well enough to see and read
as we go along in order to answer some OF
| the attacks that are being made on this
commission bill BY certain candidate for
| Office, TO see If they are well founded. That
amendment reads as follows:
| Art. .. Railroads heretofore constructed
| or which may hereafter be constructed In
| this state are hereby declared public high
ways, and railroad companies common car
riers. The legislature shall pass laws to
regulate railroad, freight and passenger
| tariffs, TO correct abuses and prevent IN
| Just discrimination and extorticn in the
rates of freight and passenger tariffs on the
| railroads in this state, and enforce the
same by adequate penalties; and to the fur
Their accomplishment of these objects and
! purposes may provide and establish all
requisite means and agencies invested with
such powers as may be deemed adequate
! and advisable.
Now there. fellow-citizens, jim Hogg,
| Tlong continued applausel the brave Attor-
|
| constitutional amendment as a platform
before the Democracy of Texas. He went
abroad in this state and advocated not only
| the passage of this constitutional amend
ment by the people, hut he pledged himself
| before the Democratic party that if elected
! to the office Of governor he would, after its
| passage, see to 1t, so far as in him lay, that
law was passed in compliance with that
| constitutional amendment, and that this
| law would regulate-Tould not be farce
| and sham. In the outstart of his canvass
| for the nomination by whom was he metz
| VINO was it. my fellow-citizens, that met
| him, and that met the people of this state
and declared that the passage of this
| amendment would ruin the state of Texas,
would destroy its prosperity, and would
| drive capital beyond its borders2 Who
was it, The distinguished gentleman who
| is now candidate tor the nomination to
| this same ofice OF governor was his chief
| opponent. He it was who acclaimed against
| Hogg and the commission on every stump.
| And this same man who then made an on
| slaught upon the commission idea is now
claiming before the people that this COM
mission is not an issue in this contest, and
! that he has bowed his head to the will of
the people. The Democratic party itself
| took some action about this matter. 1t put
plank in it's platform. When it came to a
vote, and the voice of the Democracy of
Texas was heard, there never was such an
overwhelming victory as that which took
up Hogg and the commission In the San
Antonio convention and brought Hogg out
as the standard-bearer of the Democracy of
Texas. The people had not appealed to
that grand old party in vain. The old party
sprang from the very loins of the people;
it was next TO the people; 1t was of the peo-
pie. The Democratic party took up that
Cry of Hogg and the commission and put
itself upon record upon this vital question
\
diligence while / read to you the plank in
the platform of 1890, which, in this race,
seems to be forgotten by MANY of the
speakers who are asserting that the com
mission is not o Democratic article of faith.
It seems to be forgotten by many that this
fight which we are at present making is
fight within the ranks of the Democracy,
for after our Republican adversaries had
met in Austin and performed their work,
under the lead of Quincy, and Endorsed Ben
jamin Harrison, another name was men
toned in their presence, and the papers
told US that the delegates grew wild, and
cheer after cheer from this Republican
negro convention rent the air wnen the name
of George Clark was sounded. They seemed
to think they were in the fight. Great
applause. Here is what the Democracy
had to say about the commission: 1--WE
believe that it is the right and duty of the
state to regulate and control the public
fectiVe legislation is impracticable without
the agency of a railway commission
This is the Democracy speaking in conven-
ton aSsembled.) Therefore, we favor
the amendment to article 10, section of
the present constitution relating to rail
roads, submitted to a vote of the people by
the last legislature and we demand and
pledge the enactment of law creating
commission clothed with any power neces-
sary to prevent abuses and determinations
and to male, establish and maintain reason
able charges Tor the transportation of pas
sengers and freights having origin and des-
tination within the limits of the state of
TeXas.' This, l repeat, is plank IN the
Democratic platform. You Democrats
whom 1 am called upon to address tonight,
you are pledged to its maintenance by
every principle of political honor.
Gentlemen, must hasten on. The nom
inee on that platform was triumphantly
elected, by the most overwhelming major
ity, believe, that the Democratic party,
although accustomed to large majorities,
had ever gained over their enemies. James
Stephen Hogg, the nominee of the party,
was indicted into his office of governor.
The legislators who had been elected at the
same time, and whose views upon this SUD-
iect were in accord with those of the COVER
nor and the people OF the state, proceeded
to fulfill their principal duty and obligation
to the people by the enactment of COM
mission law. And by whom were they then
met and encountered at that time2 BY
whom were they met? They were met,
gentlemen, by this same man who had
raised the banner of anti-commission before
now in a new disguise and different ca
pacity. He claims that he was then, as he
has since related in one Of his speeches, a
representative of the Farmers Alliance of
this state. Applause
This rsame man, this shrewd railroad
lawyer, says he went down there at the
behest of Kendrick of the Farmers Al
lance in order to save the country. Zap
plause.l He took with him-and l call
upon my friend who is 10 follow me, he be-
ing in the confidence, suppose, of Judge
Clark, if he has that commission bill which
Judge Clark had prepared and in his pocket
when he went to Austin! Applause. We
have been looking in vain to this candidate
for an affirmative declaration of principles. |
There ought to be one. Let us have that |
commission bill 1t may, perhaps, stand |
for platform for, him to stand on. He |
took with him a commission bill, and l |
would like to see it. But more: He pre- |
pared and formulated nineteen amendments |
to the bill which had been prepared by the |
chairman of the committee on internal i'm |
the Hon. Thomas J. Brown. |
Among those amendments was one by rea- |
son Of the failure to pass which, he says |
our commission bill is utterly unconsti- |
The amendment was to the eff |
feet that whenever rate had been, estab- |
lished by the commission, upon any viola |
fion of the law hv a rai1rOnd in CHARGING a /