The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-07-27
JUDGE NUGEN7'S SPEECH AT SAN
MARCOS.

generalities" aud platitudes exhausted
long since by writers and orators 1t
has, however, in 1t several distinctive
and radical and Utoplan views that
must not only alarm the people ne
represents but confuse them with their
many glaring Inconsistencies
Judge Nugent admits that II
man is governed largely by
his environments" How well he
could have illustrated that fact by say
ing: Look upon me, fellow citizens,
and remember that only few short
months ago was Democrat of Demo
Gratis, but just as soon as l was noml
mated by the Populist party of this
state for governor, presto, change
came over me, and now it is difficult
for me to find words to express my in
dIgnation for the Democratic party. l
assure you it is all matter OF 'envl-
| ronmen - If [ had received the
nomination by the Democratic
party'my environments would have
I
bee different, Judge Nugent's
conversion 10 the Popu'ist party has
been so recent not had time to
settl, down into any fixed and
consi stent political principles and
he betrays his utter inability for
leade rship by goin for churches,
visor down and lance poised, Especially
from anism," us he is pleased to call
Catho licism, and it is difficult to COM
prahe, ID his object unless it be he de-
sires 10 emphasize his apparent idea
that reform was difficult where the
preiudl ice of the church held SO strictly
to cid forms or the religion of their
fathers.
The astonishing thing in Judge
Nugent S speech is his open endors-
alton of Henry Georges idea that
land. air and water are gift to the
people, and that no man has
right to monopolize land, but
that it ought ] to be free and
open 10 all, the heaven born gift
of Der elicent Father. We are not
quoting Judge Nugen5 but we are
fairly following his line.of thought. 1t
struck US with establishment that
Judge Nugent, the declared champion
of the farmer class, should tell them
that they were violating every princi-
ole of honesty and fair dealing among
men by monopolizing land and hold
ing every ether man, who had the
same right. standing in the road be-
cause he l no land to cultivate and
have them see the farmer monopolist
of land gather thesproduct of this gift
of God to man and store ii in his barns
often buiidipgEsnew ones to shelter
his increasing products as he does his
acres and extends his fences. How
are the land owners of the country 60
ing to digest the fact that Judge Nj
gent endorses Henry George in his tax
on land and nothing else2
But Judge Nugent differs widely
with Henry George in one respect
Henry George has been accused of
being q socialist by men who did net
end his scheme, but he is not
a socialist. If any intelligent man
can read Judge Nugent's speech and
decide that in this speech that he was
not feeding the fame of prejudice
between classes andsSpatting socialism
on the back, that man has
strange way of eonprehending an
constituting its meaning.
Socialism is as plain in Judge Nugents
speech as q Roman nose is on mans
face. Judge Nugent is such an ad-
mirer of Henry George that ne has
his theory, and from
Georges advocacy of the single land
tax he has jumped to the conclusion
that he is also a socialist. If he Will
write to George he will get an indig-
nant denial that there is any socialism
in his policy. Judge Nugent in one
breath glorifes Jefferson and in the
next blasts him for the cultivation
of individualism. which we have
regarded as the vital essence Of a free
government. He is very
free to endorse one of theIprinciples of
the Populist party which they flched |
from Henry George and that is gov
eminent ownership of railroads, tele-
graph and telephones which would
result in large increase of federal
officials and cultivate an official aris-
tocracy and monopoly of office that
would strike with a sharp ak at the
very roots of our form of government,
killing the rich fruit of individual
opinion freely expressed on the stump
and at the polls and really iconstitut-
ing this republican government.