The Waco evening news. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 1891-1894, 1894-05-21

"is"o" R''uo VI ouCeSty, S
without hope of posterity."
FEW ISSUES.
Passing now to the Issues of the
yea, it is one of comparative quiet
IN Texas politics. No great q les.
tions of state policy now divide our
people. Looking backward on her
battle fields, we find many contend
ing theories have met in conf ct and
been settled by the ballot. The old
free grass question that once tore
the state 10 twain is all but forgot
ten. Prohibition was fought to a
finish at the polls and for time at
least its battle. SIN oke is cleared
away. The building of grand
capitol commensurate with Texas
grandeur has been consummated
and the empire established by
Austin and Houston and Rusk and
Lamar remains, "now and forever,
one aud inseparable." The regula
ton of the railroads by state
tribunal standing like justice with
osndaged eyes to adjust the scales
twixt the corporations and the PEG
pie is now by the sovereign peoples
will the established policy of the
state. The party division of '92
our Texas "war Of the roses" by
concession and conserv atism, has
been healed at last and the valor of
the opposing factions is common
heritage while to a common foe Is
once m ore presented the undaupted
front of unified, purified, unterri-
fed Democracy. And believe
the supreme duty of the hour to be
that all true Texans turn away from
partisan warfare in patriotic devo-
ton to the upbuilding, advan cement
and prosperity of Texas.
PLATFORMS IN GENERAL
AS to platforms, these are easily
constructed They are often de-
vised as little more than vote
catchers. There is reason ia the
common complaint of the people
that political platforms are like the
platforms of train coaches-just
made to get in on and not to stand
on. 1t is said that in England
candidates stand for office; in
France they run for Office; while in
THE country they lie for Office In
the good old days candidates for
office rode horse in their canvass;
now they gaily ride the "dear peo
ple." l believe, whether in public
affairs or private relations, in few
promises; for, like pie.crust, they
are easily broken. One great source
of discomfort is that candidates
pledge too much and perform too
little. Oae great bane of our law
making bodies is that too many un.
worthy men ride into Office astride
some hobby, and thus cover the
statute-books with petty and unim-
portsnt and useless and often ruin
Gus legislation. For one, l believe
in the necessity of
FEWER LAWS AND BETTER LAWS.
He is not the best doctor who
prescribes the most medicine. He
is not the best legislator who Sc.
cures the passage of the most laws.
The bo1y politic is suffering today
from too much doctoring. The
statute books of the state are GOV.
cred with too many laws. Changes
are made; amendments are multi.
piled; new measures are proposed;
old laws are repealed, and the pao-
pie are disturbed by the tinksring
of the law smiths and hammering of
the jaw smiths, until lawyer can't
keep up with the law. Not taking
census Of those that are knocked
out by the courts and those that die
a.bornin', the state still suffers from
an over.production of Jaws. And it
all comes, as conceive, of an i'm.
proper and imperfect conception of
the true functions of the leg
islator. He must ever remember
that most laws are curtailments of
liberty; that the government is best
governed which is least governed;
that the citizen must lean on the
state for nothing he can do for him
self; that local self government, free
from Intern oddling by central au
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