Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-01-14
REVIEW OF HOGG'S MESSAGE.
as ELECTIVE COMMISSION DOES
NoT SUIT HIM.


Letting the ihA'
Austlu. Tex. Jan. t3.-Gov. Hogg' $
,sssaae has been generally and par
AMY dlgested. and the universal opin.
,an of his special friends and partlcu-
lar admirers Is that it is the ablest
.,,,o document that has ever eman-
~ from That source. The science of
aa,nparative stntesma 7ship is one
,ybieh has no charm TO me. and lit
Ne good for anybody. and shall there
,ofe eschew any effort to establish Il
railo between the virtue OF the latest
reduction of the big governor and any
~ its predecessorsS treating the only
ana now OF interest upon its own
merits alone and leaving the others
IN the Judgment of that history Into
,,bich they have already passed.
An Nye several years ago after,
his first more or less successful Ven
lure into the Held OF book making
.nnounced that his next book would
ne a big one. He didn't know about
The subject, but he had decided on the
Ilze.
reservation had taught him, lie said
mai the big book was the successful
bo5k and he pointed to Webster's I'M
abridged dictionary and the family BIZ
M In illustration OF his assertion. The
reason for the popularity OF the big
bo,k. he declared lay In the fact
that 1t had so many uses. 1t served
as a prop for the declining years Of
the SOFA that had lost a leg; 1t served
the sentimental young daughter Of the
family who desired TO press the flow
ems around which hung fond memories,
and placed upon an ordinary chair, It
laye sufficient height to enable the
Youngest OF the household TO gain a
|commanding view OF the dinner ta-
|ble
Judged by size and avolrdupois, Gov.
|Hogg's last message is one Of the great
est documents ever produced by Il
Texas chief eXecutlve--in length 1t Is
unmatched. probably. In the history OF
the state. 1t contains in the neigh
borhood Of 5000 words, and occupied
| IS printed pages of pamphlet size, fur
nlshing enough paper TO kindle sew
eral quick fires on frosty mornings.
From the funny mans standpoint,
therefore, 1t was a great document.
Let us try 1t from another point OF
View.
After pointing out the fact that Tex
las laws had been placed in such a Xix
That every citizen could now cut his
iowa vine and ilg tree without molesta-
|tlon or being made afraid, the mes
|Eage passes ON to a discussion of par
|tlcular points beginning with the rail-
|rOad commission law. This, he de-
|olares 10 be the best and most eff
tc,ent ever enacted by any govern
|ment, and beneficial alike to people
land railroads. The only trouble he
lean see ahead-the only fault he finds
|wiih the whole thlng-is that the COM
|mssloners are now elective instead of
|app9ntiyc, as in the original law. He
Kindly agrees that he people had a
tright TO so change the law, but he Is
Iquite sure that their collective wisdom
IN doing so was at fault, ana that the
ksiate viii soon be plunged into trouble
Mover the matter that would have been
avoided had the majority of the voters
81 Texas accepted his Judgment In the
matter Instead Of their own.
Inc objection TO the elective system
4as pointed out by the governor Is that
takes the commission into politics.
me objection TO the commission. ~ en-
gaslng N politics is all right, but is
mere anything In the appointlve feat
nls that preeludes their engaging In
a think not.
II during the last three years and a
f II mere has been any one place in
n las from which more political talk
naha'ed or more political documents
80 prepared than in the headuuar-
e. OF the Texas railway commission
location has not been made plain to
H. people. That Judge Reagan put
muh! weeks making canvass for
ae nomination for the governorship
e' G oouy knows, and that the Hon. l..
"A s,,si H5,er was ably assisting him,
<,s sov'ely az the Dallas convention.
.H"uy people believe, 1t is even claim
oy good many people that the
,auiloll copies of political documents
~. out by the respected chairman
IN tHe commission was dictated ia
seIoglaphers employed to do state
ana copied by typewriters hired
state account
oI,,,t me commission hasn't been in
- under the appoiutlye system
rhere has 1t been?
And why should the nri,,ilo.o ~ a,,
other officers of the eommonwe.it,,
uehied to the members of the rail
ny commission?
M governor engages In politics.
- the selecting of appointees
Eci",,.or personal service first and ef-
kys ~ afterwards, Even the prlyil-
bini,aa appointing commissioners is
forsns eu 10 further his own political
4 Tba ies and those of his friends.
H. puoller of public accounts.
Nv ssunrdlan Of public monies even
In Iuuges Of the higher courts who
Al men, should be freest from ,bs
teonla bo,itlcs are elected by the
H. nss,tn lu nave been seen engaged in
MAJ con OF logrolling in and about
"A would the tgovarno. -
Pointed? s''ei"or nave these ap-
1 al I inis,ls less danger from the pollti-
@rs tba.ue OF the railroad commissions
III over .anselVes than from the greater
3oul5 e nat The right to appoint them
II soverruunI upon the governor.
|stoet sr Hogg takes up the railway
|Xond f, aa bond law and The municipal
r eneaciaW ana points the peculiarly
ilsonssIaai points OF each, using in this
I'M oynsh some OF those forclble terms
a bIcb pIessions original with himself,
Iprv a, n ave passed into political his
q liz d, leNas as "Hogglsm."
IN i, iscusses the alien land law and
*rlvsie" 20 restrict land ownership By
IL 800 Expectations. and then sums up
ear nls OF what he seems TO CON
Idtnlr,le I'VE great features 81 his
Il ~ ns s,n by the declaration that
*entt,mhi serve the purpose OF pre-
In ne conhscatlon OF the prop
;r,, AZ tne people by determinations
On, asporlAtlon rates, save posterity