The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-01-31
CHILLING OUT DEPARTMENTS.

All during the past week the lobbies
of both houses of the legislature nave
heen crowded by lawyers, politicians
and railroad men. These gentlemen
have not put in an appearance Del0re,
for the very reason that they wanted 10
let the able legislators get comfortably
suited, get all their little personal DUST
ness settled and all their pet hobbies
introduced and referred to the proper
committees. Another reason that the
gentlemen have held aloof is found IN tne
fact that they were patiently thousn
anxiously awaiting the introduction oil
the first flood of bills to see as to whether
any of these measures concerned them
nersonally. BY this time all the meas
ares. or rather most of them, have been
introduced and the Interested parties
have had an opportunity OF reviewing
the situation and some of these aforesaid
parties are simply nonplussed ana that
is all there is in it.
For instance, there are the railroad
men. Senator Simpsons bill providing
that in future railroad companies shall
receive only 2 cents per mile Tor haullng
passengers has accustomed such nutter
among these gentlemen as was never
heard of before. The minute the bill
was introduced they solemnly but EN-
bill became law they were destined to
death by slow starvation. They claim
the rate to be wholly unreasonable and
possessed of neither justice nor equity
and say that they can so demonstrate
il IL they are given a chance. In view
of their complaints the senate committee
having the matter under consideration
have agreed that they will give audience
to the railroad men on next Friday with
a view of having fair and impartial
examination into the merits of the case
before they return the bill to the senate.
In case the bill is killed in the committee
room and the senate sanctions the muir
der all will be well and good,
but II it goes to the contrary, then you
may look for n lobby on its passage of the
two houses that will make the average
country legislator think that he is really
somebody Even should the bill be de-
feated in the senate it will then have to
run the gauntlet of the house, with its
12S votes that are as hard to manage
as n youngster of II summers. In view
of the uncertain and extremely inClement
weather that such Il bill il likely to en-
counter in either house, the railroad men
are very anxious to witness its vicious
slaughter in the committee room, and
their main efforts will be TO secure its
death there. In case they are not success
full there they will of course carry the
fight into the Hobbies of the two houses,
where il will be bitterly wagcd to the
very Inst. In view of the preparations
that are being made against this bill it
in very evident that the fight over ii will
be bitter and long.
For the past week in both houses the
great question Of rctrenchment and re
form has been as still as death itself.
This movement is not dead, however,
but only sleepeth Ere another fort
night has rolled by this issue will be the
iiycst one on record, and it is safe to pre-
diet that the respective members Of the
lower house especially are simply hold
ing their horses awaiting the buglc's blast.
The various subcommittee who have
been investigating the departments have
found several bung holes open which
they will recommend must he plugged,
and blind man would be safe in saying
that Judging from the present status Of
affairs he could see that the members of
the house especially intended doing the
plugging act all right.
FEE MEN ON THE ANXIOUS SEAT,
1t has often been said that while there
is life there il hope. Again it has been
truly stated anxiety fretted many man
into the grave long before his time. Such
is certainly the case with the county and
state officials who are watching and wait
ing, oh, so anXiously, for the appearance
of the fee bill in either branch of the leg.
islature. 1t was expected to have bobbed
up long ere this, but alas for the anxious
ones il refuses to bob. This failure to
appear leads many to think that it is
being heavily charged with dynamite and
that when IL is touched off the explosion
will be something terrific. While these
gentlemen have cause to fear its appear
ance In either house the delay Is due not so
much to the fact that the measure is
being changed as 1t is that the com
mittee In whose charge 1t is are in n
peck of trouble. 1t il hard matter
to regulate this fee system on maximum
basis and yet that seems the only solu-
tion-making n very bad end to rather
n knotty question. The committee are
getting the bill in the best shape pos
sible, however, and will make report
some time very soon and then the fun
will begin. There are some members
in the house especially who are loaded
TO kill on this measure and If they have
their way there will not be enough sal
airy left on the fee Offices to tell the
tale. These gentlemen have facts and
figures 10 back their assertions. One of
the main arguments against the present
fee system is that 1t produces corrup
ton in the office. That the ever prevail
ing rule of the human being to put money
in their purse makes them over Jealous
in their endeavors to procure convictions
and that innocent people are made to suf
fer. They will further show that there
are cases on record where crowd of
these fee official men have secured pos
session of n victim and have secured n
waste basket full of indictments against
him resulting in convictions and sentence
quite frequently for ten times more SER
vice in the penitcntiary than the gravity
of the offense justiies. They will further
show that instead of furthering the ends
of justice they will sacrifice everything
to soci re ~ lyme Is and money and that
the real sufferer is the taxpayer who
foots the bill, while the ball goes mer-
rily on. These are some of the argu-
ments that will be used in favor of the
bill to abolish the fee system. If there
G-1 rDv -r 'ument" fT.,rir- its reten-
ton tle. V.ii have Co ue .nr from the
lobby judEing from p-o- IT indica-
tons, MS most VI the Wyuhprs are in fa-
,or az tie abolishneny "a rEc Zee system.
TIDE BEuiSJB1gTiNr QUESTION. |
While noll pg hrs b.cn done officially
By either branch o. iHH legislature look
ing 10 the rDa-r.,uur gi @ state, il
crops out IN sos rN ul' among the
members ever now ami hen, and