Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-05-01
JEsTER,s ADDRESS
In Winding Up the business of the
State Senate.

a, Austin, Tex, April 30.-FollowinK is
49, ne partlng address delivered by Lieu
tenant Governor Jester;
Sentlemen of the Senate. The hour
Ms arrived when ,he present session
VI the Twenty-fourth leeiRlature must
come TO a close. Its acts will be en-
sratteu Into and become part OF the
organic laws of the state, and By these
acts II VIII be judged.
Assembled at a time when a macmillan
state or unrest and discomfort peryaded
sne people, caused largely by dissat-
,,siucuon over national issues, by the
NV price, the lowest for fifty years. OF
ouI cniet product, cotton, by the dis
astrous effect on the live stock inter-
ISIS OF the drouth In the West and by
~ empty treasury and large de-
d ,leaedhS ny, our path OF duty did not In
uusu ny IN pleasant places. However.
inns legislature has placed upon our
ss.atutes al laws and has considered
III committees 1869 bills, ana while II
Muuiu De unreasonable to stppose
nut every law necessary to the well
Iute OF this great state has been on
a,eteu during this season, and that you
i,, dine NOT passed some laws which it
lHlBnt nave been the better mart az
wisdom TO have left unpassed. stll, n
retrospective view OF your work as n
whole cannot fail To show that Won
nave iabored faithfully. Probably The
most iaborious. and certainly NOT the
least service that has been rendered
tne state Is In the ml-ny bills that have
, nJvn considered and defeated in COM
hlttees, ana on the floor of the som
ate ana house. To my mind il IA n
ssrlous error TO suppose, as do some
thht II Is the duty Of every legislntn,e
70 re-enaet an entirely new civil and
StilIniildl code at ench session Exist
llB Jaws that are satisfactory and
whose constitutlonality has been pass
uu upon by the higher courts should
NOT De changed without good nnd suf-
hcient cause. While 1t has been fopnd
neGest airy to increase the state nd
Nhlorcm TAX from III to % 1-2 cents md
the state school tax from IL l-9 to 10
cents on the 500 It is not due 10 the
ruthless expenditure and cxtravagance
OF FORMER administrations, but simply
10 an insufficient tax for the last four
years in addition to a failure Ia COL
lect In certain portions of the STAT.
taxes ana interest on land notes which
Wound nave augmented the valuable
scnool iund and the general fund.
uenclency would have been ayerted had
me al Valorem tax remained during
Governor Hogg's administration al "a
cents which was not high tax, as a
comparison OF our state tax for tha
The Democratic party has at ali
times administered economically our
state government with the tax rafo
as low as the eXigencies of good gov
erhment would permit, and our pres
ent necessarily high tax is as low MS
tnat Oh any other Southern state.
rur the Tour years succeeding the
administration of u. j. Davis, during
tne the administration of Coke and
iuppard' II was necessary to levy
an average state tax for ali purnnsos
or ~ cents on the 500. During the
administration of Governor Roherts
the tax averaged 40 cents ON the slO0.
during that OF Governor Ireland. NJ 10
cents; during that OF Governor Ross
90 90 cents, ana during that OF Governor
ioBs' ~ cents, 1t will be noticed
that gradual decline of taxes ms re-
suited since 1874. but the Twenty-third
legislature made signal mistnlso
WhlGh mas since become patent TO an
IN that they did not Increase the nv
ana thereby avoid deficit.
Mlsslsslppi has a state tax of 60 cents.
ueorBia OF :" IL cents; North Carolina
OF Al l-S cents; Alabama OF GO cents.
Louisiana OF GO cents; Florida of N 10
cents and Arkansas OF 50 cents Hence
IL VIII be seen that this Legislature mas
hot imposed high tax. compared win
that OF our sister Southern states
me crying need of Texas is to be
ireed from too much restrictive legis-
iauuh; TO be unfettered and unshackled
from laws which tend to retard har
growth and check her prosperity AZ
tue Sick patient requires only maj
amount of phyAlc necessary tn cIntL,,
nature with full control of the human
poug' SO does our state require only
tnose laws necessary TO give uature
run sway and allow her 10 work ant
ner own destiny in making this tho
grahdest and greatest state In mo
Union. What Texas requires is mara
business legislation and less politIcsi
legislation. Let us have peace nnsh
anu progress, and then we cannot bnt
have prosperity. ''
Let us hope that the Democratic
party. which has had almost compiete
cuntrol of the state since the and az
the republic, viii not now divide ,tno,
national Issues, which should he H.
gated to the realm of Federal politics
ana by Its division allow n marty 10
come INTO power whose dominntton
VIII humiliate us in the eyes ~ H.
nation, and retard the state IN ita da
Nelopment at least u decade. Rau,a,,
let us stand united on state arrai,'a
ana mindful OF glorious past and ev'
pectant OF more glorious future worg
N unison for the upbuiidlng and daN
Velopinent OF our great common
wealth. ii'Hoh-
DURANT's CASE.