The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-12-31
AFTER THE LUMBER TRUSTS
COMMISSIONER ROSE SAYS THEY
EXIST IN THE LONE STAR
STATE.
his REPORT ONE OF MUCH INTEREST
lie Deprecates the Condition of the Pres
ent Laws Governing His Depart
ment, and Asks for Changes
at Once

commissioner Rose of the department
of insurance, statistics and history yes
terday issued advanced proofs of his
forthcoming report to the governor of the
condition of crops and agricultural indus
tries in Texas. The report says:
~ have the honor to submit herewith
ahe ninth agricultural report of this de-
ipartment, covering the period from De
,ccmber 81, 1894, to December 81, 1895.
You may possibly remember that, in
my letter accompanying the transmission
Of the eighth annual report. / referred
.dwelt with some emphasis on the need of
prompt remedial legislation. 1t will not
be out of place if i here renew the sug-
-.gestiOns then made, and again urgently
ask for the enactment of such statutes az
will secure for this department the as
sstance and cooperation needed and i'll
dispensable for the satisfactory perform
ance Of the useful purposes for which it
was created. Without such cooperation
the work must unavoidably be, and con-
tinue to be, incomplete, and, as a whole,
not acceptable. Since making my last
report other defects in the law have be-
come apparent in addition TO those there
in enumerated. Among these l would
specially direct attention to the fact that
the newly adopted Revised Statutes of
the state omit entirely the 9th section
of the law of 1889, chapter 81, which
made II the duty of the assessors to col
lect, mcthodically arrange and deliver to
this department statistics showing the
condition of our people, particularly in re-
gard to their agricultural efforts and in
tcrests. 1t must be self-evdent that
without this or similar statutory cOmpul-
sion the department is not only hindered,
but is absolutely helpless in its efforts TO
accomplish the work it is commissioned to
perform, and which, if it was supported
by proper legislation, the people would
have a right in all reason to demand and
expect Remedial action in this Darticu-
lar should, in my Judgment, embrace the
positive requirement, under adequate pen
atty for refusal, of everyone questioned
by the assessors, to answer under oath as
accurately as possible every question pro
pounded by the assessors. This would
enable the assessors to deal authoritative
ly with the citizen in an official charac-
ter, and would clothe him with
power and means for discharging his
obligations to the department, obligations
which do not at present exist by reason
of the omission from the Revised Stat
utes of the law of 1889, and which can
not exist until the wrong of this omission
is remedied. Another difficulty devel-
ops when we come to look for the where
with to pay the assessors for their work.
1 take it that the peOp,e of Texas are dis
posed to be just and equitable in their
dealing with their official agents. that
they recognize good faith as the right rule
to observe in public rs well as private af-
fairs, and that where important response
biities are imposed commensurate COM
pensation should be extended. Under
the statutes now. in force there is no pro-
vision for paying the assessors for their
work. Article 4544a, laws of 1889. is
also omitted, and yet it, or some law SINH
lar to it, is manifestly essential for visit
ing punishment upon officials and upon all
other persons who shall refuse or fail to
furnish required information. These
omissions of the law left the department,
as to its agricultural feature and other
statistics, entirely dependent on the will
of county and state officials to give in
formation or not. BY circular letter /
duly notified the assessors of the true
condition, and at the same time appealed
to them to continue the work, and to look
TO the coming session of the legislature
for their pay. am pleased to say that
of the 224 assessors in the state 1877 of
them complied with my request, COM
,pleted the returns and promptly sent
them to the department for use in this re-
port. Many other officials, not asses
sors, also were prompt to supply the in
formation requested. These have thus
materially promoted the work of the de-
partment and are deserving of high COM
mendation at the hands of all good citi-
l. thne tnI
laws, to which have referred, were per-
mitted to be stricken from the statute
book and to become RELOCATED as useless
trash to the waste piles and rubbish heaps
OF obsolete legislative enactments, l am
unable to surmise. Their disappear
.ance, without legislative repeating action,
Is matter l leave to the compi,ers to ex-
plain. can only say and urge that, not
withstanding the compilers seem to have
compiled until they compiled the assessors
out Of their pay, those assessors who
have faithfully done the work should be
paid and | sincerely hope the members
of the legislature may see their way clear
10 incorporate provision for their pay
mcnt in the appropriation bill. 1t Ger
tainly could not have been at any time
che intention of the legislature to exac
this work of the department without pro
yiding the means and methods to per
form it,
Ii copy of the annual report of thu
agricultural department could each yea
be placed in each farm house in the STATE
il would not be q misuse of the volume
at would direct the farmers attention Il
matters which Immediately affect him ant
his interests. 1t would show him tina
the state is giving vigilant attention II
the important business of agriculture
and it could not otherwise than stimulate
and encourage his efforts to find that the.
were being promoted to the greatest eX
tent attainable under the provisions o
human laws. The publication of so grea
A number of volumes would, however, ell
tail an outlay of money beyond what
reasonable regard for economy might per
nit. But there should be much large
issuance of these reports than that whic
it has been the custom to allow. Tn
farmers represent the great body of tax
PAYERS MS well as of producers of wealth
and MS they pay so largely to the cor
duct of the state government, they are el
titled to primary attention at least.
those matters of government which relat
directly and exclusively to farming cond
tons. Holding to this conviction, | |
my last report suggested that 10000 cor
les of it might be printed for general di
tribution among the farmers, for l b'
lieyed then and believe now that eve
more than that number could be proht,
hlv usad nv sending them to the farmt