El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-01

men and bad men. but let all parties
be represented in the government, and
the good men in each party will watch
the bad men of other parties and ex-
pose and prevent corruption. II the
present legislature represented the
entire people of the state, the Hogg
fee and many other larger frauds
would not be saddled ION the people.
But am asked, 'How will you remedy
the matter? How are minority parties
to be represented?' I answer, by pro-
portional representation. This just
mode of government was proposed in
the convention of 1875, but received
little consideration. There are several
modes of effecting this, but I will only
illustrate one, and that very brief
ly. Suppose you make the Texas leg
islature to consist of thirty senators
and ninety representatives. and elect
them all from the body of the state. al
lowing every voter thirty ballots for
senators and ninety for representatives,
with the privilege of making his bal
lot on Jas many cor as few candidates
az he sees fit. The populists could no.
inmate ten senators and thirty repre-
sentatives, ands elect them all. The
republicans and gold democrats could
elect six senators and eighteen repre-
sentetives, thereby giving representa-
ton to 300, 600 voters who now have no
voice, and thereby placing a counter
acting force 10 the legislature that
would prevent all fraud and cOrrup-
ton. Each party would watch all 9th :
ers, and thereby protect the people.
g The referendum. A provision
should be inserted in the constitution
requiring all important acts OF the
legislature to be submitted to q vote OF
the people for ratification: Said prOvi-
sion should specify the subjects upon
which legislation should be SO submit
ted, 1t would make this interview too
long to enumerate the subjects here.
But If, with all parties represented In
the legislature, fraudulent or unjust
Liquidation should occasionally slip
through under sthe referendum, the
people would have the power to put
their veto upon it.
"Probably the most pressing con-
stitu tional reform needed is the reduc-
ton Of the rate of interest on money.
The legal rate should be fixed at per
cent, and parties not allowed to con-
said by Gov. Sayers in his inaugural
address that the great need of the state
is manufactures. There is idle capital
enough in the banks of Texas to build
the necessary factories. Such rate
of interest would force this money from
ruinous usury to useful investment.
4. Local option provisions. So far
as the liquor curse is concerned, the
best we can hope for is to transfer the
mandatory provision of the present
constitution into the new one, and
amend and strengthen it as much as
possible. But the two somewhat con-
flicting sections in reference to stock
and fencing should be dropped and q
new provision made covering the whole
ground, and applying the inhibition to
horses and cattle as well as to hogs and
sheep, SO that the people of q county
could, by majority vote, require all
who cultivates the soil should not be
required to erect fence of any kind.
If stockmen want the benefit of the
range, they should be required to keep
herders with their focks.
IS. Irrigation. A constitutional
provision should be inserted, requiring
the legislature to at once inaugurate
an efficient system OF irrigation. More
than half the state, although posses
sing q soil as fine as any part of the
state, and climate far healthier than
most parts of the state. is almost worth
less for agriculture, but with irriga
ton can be made the Garden spot of
the world, because, to the healthy
climate and fine grazing already ex-
listing, would be added boundless pro-
auctions of the necessaries OF life for
man and beast. It would make this
interview too long to even indicate the
outline of such q system. But, as the
state owns nearly one hall
of these lands for school
purposes it can we'll af-
ford to improve and appreciate the sell
ing value of its own property, at the
same time charging individual owners
reasonable rates for water privileges,
which would be source of revenue
that would soon pay the expense of the
system. There are other constitu
tional reforms to which I would like
to advert, and many legislative re-
forms which could be made under the
constitution as it is, such rs the pro-
per investment of the permanent
school fund, the enactment of an ap-
praisement law and redemption law
in cases of forced sale. etc, but this
interview is too long already, and
must clOse.''
MARDT-GRAS CARNIVAL