The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-04-10
CONSOLIDATION BILLS.
Final Attempt 10 Run Them Over The Gov
ernor This Week.
Il. AND \. c. TO BE THE FIRST TRIED
Gnlveston,. Alleged Fear Of the
Frisco Is Not Well Grounded
I'm Its Prcsumption.
The Post Bureau.


Austin. Texas, April ..
TIT. LAST ATTEMPT OF the railroads TO
come through with their consolidation bills
viii be made in the house during the COM
ing week. An understanding has been
reached between the hackers Of said pliis
under which the reconstructed Hous-
ION and Texas Central measure
which was reported upon favorably
yesterday, is to be taken up nrst'
It it gets along pretty we'll the vetoed Katy
and other bills viii be called up and an el-
fort made to pass them over the governors
objections. AS TO the Houston and Texas
Central bill 1t has been repeated, IN and
out OF season. that 1t lie framed TO satisfy
his excellenoy and that nothing now con-
tained therein can possibly incur executive
disapproval.
But THESE STATEMENTS are anything but
official.the truth OF the matter being that
tho governor does not like the new bill any
better than he did the old one. To be plain,
ibe prediction may he hazarded without
much fear OF It's not panning out that no
consolidation bill stands any show OF safely
running the gauntlet unless 1t be the new
Kay See bill
SPEAKING OF THE CENTRAL BILL, news
or mass meeting recently held a. Eaxa-
haehe at which its passage was ''unanl-
mously recommended by resolution" has
been industriously circulated here. As a
matter of fact, not over ten persons par
ticipsted In said meeting and its action was
based upon the suppositon that said bill as
reintroduced coutemplates nothing but the
absorption Of the Fort Worth and New Or
leans and the Central Texas and North
western roads. although the acquisition OF
the Austin and Northwestern is still pro-
Video for thcreu, Furthermore, said meet
ng had for itg principal object the suggest
ing of su amendment providing for the re-
version of that portion Of tho spur track
OF tho Fort Worth and New Orleans situated
In The city Of WaNahschis west of the Codts
gin property and ex-senator Beall was
selected to como TO Austin TO sec that 1t wss
Put in the new bill, and has been here for
several days attending TO the matter
AND HERE is where the funny part Of
the business comes IN, Today letter APP
reared in ono Of The local papers which had
been received rs Mr. Bsal from j. W. Fer
rH of wsS7haehie, vino was a member Of
tho constitutional convention OF 1875, ard
road consolidation section of the constltu-
tcr upon which ths governor had relied
IN his vstces said letter was written 10 ex-
plain TO tho legislature what said section
means and was, Of course. prepared for pub
licaton at this particular time as its author
tries very hard therein to prove that the
courts and others who have for the past
thirty years been under the impression that
a. ~.
| what they said and used plain English to
express their meaning have all this time
been laboring under a deiusion. But as Mr..
Ferris is one OF those citizens OF waSa-
! hachie who are interested IN the reYersion
of realty covered by the spur track of the
Fort Worth and New Orleans "west of Goats
| gin" provision for which has bssn put In
the new bill. II is barely. possible that after
all these years he has forgotten what he
mcaut when in 1875 ne wroto thut parallel
or competing lines" of railroad shall not be
permitted to consolidate In this state, and
rs chairman of tho subcommittee on rail
road matters submitted his conclusions on
that subject TO and secured their adoption by
! that convention.
TIE LATEST with regard 10 the Huntington
grant bill is, according TO it's friends, that
at least ono of the st. Louis rail lines Is
iighting It. This report grows out OF the
recent presence In the city OF Vice President
Yoakum of the st. Louis and San Francisco.
Unable to ascertain what his business here
might he, the Galveston boosters immedi-
atey Jumped TO the conclusion that he was
fighting their bill because he was afraid that
| With Huntington In Galveston rates from
/ the Atlantic seahoard to Texas would be
! SO reduced that the St. Louis lines would
lose much business. This Is all moonshine,
/ however. Huntington in Galveston, or Hunt
! rgton anywhere else, never goes into the
| rate reducing business except to drive COM
1 Ietition out OF such territory as he may I'M
deFtake to acquire control over lie has
for years at New Orleans been ia posi-
ton TO force reduction OF the rates from
81, Louis to Texas by lowering the ocean
rate from the seaboard to Texas, but has
rever manifested the least inclination 10 lei
80 OF the good thing he Was cutting in two
with the Mallory line until the Lone star
llna showed up. Then he Joined in the boycott
declared against the Lone Star by the Nal.
Tory people under st. Louis pressure anc
contributed his part towards making tt a,
unpleasant as possible Tor the HoKans. Tina
the latter were not frozen out altogether I,
not because Mr. Huntington did not hell
IN the attempt to run them on aud hac
they not been able TO stick the rate from
the Atlantic seabostd 20 Texas would be In,
some today as Il was two years ago. Tn,
Galgestqn crowd need not worry about III,
ST Louis lines. Huntington is not in then
say little bit