The representative., 1901-06-13


had our eyes on, and whom we have
learned to despise and to fear. Texas has
the only chance the people Of this coun-
try have had In the last half century
to get out Of the clutches Of the most
iniquitous trust that ever disgraced the
statute books Of this trust-ridden eoun-
try. They have robbed the widows and
the orphans Of the means of making q
living by controlling the price OF light
and fuel. They have q monopoly on
that which the Creator gave to the
world for the benefit of all the people,
and not for the benefit of q few. They
seek monopoly OF the necessaries OF
life. for light and fuel are as essential
to every family as bread itself. These
giided freebooters have the gall to come
In Texas. which is the only state which
has put limit on their rapacity and
crime. and say that II we expect to
develop our oil fields we must change
our laws to suit them. They reared
back on their dignity and demanded
that they be invited here by the leg
islature or the governor or some other
high authority, and fool-like we ex-
tended the invitation.
1t is to be hoped that there is enough
manhood left in Texas to spurn with
the contempt that it deserves the in
famous suggestions of these lordly loot
ers. We hope, for the benefit of poster
ity, that 1t will never be said that Texas
was 80 prostituted by the spirit of greed
and commerce that she permitted the
poor and the oppressed Of her people
to be sold into slavery at the behest
of = few billionaires from New York and
other places. who never made an honest
dollar in their lives. but who have fat
tened and four1shed on the toll and
sweat OF other men. We do not need
this class OF people in Texas We hope
to be able to say In the future as we
are able to say now, that this Is one
state where this corporation has no
home. and where it can not find a rest
Ing place. We hope that Texas will
never wear the crown of shame that
must come with the repeal of our anti.
trust law at the command of such a
gang OF robbers as compose this aggre-
cation of capitalists. We hope that
the people will watch their affairs and
when the election for members. of the
next legislature comes around they will
see to 1t that no man is elected who
for the sake of few dollars will be
willing to pauperize the whole state and
paralyze her most important Industry
The Mercury wants to see the tap
root of this Upas tree severed-the
growth Of monOpolies stopped. We
want to see halt called on the unholy
and illegal robbery of our people by
these so-called business men," They
are worse enemies to the state and to
the people at large than the highway
man, because the highwayman does take
some chances, and it requires nerve to
follow his calling; while these men are
covered and protected by law, and it
only requires cunning and a want of
conscience to make them shining sue
cesses.
The Beaumont oil fields are not the
property of any one man. and should
never become the property of one man.
nor Of set Of men dominated by one
man. They are a gift of a beneficient
Creator to all the people, not only of
hic kot0 hut ~ oil %14 -
union. Whenever this brazen monop-
oily is allowed to come into Texas and
dictate to our people what their laws
shall be and what course shall be pur-
sued In order to gain the favor of these
commercial leecheS, it will be the op-
perfume time to raise the alarm and
sound the tocsin of war-war to the
knife and knife to the hilt.
In the discovery of oil at Beaumont
the first chance and the only chance Ia
offered to the people for limiting the
exactions If not of crushing the Standard
Oil company and we hope the opportu-
nifty will be used. 1t is a great thing
for Texas to be the leader of move
| ment which would emancipate mankind
from the clutches of this heartless rob-
ber. 1t would be great thing for
Texas If it could be said that there
where the spirit of liberty famed as
high as at Bunker Hill or at Yorktown,
in state made immortal by the Alamo
and San Jacinto, the first blow was
struck to burst the shackles from the oil
commerce of the world and the first sue
cessful effort made to curb the rapacity
of the concern which arrogantly claimed
that no oil should be shipped out of
this country without the shipper had
first called at their general offices in the
city of New York.
Whenever our people make up their
! minds to get rid Of thing they gen.
orally succeed and this is one Of the
! times when the minds of the people
! need to be in unison. We hope that
| there will be no surrender. We hope
that the battle will be fought to a
| finish; and, if we must fail, let us
fail in struggling to uphold the right
| and let our children and our children S
| children know that we were neither
| towards nor mercenaries ready to bow
! the knee whenever the Shylocks and the