The age-herald., 1901-01-06
same companies are doing this business at the reduced rate.

 same companies are doing this business at the reduced rate.
 The Texas Law.
 Senator A B. Davis of Cuero Texas, one of the distinguished authors of the Texas law, has written letter, from which. will read you the following extracts:
 The antitrust statute of this State was introduced into the Legislature and passed through one of the stormiest and most ex- citing scenes witnessed in the State Legis- lature in recent years. It being radical somewhat in its terms and as stringent as the authors of t[le bill and the friends of the bill in both houses could make 1t, car ried widespread notoriety, and of course brought to 1t many friends and against 1t many enemies.
 "aThe oposition to the bill was made in this State through the fire insurance com panies, by all the trusts combined, the pol icy being to move through the fire insur- ance companies for several reasons.
 There were agents in every city, town and village In the State, and because they could reach quickest through this agency the business interests of the State, acting through this channel they had the~tire rat ing board of Texas ito wire each agent in this State, directing them to notify every business man they had connection with, at their homes, that fire insurance companies would be withdrawn from them, and the insurance companies would withdraw from the State if the antitrust bill, as intro- duced by us, should it pass the Legislature.
 A Delusion.
 With the prospects of the failure to ob tain fire insurance, business men were made to believe at once that their securities and their commercial standing would be de- stroyed, and their business and fortunes very much impaired. These business men were directed to wire their Senators and Representatives as to what they had been notified, and in two days in Austin, we received from every business source in Texas something like 2o00 telegrams-they came to us in bundles demanding that the bill should not pass. But the Texas Legis- lature is, I take pride in saying, like most Texans eyerywhere-hard to scare and harder to run, and therefore the fight made assured the passage of the law; 1t was amended on the floor of each body and by a conference committee dressed up until it came out finished statute, and one that we feel is worthy, and one that VIII commend itself to every person interested in the welfare of the great body Of the people.
 There has not been within my knowl- edge, and I think I would know. a single withdrawa from the State of Texas of any fire insurance company on the contrary, many others have come in and asked per mission to do business under the Texas law. There have been some organized within the body of the State under the law. The rating board, which was pre- sided over by a single individual who fixed the rate before the passage of this law on every piece of property within the state, that sought fire insurance, and by which every agent, without reference to what company he might represent was absolute ly bound, was dissolved and driven out of business. The dissolution of this board let competition in and insurance rates have been reduced in some places, l understand as much as 30 per cent. As to other mo- nopolies the tendency has been to dissolve them if they operated in Texas, and there has been, in my judgment, no injury re- sulting from the statute."
 Statutes Approved.
 "So you see," continued MT. Pettus after reading the above extracts, that the stat utes are meeting with approval and success in other States.
 You will perhaps recall that there was certain little combination on the part of oil mills in this State some time since. The Age-Herald boldly condemned the move ment at the time In consequence of that understanding cotton seed fell from 35 and 371a cents to 25 cents. That will be cited as an example of what present ills this meas ure is intended to cure. Even Ii 1t accom- plished nothing save in the matter of in surance and effected the same result in that as it has done in Arkansas and Texas 1t will pay the State handsomely to pass it. But in my opinion we should not look to present material gains or concessions one way or the other As l see it the duty of the General Assembly is plain-to make their laws along the line of broad and cor rect principles. for then they are made for all time to come.
 "We can hope for no relief or protection against trusts from federal source, so the sovereign State must protect her own citi- zens from the evil. The present General Assembly is not afraid to do its duty