Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1908-03-25
GENERAL BOB DAVIDSON
What Prominent Newspaper Man
Thinks of Our Attorney Gen
eraI, After An Interview.
fBY JAMES F1TzeERALD.)

yersed one hour or more today witt
Attorney General Davidson in his OF
flee at the capitol building, and aftel
listening to his homely phrases ant
noting his earnestness of speech ant
manner, 1 came to the conclusion thai
there sat in front of me man who
was no would-be Caesar harboring sin
lister designs against the liberties Of
the people of Texas and the peace Of
this commonwealth, but sincere
friend of the masses and one public
servant who is determined that while
he. at least, holds office, the laws Of
this state shall be enforced and pre-
datory wealth compelled to respect
them, come what may to him.
In the old days gone by when jim
Hogg was battling with the great cor.
porations, he was wont to tell the
men at the forks of the creek and
those who dwelt in the centers of civ
ilization, that he was born in a
storm in March and that he had been
in one all his life" In this respect
there is a noticeable similarity in the
political record of Jim Hogg and that
of Bob Davidson Jim Hogg entered
the political arena at an acute period
in the political and industrial develop
ment of Texas. No use to state what
the then existing conditions were eX
cept to say that the railroads at that
time were stocked and bonded out of
all proportion of their earning capac
tiles and that the tribute they levied
upon production to meet fixed charges
was burden so great that it threat
ened the further advancement and de-
velopment of the state and called for
heroic remedies and constructive leg
islation. A leader was needed and
Jim Hogg came forward and ac-
claimed the leader, and his name has
gone down into history as one of the
greatest, if not the greatest, construc,
tive statesmen of his time.
We have reached another crisis in
the work of constructive development
in this state calling for heroic meas
ures to safeguard the public's inter
ests from the aggressions of corporate
wealth and a leader to lead the PEG
pie forward to still greater achieve
ment in the work of constructive de-
yelopment and material advancement.
Is Bob Davidson at this time the lead
er whom the people are searching for?
/ am. no man worshiper, but let his
career say r. v. Davidson comes of
old North Carolina stock noted for its
strength of character, its constructive
genius and patriotism-the Vances of
the Old North State.
Bob Davidson's political career had
a sorrowful beginning. Like that of
Jim Hogg, it began in storm which
carried death, destruction and desola
ton to thousands on Galveston Island
and the total wreck of property and
fortune to other thousands, and R. V.
Davidson was not the least among the
sufferers of the Galveston flood.
He was a lawyer practicing civil
law in the city of Galveston when the
storm came and out of his earnings al
the bar he had bought him a home
which the floodtides partially swept
away The situation, as the bright
sunshine of that dreary Sabbath morn
following the storm in September,
1900, fell upon its hoplessness, cried
aloud to the blue sky for relief, for
aid and succor. Those whom the
waves had not carried away, came to-
gether like lost souls on a shoreless
sea and said that they wanted the
help and assistance to retrieve their
fallen fortunes They wanted certain
laws enacted by the legislature for
the government of the city of Calves.
ton, and they sent R. V. Davidson to
the state senate to secure the passage
of these laws. Why did they desire
to send Bob Davidson to the senate?
Because they knew him to be a law
yer of marked ability and attachments
who had made a pronounced success
at the bar, and they wanted success
ful lawyer and pleader at Austin to
plead their cause with the people of
Texas. This was the beginning of
General Davidson's political career.
During his two terms as senator from
Galveston county he made so favor.
able an impression on the officials at
Austin and the visiting lawyers from
over the state, that they urged him to
become candidate for attorney gen
eral He was elected to that office
and had smooth sailing for year IN
til-well, that is also a part of the
story and it will be told in consecutive
order as the campaign progresses.
| want to say right here that Gen
eral Davidson is running for election
on the record he has made in office
only and not on any other mans
l..