El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-07-21
Of
GOVERNOR To
THE SO[ONS.
Continued from Page one.)

and the A. & NJ. college. if that can be
done without resorting to constitu-
tional amendmtnt
Two Cent Fare Law.
The two cent fare law viii be vigor-
ously opposed by the members of the
legislature from southwest Texas and the
Panhandle section They Will take the
grounds that those sections Of the state
need railroads much worse than they do
a lower railroad fare.
Fredericksburg wants a road TO San
Antonio and to Austin, San Antonio
wants a railroad to the Rio Grande.
Amarillo wants e road south TO the
gulf. Brady wants a Eoad TO connect
with San Antonio. Arkansas Pass wants
a road west to Del Rio. The Orient is
rapidly opening up the west.
Those who viii fight the two cent fare
law will declare that if the legislature
would take such action that it would
bring railroad building to a standstill
and stop development. Julius Real, the
only Republican senator in the state,
will fight that law.
Lined up with Real will be many
Democrats.
The two cent fare law is pet hobby
OF governor Campbell.
The Message.
The first message of the governor TO
the special session of the legislature
was as follows:
To the senate and house of repre-
sentatives: In response to a popular de-
mand and in obedience to what appeared
to be a general desire of the insuring
public, this legislature, at its first
called session, enacted and the eXecu-
tive approved the law contained in
chapter IS OF the general laws<of the
31st legislature and known as the fire
rating law.
At the time of the enactment of this
law and for many years prior thereto
there was a widespread and a we'll
founded dissatisfaction with general fire
insurance conditions, and especially was
there dissatisfaction with respect to the
fire insurance premium rates, and the
people were ready TO welcome almost
any proposed remedy for the evils ana
inequa hties obtaining. 1t was a matter
of common knowledge that small prop
erty owners were uniformly required to
pay higher rates of insurance than their
more fortunate neighbors with large
holdings. Under conditions then exist
ing the fire insurance premium rates
were unfair, inequitable and affected ad
versely a majority of the individuals
composing the insuring public The as
surances of benefits TO accrue to the
people under the law as proposed and
enacted won for it in advance almost
universal approval. It had for its OBJ
ject the regulation and control of fire
insurance premium rates, the prevention
of so much fire waste and not only
reduction of the fire insurance premium
charges, but a more equitable adjust
ment Of fire insurance rates applying
on property covered by insurance in
Texas. The unusual fire waste m the
state, together with the inequitable and
unequal premium rates charged by the
fire insurance companies created the
demand for legislative action, and while
the action taken is believed to be a
move in the right direction and while
regulation Of fire insurance companies
and Of fire insurance rates is believed to
be sound in principle, still the law as
framed and as attempted to be applied
under technical construction, has been
a disappointment to its friends and to
the insuring public. That it is defective
and inadequate and that it is INSULT
cient to meet and correct the acknowl-
edged evils, all will now admit. That a
law under which existing conditions are
possible should not stand, but should be
repealed, is q proposition that cannot
be successfully combotted.
He Saw Some Defects.
Some of the defects in the act were
apparent ar the time of its approval by
the executive, but inasmuch as it car
ried with it a discretion to be exercised
in it's enforcement by the officers
charged with the duty, and INDUCING
the hope and belief that such discre-
ton would be employed in the interests
Of the people and with fairness to the
and having every confidence
that such discretion would always be !
exercised in an effort TO give full force |
and effect TO the manifest intention of !
the Legislature, and believing that a |
fair test OF the principle involved could !
be and would be made, I approved it.
and undertook to provide relief to the
people under its provisions. It was be- |
ieved that the principle Of state regu-
ation and control of fire insurance pre-
MUM rates was practicable under Just
regulation laws, and that the state
should not hesitate to assume and dis |
charge that duty. 1t was also believed
that the law as passed, although de-
fective in many important essentials
would by a practical administration |
vindicate the wisdom of entering this