Mercedes News-Tribune (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 17, No. 06, Ed. 1 Friday, February 21, 1930 Page: 4 of 12
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MERCEDES NEWS-TRIBUNE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1930
Page 4
A RUNNING ARGUMENT
Editor
R. L. YEARWOOD____Adv. Mgr.
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PRES
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general policy of the republi- ganizations have issued to ag-
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For the re-
tra-conservative.
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is at last being understood and plant a great deal of that com-
fested in the field of acting and
a
© 1930 King Features Syndicate, inc. Great Britain rights reserved
Other Papers
IT WAS NOT LOST IN TEXAS
and growers of the Valley but ly placed on the market before
jectionable rates, but we feel
confident that it will be seen
demand the removal.
There
The removal of the freight manufacturing and other in-
Main Street
Ferguson into the guberna-
1
vote of 52 to 26.
This opposi-
tion to Mr. Hughes is based
nounced that they too will run
even be said that he has this
repudiated by its own members
and regardless of party all
whereas they will run on is-
sues which have little or noth-
ing to do with the pressing af-
fairs in this state, he at least
bases his campaign on ques-
tions which have to do with
Texas, no matter whether his
has called attention to the fact
that Hughes sat in the same
cabinet with Daugherty et al
while they were engaged in
their nefarious operations, and
maintained a complete silence.
While there can be no doubt
that Mr. Hughes is a great and
Alexctdes Tchs-Jxibune
Published each Friday morning at
Mercedes, Texas, in the Lower Rio
can be no doubt that the differ-
ential places the Valley under
an unfair handicap.
Travels of
Mr. Appleseed
dustries, it would be well for
it to take heed of those meth-
ods whereby they have suc-
ceeded, and one of those meth-
ods it certainly, the ability to
guage the demand which will
be manifested for various com-
modities. In other words, limit
acreage when it becomes ap-
parent that to continue produc-
tion of agricultural commodi-
ties in increasing or even the
same quantities would mean a
distinct drop in prices.
FERGUSON ENTERS RACE
they will do anything but face
issues squarely.
It can readily be seen, then,
that the non-commital attitude
of the republican party, an at-
titude which has enabled it to
avoid definite statements on a
great many national questions,
/
/
Farmers Realize That Better Highways
Are Necessary For Delivery of Products
------ • ■ 3----------—.----------—--
1
SUBSCRIPTION: $2.00 per year.
ADVERTISING RATES
UPON REQUEST
Entered as second-class mail matter
at the post office at Mercedes, Hi-
dalgo County, Texas, January 23,
1914, under the Act of March 3,1879.
COLLEGES AND RACIAL RE-
LATIONS
---------o---------
Storms and cold waves and warm
spells have got things so mixed up
you can’t judge a climate for the
weather.' ' ,
&
---------=-----0---------------
STILL IGNORING THE SOUTH
44
4 ASSOCIATION
HIGH SCHOOL DRAMATICS
IVhe News-Tribune wishes to
I take this opportunity to con-
gratulate the Senior Class of
The official entrance of Mr.
(/
k \
Strange Wish To Investigate Conduct
Of State Officials Is Characteristic
Of the Forty-First Texas Legislature
2
J
ed of those planks which will
make the greatest appeal to
those who do not search below
the surface in order to discov-
er their real worth, and alto-
gether Ferguson is running on
issues which while they are
perhaps alive, are all too easily
transformed into the profuse
campaign promises which poli-
ticians are so prone to use.
Yet in this question of issues
Mr. Ferguson is quite as up-
to-date and pertinent as several
of those others who have an-
insofar as public interest in
those arts is concerned. Peo-
ple no longer show the same
appreciation for serious drama
or even for those comedies
which are worth being seen. It
is in this regard, then, that
.----------o------*— '
In England they speak of the
“upper middle class.” Probably
something like our uppity middle s
class.
•- Mercedes =e
14 Years Ago
rate differential, moreover, also
directly concerns the prosper-
ity of the Valley, for here too
is to be found a means of sav-
ing for shippers and growers
to the extent of between $300,-
000 and $500,000.
A NEW CHIEF JUSTICE
A great deal more significance
hh than might first appear is
attached to the proposal to re-
place Mr. Taft as Chief Justice
of the Supreme Court with
Charles Evans Hughes. In the
first place, with Mr. Hughes
as Chief Justice the attitude of
the Court on most questions
will remain unchanged since
he is a conservative and thus
will cause the Court to remain
predominately of that temper.
In this way the decisions which
have been handed down by the
Supreme Court on public util-
ities, etcetera, will continue to
be of the same character, and
there can be no doubt that this
long-ignored
That is why
were twelve
Grande Valley,
Printing Co., Inc.
A.E. PRINCE
by The United
A ccording to figures kept at Aus-
n tin by the Bureau of Business
Research, University of Texas, there
were fifty-nine business failures re-
ported for the State during Janu-
ary. January is always the high
month in such statistics, because at
4
—
ED
Frontier newspaper men must
have been amateurs instead of pro-
fessionals. They got their reward
in potatoes and cordwood instead of
cash.
enduring and indeed increasing
worth. We sincerely hope that that the interests of the Valley
there still remains the fight on
the freight rate differential to
be carried to a successful term-
ination. This differential was
placed on Valley shipments at
a time when this section was
still very much of a wilderness
and was perhaps in good order
at that time. At present, how-
ever, the differential is dis-
tinctly discriminatory, and as
such it should be abolished.
The railroads, of course are
able jurist and as such may .
well be nominated for the high- platform is feasible or not.
advantage over them, that
show material results . More-
over, there is a possibility that
the presidential elections of
1932 may be affected, since it
is very evident that the wes-
tern progressive republicans
are heartily opposed to those
members of the party who are
known as the Old Guard, as is
shown by the vote against
Hughes as Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court.
It is our belief that this’ is
but an indication of the atti-
can party, which might be sum-
med up in the term which the
western progressives, in op-
posing Hughes as Chief Justice
upon economic grounds, in the 1-----------------J — ---------
main, although Senator Walsh for governor. In fact it might
to the United States. That is
the appointment involves the
question of whether or not the
attitude of the Court on many
of the questions of the day will
change and with Mr. Hughes
as Chief. Justice, as we have
said, it will not.
However, there has been a
gradually growing opposition
to the appointment of Mr.
Hughes in Congress, although
at the date of this writing the
not answer the request of the South
that a Southern man be put upon
the commission, for Knoxville is by
no means a Southern city, and Judge
Tate cannot be properly classed as a
Southerner. Once more the presi-
dent has exhibited his disinclination
to give any recognition to the real
South in filling high government
positions.—Houston Post-Dispatch.
the cotton season is well under
way. Yet in spite of this farm-
ers of the Valley should keep
the/ advice to limit acreage well
in mind. ’ We have other com-
modities down here which
might well be over-produced
and thus bring low prices/ In
this connection we wish to call
the attention of our readers to
the fact that it will not be long
before the citrus market will
reach saturation; in fact warn-
ings to be carefurin regard to
overproduction of citrus fruit
have already gone forth, and
it might be said that the freeze
of a few weeks ago at least
helped the citrus industry by
discouraging the growing of
that commodity outside of the
Valley.
In conclusion, in our opinion
if agriculture wishes to attain
the same degree of prosperity
which has been reached by
inventory time the
truth comes to light,
the January figures
torial race can occasion sur-
prise to none of those who have
paid even the least attention
to that gentleman’s recent ac-
tions and utterances. Never-
theless, it is difficult not to feel
a certain amount of astonish-
ment at his confidence; and
this in spite of the fact that
he will certainly receive some
publicans are showing that
the Mercedes High School on-
its achievement in playing applied to that gentleman; ul-
“The Taming Of the Shrew”.sti "arthnn
represents the first attempt in
the Valley to bring before the fighting the removal of the ob-
public any of these dramas of
//
all will encourage the continu-
ation of this movement, for
while the light comedies here-
tofore offered to Valley audi-
ences by high school players
have been amusing, “The Tam-
ing of the Shrew” marks the
beginning, we trust, of a really
worth-while dramatic move-
ment among Valley schools.
DELAYED PUBLICITY
Tt is most unfortunate that
the South Texas Chamber of
'Commerce has been unable to
carry though its plans for
bringing a party of tourists to
south Texas and particularly
to the Valley. Bad weather is
said to have been the cause
of this, since it was thought
that south Texas would not ap-
pear at its best to the northern
visitors under a cloudy sky.
Nevertheless the Chamber of
Commerce still intends to con-
duct this tour for people from
the north who happen to be
visiting San Antonio, but at a
later date when it will be sure
of the most favorable weather
conditions. And so, while it
is too bad that the proposed
tour has been delayed, resi-
dents of the Valley may still
look forward to the tour as a
very effective means of adver-
tising this section.
A WIDENING RIFT
rThoughtful democrats cannot
A help but be interested by
the split in the republican ranks
which becomes more and more
evident as time goes by. This
split attains new significance
when it is remembered that
riculture, warning farmers to
limit their acreage during the
coming year, embodies one of
the fundamental solutions to
the farm problem. Undoubt-
edly agriculture’s greatest bain
heretofore has been overpro-
duction of all commodities
which it produces, this being
due primarily to the lack of
foresight and haphazard meth-
ods in use among farmers gen-
erally until recent years. As
is well-known, it has always
been the rule for farmers to
the drama in general, especially should be glad that such is the
case. There, have been those
oi l
Qisa> :
mJ-1!
San Bonitans won two of the
three offices in the Valley Shrine
Club at the annual election of of-
ficers held at the Stonewall Jackson
Hotel last night, E. L. Barmore be-
ing elected president and T. E.
Marchbank secretary.
E. O. Anglin of Harlingen was
elected vice-president.
J. E. Thompson of Harlingen is the
retiring vice president.
The matter of a Valley clubhouse
was discussed but it was decided
that the time was not propitious for
such a project.
It has long been a recognized
fact that school dramatics, and
high school dramatics in par-
ticular, hold out the brightest
hopes for the continuation of
worth-while drama, and for
this reason we are very glad
indeed to find the high school
in this city devoting itself to
this work. The present day
has seen a sad neglect mani-
who have said that the last
presidential campaign presaged
because of the defeat of the
democrats, the end of the dem-
ocratic party, but we do not
think there is the slightest
reason to believe that this is
true. If any political party of
the United States is in danger
of a serious setback it is the
republican.
FREIGHT RATES
rBhe new, lower rate on mixed
— cars represents not only a
a marked economy to shippers
tricts schools comparing favorably
with those in the cities. But this
requires year-round roads.
The fruits already reaped from
highway construction in farming
districts only serve to indicate what
the reward will be when the rural
road problem is tackled on a broad-
er scale. When Congress was hold-
ing hearings on the Federal Aid
highway bill Representative Almon
pf Alabama urged that $50,000,000
be added each year to Federal aid
funds as a means of extending aid
to agriculture. Another Congress-
man proposed a special fund of $50,-
000,000 a year to be apportioned
among the States for use on exclu-
sively farm-to-market roads. These
sentiments in congress suggest that
the relation of good roads to a prof-
itable agriculture is becoming wide-
ly recognized.
Roads figure somewhere in the
marketing of all agricultural pro-
duce. The farmer served by good
roads gets his produce to market
quicker, in better condition and at
less cost.
' The marked increase in the use of
motor trucks for hauling farm pro-
duce direct to markets is shown in
a survey in New York City made
recently by the Department of Ag-
riculture. This study brought out
that from 20 to 30 per cent of the
supply of leading home-grown fruits
and vegetables on New York Mar-
ket is hauled in by truck. The sur-
vey showed that for about three
months in mid-season New York
City gets one-third of its peach sup-
ply, one-fourth of its tomatoes and
one-fifth of its apples by motor
truck and that sometimes during the
season more than one-half of the
(See FARMER, page 9)
Donna will be the scene of thrill-
ing motion picture stunts, Feb.
ruary 23rd, when a fleet of air-
planes will be here for the filming
of a great air picture, climaxed by
a crash. A plane will be flown in-
to the ground from an altitude of
2,000 feet, piloted by Ivan Vala-
limar Sheskatov, better known as
the “Flying Cossack.”'
Many well known flyers are ex-
pected to be here, including all pri-
vate owned planes in the Lower Rio
Grande Valley.
This promises to be the greatest
air event ever staged in the Valley.
Following the event of the day,
a banquet will be served to the
motion picture personel and all par-
ticipating pilots at Donna.
—Donna News.
-------■-------o--------------
Tt was the second day out and Mr.
— Applese.ed, lying comfortably back
in his deck chair, gazed about him
in supreme satisfaction. On all sides
of the vessel stretched the blue roll-
ing swells of the" ocean, off and off
into a distance that merged sea and
sky into one. Fortunately, the
weather was favorable, the ship on-
ly rolling very slightly. Of course
to our traveler this roll seemed at
first to be of considerable propor-
tions, but he had soon realized its
true size and had settled down to
enjoying himself thoroughly. He
had found that the menu was print-
ed in both English and French, and
that the food and beverages more
than lived up to his expectations.
And, crowning stroke of all, so tak-
en in was he with existence aboard
a ship—in smooth weather at least
—that he had even gotten over the
disappointment of French coffee.
As the middle of the morning ap-
proached Mr. Appleseed found him-
self looking forwrad wistfully to
the bouillon and sandwiches brought
around by the deck-steward at about
half past ten or eleven o’clock. The
performance was repeated at five
with the exception that tea was sub-
stituted for the buillon. At last,
however, refreshments appeared,
and as he ate and drank voraciously
Mr. Appleseed reflected sagely on
zacQll
o
est judicial position in the coun-
try, yet there are grounds for
forebodings. Mr. Hughes has
been too intimately associated
with the pillars of the repub-
lican party in recent years to
fully command the confidence
of everyone, and those pillars
have proved themselves to be
thoroughly careless of the wel-
fare of the nation. Moreover,
there are many important
questions of the day on which
the Supreme Court has so far
shown itself to be perhaps too
conservative, and with Hughes
as Chief Justice this will con-
tinue to be the case.
AGRICULTURE AND OVER-
PRODUCTION
rghe advice which the Federal
M Farm Board and farm or-
tude of the people at large on
national politics. They have
observed that the regular lead-
ers of the republican party are
dominated by groups which
have no interest in the cause
of,the people and which have
consistently worked for meas-
ures which would benefit them-
selves alone. In addition to
that, there is good reason to
believe that many are com-
mencing to lose confidence in
the abilities of Mr. Hoover.
Certainly the President has
disappointed a great many of
those who helped elect him to
office by his indecisive stand
on the iniquitous tariff bill
which his political adherents
have tried to foist on the na-
tion. His stand may indeed be
taken as an indication of the
modify which brought the best
returns the year before, and
the resulting prices for the
over-planted commodity were
correspondingly low; supply
and demand, of course, explains
that. This constituted a les-
son which was yearly over-
looked by agriculture or at
least ignored, and it remains
to be seen whether or not it
will heed those who now point
out that lesson.
Here in the Valley the advice
to limit production of cotton
applies with lessened force
singe this section is not a par-
ticularly heavy producer of
that commodity and moreover
what it does produce is usual-
this is congressional election
year and therefore the rift may Senate has confirmed him by a
- ■ I
would be of great importance support in his campaign. His
__ . « m _ platform, of course, is compos-
“nder the urge of Frank O. Low-
U den a Cornstalk Products Cor-
poration has been formed with an
initial capital of $1,000,000. The
company will make the largest pos-
sible use of the waste of a cornfield-
The scientists have found that a
great many articles of value may be
manufactured from the stalks and
cobs and this corporation will pro-
ceed along the most plausable lines.
At present the company is special-
izing in wallboard and can turn out
a fine grade at a profit and still pay
$10 a ton for stalks delivered in
bales at its plant. This can give
the farmer a profit on the dead-
wood of his corn patch. There are
other aisles to be opened.—Los An-
geles Times.
failures higher than December, 1929.
But the bright side of it all is that
the number of failures for January
is the lowest for any January-since
1920. That month, you remember,
was the time when everybody
thought he was going to get rich,
and bankruptcy was the last thought
in any one’s mind.
It was a period of inflation then,
but it is not so now. With the
background that we have, therefore,
the figures out of Austin are en-
couraging. They support logically
the thesis that most of what Texas
lost in 1929 was not lost in Texas,
but in Wall Street. Texas is en-
tering 1930 in pretty good shape.
The Magic Valley has some young
trees that were killed, some older
ones that were nipped, and some
truck crops that were ruined. But
the Valley is by no means out of the
running, and in a month or two will
have forgotten the big freeze. The
citrus industry has learned much
since Florida was frozen up a gen-
eration and more ago. Agriculture
north of the Valley is as well off as
the average for the last two years
or so, with some prospects that
Texas will not take so big a gamble
with cotton this year; Industry is
careful, banking is trimming ship
judiciously, and building is picking
up. This year 1930 is going to be a
real year yet.—Dallas News.
---------o---------
DOWN IN THE CORNFIELD
A pparently, the president was firm
A in the conviction that an inter-
state commerce commission should
come from Knoxville, Tenn., for af-
ter one citizen, of the East Tennes-
see metropolis had been nominated
by him for the place and had reject-
ed the nomination, he went back to
Knoxville and selected another.
Judge Hugh McTate, the last named,
has indicated he will accept. Judge
McTate is a native of the Knoxville
section and a thorough-going Repub-
lican. He enjoys a wide popularity
in his home city, has been a judge
in one of the local courts, and has
long been prominent in legal cir-
cles. He is an active church man
and a leader in civic affairs. What
his special qualifications are for in-
terstate commerce commissioner
have not been made public. He does
E
\—
E
w—-
\\\\\Es
By O. A. FITZGERALD,
in the New York_Times
H Tore and more farmers are real-
V izing that agricultural districts
are paying for good roads whether
they have them or not. Twenty
years ago the prevailing idea in ru-
ral districts was that good roads
were a luxury to be enjoyed only by
the chosen few in rich, thickly set-
tled areas. Today good roads are
regarded as a necessity everywhere.
Nationwide,. therefore, is the call
for better rural thoroughfares to
aid in the orderly marketing of
farm produce, and to extend to the
farm family the all-year social ben-
efits that accompany good roads.
In a recent address, Sam H,
Thompson of Illinois, president of
the American Farm Bureau Federa-
tion, called attention to the fact that
only 5 per cent of the farms of the
nation are on 365-day roads. The
absence of good roads has a direct
bearing on market gluts and ineffi-
cient marketing. Farmers in sec-
tions with poor roads are forced to
rush to market while their dirt roads
are passable.
Rural fires in 1928, says the
American Farm Bureau Federation,
resulted in losses of $150,000,000 and
3,000 lives. Modern fire-fighting
equipment is of little value without
good roads, especially as many of
the fires occur in winter.
Rural children go to school in in-
creasing numbers by motor bus.
Approximately 360,000,000 children
were conveyed to school last year.
Motor transportation has assisted
greatly in improving the standards
of rural education. Consolidation of
many “little red school houses” has
been possible, giving the larger dis-
also, through the results of
this economy, means increased
prosperity to all residents of
this section. Yet in spite of
this victory for the Valley
school dramatics means so
much to the Thespian art.
In addition to the contribu-
tion made to drama by school
dramatics, moreover, there is
also the important point of its
contribution to those partici-
pating. The stimulation of the
imagination by dramatics is
but one of the benefits, al-
though most people might per-
haps think of dramatics as be-
ing most condusive to poise
and self confidence This, of
course, is true. It is always in-
valuable for anyone to be able
to express himself easily be-
fore a gathering of his fellows.
Nevertheless there are other
results to the students partici-
pating in school dramatics
which are fully as important
as that.
And so, finally, we repeat
that we wish to offer our con-
gratulations to students and
instructors of the high school
here for taking this step which
and Commissioner W. R. Ely of Ab-
ilene, but had it in for the third
member, Cone Johnson of Tyler.
Then in bringing of the impeach-
ment charges against the late Land
Commissioner J. T . Robison, it
was generally said there was a lot
of politics on both sides. Since the
house of representatives, sitting as
a jury, returned a “not guilty” ver-
dict by a decisive vote, after hear-
ing a mass of evidence, it is to be
assumed that those charges were
unfounded. At any rate, the case
came to naught, after costing the
state a small fortune in witness and
attorneys’ fees, time lost, etc. And
no doubt it hastened the death of the
aged official.
As this is written, the house has
not yet decided whether to go into
the impeachment charges against
the comptroller and the treasurer.
But if it does so decide, then half
the elective department heads of the
state government will have come
under the so-called “smelling” pro-
cess. When has a previous legis-
lature investigated so many?
During Governor Miriam A. Fer-
guson’s administration there was
much probing, but practically all of
it was aimed at the activities of
“Farmer Jim.” And it produced
More business has come before the
some important tangible results,
forty-first legislature than any pre-
vious lawmaking body of this state
in a generation. Yet this legislature
has found time for more investiga-
tions than any other in many years.
All indications now point to a fifth
special session, to be called imme-
diately upon adjournment of the
present one, which can run only 30
days under the constitution. Who
can remember a legislature that held
more sessions?
In the course of a debate last
week over the proposal to investi-
gate the comptroller and the treas-
urer, Representative Joseph McGill
of El Paso told the house that he
made a resolution before leaving
home in January not to vote for any
more investigations.
“People have stopped me on the
street at home,” he declared, “and
razzed me about the legislature’s
smelling proclivities, until I’m tired
of it. These investigations we’ve
made have done no /good, but have
wasted a lot of time.”
Some other member replied that
he thought the investigations had
done some good, by- providing a
check on the department’s, and per-
haps by giving state officials to un-
derstand that the goblins would get
them if they dont’ watch out.
Generally spaking, omptroller
Terrell and Treasurer Hatcher are
regarded as anti-Moody, and the
former is supposed to be rather pro-
Ferguson. On the other hand, Aud-
itor Lynn, who made the report con-
taining the charges against them, is
a Moody appointee. However, these
charges, particularly those against
the comptroller, are such as any ef-
ficient and conscientious auditor
would have been compelled to re-
turn after making an audit survey
of the state’s fiscal affairs— assum-
ing that the facts upon which the re-
port is based are as stated. So, in
this case, it is not considered likely
that the charges are motivated by
anything except a sense of duty, re-
gardless of politics.
But some' day somebody may se-
cure passage of a law that will
hold a legislator responsible for
charges he makes against a state of-
ficial or department; and then, per-
haps, there will not be so many in-
vestigations, or at least not so many
fruitless ones.
4"*
44
A, <04
24
174)
A phase of the work of the Texas
F Commission on Interracial Co-
operation that promises to be fruit-
ful of good results is the enlistment
of the colleges and universities of
the State in the movement for pro-
moting good relations between the
races.. The commission is asking
the higher educational institutions to
provide instruction in the subject
of race relations, going on the as-
sumption that the students of today
are to be the leaders of thought and
action in the State in the future
years. A number of the schools have
already responded favorably to the
request and probably others will, al-
so. There is a growing popular sen-
timent among both, white and col-
ored people in the South, and par-
ticularly in Texas, in support of the
aims the commission entertains, and
it will be an important contribution
to the effort for the realization of
those aims if young people coming
out of the educational institutions in-
to leadership in the various fields of
life shall have an intelligent and
sympathetic attitude toward them.
All of those interested in the subject
will be more effectual in their sup-
port of improving racial relations if
[ they have practical knowledge of the
I subject and this the colleges are be-
ing asked to impart. They are being
afforded an opportunity to render a
great service to the South.—Houston
Post-Dispatch.
J AN
,_AoLF:V
—m/
w_."
F?
$ Ah
00
*g
The manager of the Frisco Re-
frigerating Line for this district an-
nounces that there have been 100
more cars of- truck shipped out
of the Valley so far this season than .
over the corresponding period last I
year.
—-----o------
It isn’t China that needs help, but
Chinese. Millions are starving, but
there are more millionaires in China 1,
than in America.
' I
By Ed Killman
AUSTIN Feb. 20.— There is some
strange qualty in the makeup of the
forty-first legislature that craves to
investigate the official conduct of
state officials, just as some human
beings crave herring and queer-
smelling cheese.
Not within the memory of the
younger capitol observers, at least,
has a legislature probed and pried
into the affairs of so many depart-
ment heads. And never has the in-
vestigations of a legislature pro-
duced less results than have those of
the present body thus far.
Of course, the charges made in
the recent report of. State Auditor
Moore Lynn against Comptroller S.
H. Terrell and Treasurer W. Greg-
ory Hatcher were too grave to pass
over without attention—particularly
those against the comptroller. When
an auditor says the official collector
and handler of public moneys has
failed and refused to account for
nearly $60,000 of state funds, it is
a serious proposition. Nor could
the legislature have properly over-
looked the charges that precipitated
the joint committee investigation of
the highway commission last year,
or those that brought on the im-
peachment proceedings against the
land c.ommissioner.
However, there is a growing feel-
ing among lawmakers that there
should be some sort of law that
would hold a legislator or other
state officer accountable for charges
made Against other officials.
As it is, any member may hurl a
load of mud at any functionary of
government, and call for an investi-
gation. Such charges being made in
the legislature, are “privileged mat-
ters, and can be reported in the
press without fear of libel proceed-
ings, whereas the same accusations
if made unofficially outside, would
be ignored in the news. And, the
fact that they are given publicity
places a cloud of suspicion over the
official or department accused, so
that a full investigation is necessary
in justice to that official or depart-
ment, as well as to the state. Any
innocent , official charged with
wrongdoing would feel grievously
injured without an opportunity to
vindicate himself through inquiry
into the facts.
Elwin Gerron, the boy represen-
tative of Waxahachie who recently
resigned from the legislature when
he moved to Harlingen to join his
brother in the practice of law, was
“mad at” the state highway commis-
sion when he lodged his charges
against that body during the regular
session of 1929. And after the com-
mittee investigation of the commis-
sion had continued about two weeks,
he confessed that his charges were
unfounded, and apologetically ex-
honorated the commission. Thus the
probe collapsed and was ended.
In that investigation Polk Horna-
day of Harlingen, a member of the
joint committees constituted himself
as “prosecuting attorney,” for Ger-
ron, and tried with all, his might and
main to substantiate the charges thru
grilling witnesses and scrutinizing
evidence. Only a short time age
Polk vigorously supported an effort
to investigate the highway commis-
sion again, about a division head
quarters building constructed at
Tyler. When that investigation
fizzled, Mr. Hornaday attempted to
put through a resolution censuring
the commission for erecting the
building, but failed. During this
controversy, and once afterward,
Mr. Hornaday told the writer that
he thought very highly of Highway,
Chairman R. S. Sterling of Houston
TEXAeP
the astonishing effects of ocean
travel upon the appetite. \
After he had finished he threw
off his blankets, for his feet were
wrapped up, to keep out the keen
winter aid, and stepped forth on that -
inevitable promenade in which all
ocean travelers indulge. As he
strode around the deck he nodded
affably to one or two of the, other "
passengers with whom he had struck
up a slight acquaintance and his
soul overflowed with expansiveness.
In all truth he was at peace with
the world and enjoying it heartily.
“After lunch” he thought, “I shall
go down for a nap, and when I .
awake perhaps I can find someone
to play cards with.”
And so passed a very wonderful
morning. But what would you have, •
dear reader; we must give our poor
harassed traveler some peace and
quietude after all of the trials he
has undergone.
me:
El
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Prince, A. E. Mercedes News-Tribune (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 17, No. 06, Ed. 1 Friday, February 21, 1930, newspaper, February 21, 1930; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1571585/m1/4/: accessed July 2, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.