The Placer herald., 1864-02-27
FENCE BILL.

bill! known as the fence bill passed the
Senate on Thursday, subsequent to its pas
sage in the House, where it originated. 1t
strikes us that more proper designation
would have been, an "Act to protect lazy
farmers, and encourage them in idleness."
1t provides that in certain counties stock
raisers must fence in their grazing lands, and
that farmers shall not be required to put
fences around their growing crops-thus
reversing the order ofstock raising and farm
ing-and making it trespass if cattle should
60 upon and destroy unfenced grain, and
permitting the seizure and sale, for damages,
of such ,resspassing cattle. The bill, as
passed in the House, included all the lower
townships Of this county, but in the Senate
Placer was excepted, and it is to be hoped
that, if the measure is finally enacted into a
law, our county will not be one where a
premium is to be offered to idle, thriftless
agricul.urists.
If we are to have farms Lot them be so
in fact-wi,h good and substantial fences
and Improvements, that will indicate that
we have as fixed population and people with
homes. In the western portion of the coun
ty, large part Of the best land is already
enclosed b. good fencing, and in few years
more all the tilIabe land will be in the same
condition.
On the other hand there are extensive
tracts only suitable for grazing; and it is
well known to those acquainted with the
subject, that owing to the lightness of the
feed on much of it, that cattle must have an
extensive range to be sustained at all. 1t is
estimated that each head of stock must have
from eight to ten acres upon which to Craze.
This being true, it will readily be seen that
stockraising will prove ruinous business
whenever graziers are compelled to fence in
pasture lands for their herds.
By some it is regarded as question of
difficult solution, as they find arguments of
force on both sides of the question. We
have no hesitation, however, where there
are the mixed interests Of agriculture and
stock-raising in the same county, in deciding
that farmers should fence their fields and
protec: their crops-they suffering the least,
if such an expression is admissible, of either
Of the parties in interest.
OPPOSITION TO LINcoLN.-A Freedom
Convention has been in session at Louisville,
KY, this week, composed Of some three
hundred delegates Of the radical Abolition
stripe, from the Northern States. The Con,
vention received letter from Pomeroy, u.
S. Senator from Kansas, signing himself
Chairman Of the National Unconditional
Union Committee, in which ne took ground
against the denomination of Lincoln to the
Presidency, and in favor of Chase, as the
representative man OF the radicals. He says
Chase men are organized in all the free
States, and ntimates that they possess formid.
able strength. This looks as if Mr.. Lincoln
will not be permitted to carry off the honors
of bis party convention without struggle,
although it appeared little while ago, from
the expression Of State Legislatures, etc,
that he was the almost unanimous choice of
the Abolition party. 1t begins to look as if
the Lincoln men had shown their hands too
soon, and given Mr.. Chase and his friends an
opportunity to attack their weak points.
Mr.. Pomeroy's letter is positive indica'
ton that Chase is in the field as a candidate;
and when it is remembered that he is the
ablest man in the Cabinet shrewd and
careful political manager, possessing the
confidence Of most of the radical leaders in
the country, readers may well understand
that Uncle Abe has no small fight on his
hands.