The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1874-03-19
IcoxnuxIcArED.l
Frontier Protection.


1IoSTAGUE Co, Tex. March 10, lS1A
Editors Denocrafic Stdfssmaa-As the
questions Of frontier protection, and the re-
lease Of several frontier counties from taxa
ton FOR certain purposes, have been promi-.
nent subjects before the Legislature this
term, propose, through your paper, to give
my views to the public in regard 70 the
present wants OF these border counties. First
II Is the lusy Of the United States govern
ment TO protect the lives and property of its
citizens against al enemies-for this we pay
taxes TO support this government. But Con-
gress seems TO be more concerned in special
legislation (xhereby they devise means,
other than frontier protection, of pillaging
our National Treasury, and in fretting over
the civil rights of the newly enfranchised,
the man and brother 'sof theirs of the
African persuasion), than in the protection
OF helpless women and children on the ex-
posed frontiers of the. government. And
when the general government fails 10 de-
fend the country, IL Is then the duty OF the
State government to do So This the bill
of Mr.. Bean, recently before our Legisla-
ture, would have done most eiIectually,
had not the argument of economy prevailed
over that of expediency and right thus
crippling the bill and rendering il, fear,
|
frontier county, l suggest some other
measure of frontier defense, which would
/ be almost as elective a. military guards.
/ The first and most important is the putting
of the public school lands ON the market,
giving actual settlers preference, aud selling
to none except actual settlers, giving TO
each 100 acres, charging a fair price for Il,
/ giving settlers time to pay the purchase
money aud making them pay reasonable
/ interest thereon. Within twelve months,
if such Law was passed. emigrants would
so flood these counties that they would be
so densely populated that no hostile indians
would dare set their feet in them. If such
! Il law was passed, we could invite otf
| friends from all quarters to come here, as
surfing them that they could get good lands,
| on good terms and with safe titles. As we
are now situated, it Is next to impossible for
a settler to lind home-the public lands of
any value have all been taken up, princi-
pally by school and railroad certificates
From one-fourth TO one-half of the land in
these counties belong to these classes, and
under existing laws it is unsafe to settle
them. And if the matter should be brought
before the Legislature, the plea of economy
might prevail to such an extent that in the
putting of the lands ON the market. no pro-
vision would be made for the actual settler,
and they would lose their labor, or the
land might be priced beyond the reach of
poor settlers.
Besides the school and railroad land,
there are about the same amount of head
right lands lying in these counties, whose
owners live elsewhere, and who expect that
the country will soon become wealthy and
populous and thus enable them to sell their
landsat large prices. Now, between these
two classes of land, the Legislature with its
school lands, and greedy spectators with
their old surveys, this border has been suf-
| fering as much injustice, though in a differ
ent way, as from the hands of the savages.
For about eighteen years the Texas from Ter
has not settled scarcely any, but have been
constantly raided upon by savages, and al
most every mile square has its tradition,
telling of the killing and scalping of some
white person. While thus idle and suffer
ing, the northern frontiers have become
populous States. 1t is in the power of this
Legislature to remedy these evils by giving
the school land to settlers and by compell-
ing spectators to pay the faxes and render
their land in the counties where situated.
They would then be rendered at their true
value. The taxes brought into our county
treasury by these measures would soon en-
able us to build our jails and court houses
independent of Legislative aid.
Yours respectfully, JOHN HALL.