Mexico weekly ledger., 1878-01-03

when completed for articles of asso-
CATION" We claim the paper was
fully drawn, signed and sealed and
was a complete instrument. If any
thing more was needed to complete
it, it was only to write another re-
tracing the former, or to write falls
hood and fraud over all its face. The
gentleman says this is a ''grave charge
and we should name the parties i'm
plicated that the community may
know them and that they may de-
fend themselves" The writer of
that paper was Co-tenant himself,
and he dismissed it without q word
in its defence or in his own vindica-
ton. He says we ''criticised in the
severest manne the actions ofparties
interested in those lands" We
criticised in the seyerest manner or
intended to do so those who planned
and concocted and wrote that paper,
who made the allegations it contains
and the promises they failed to keep.
They are but a sample of the meth
dds and means made use of to get
those lands onto the farmers of Au-
drain county. He charges that We
allege "Ruggles title is in dispute"
and that probably only q small part
| will be confirmed to him. We did SO
and we did it OH the authority Of the
leading attorneys in Laredo VINO have
been engaged in suits in which this
land was involved and who claim to
know what they say. He says we
further charge the whole country for
| hundreds ofmiles North, South, East
and West is an almost unbroken forest
of cactus We do make that charge.
We stand to it. He mas not diSproy-
cd it. nor can he. 1t is cactus from
San Antonio TO the Rio Grande, and
along tie river for hundreds Of miles.
He says moreover we are ''cmphatic
in our assertions Is to the worthless
ness of the lands" We deny it. We
challenge Co-tenant to point out any
such word or expression in our arti-
Gle. OF their value we will speak
again. He goes on to snecr at Us
because we clam to be an honest la
borer. We know that honesty and
industry are at a discount with some
in our town. We know that the mcr
who stand at the corncrs OfOur streets
and live on the indie Try Of other PEG,
pie are by some respected more thsh
those who earn their living lay The
sweat Of their brow. We know thai
in the estimation of some labor Is de.
Grading and the l&bogor a mental, bat
we thought CO-tenant was man of toe
much sense to hold such views, aHt
vet we never saw him with his cOa'
of OF ut any useful employment. Fol
ourselves we honor and respect Tho
intelligent and honest laborcr. We
are proud 10 belong to that class
They are the glory and strength o
our land; and they can live without
putting their hands 10 the dirty worl
that so often deliles the hands Of those
who will not labor. He says more,
over we did not see the Ruggles
land, and that what we say in regar,
to it is not credible testimony" w
did not see it. We rode for five day.
through cactus to within n few mile:
of it when we became disguised Will
the country and turned our face.
homeward, and we desire never f
see it. and we can hardly imagine
worse punishment for ourselves 70
the same length of time than to b.
obliged 20 take that trip again. Ant
yet that country is called by Gotten
ant the paradise of stock raisors.'
7 lie says the I;ugeics land is the FIN
l est place in the world to run a store.
> We did not see those lands, but W
, saw very many men who ha
thurdcd OH them and huntc
over them, and we claim that W
learned more from them in regard t
: the lands than we could have learne
f bv q weeks travel over them. III
Co-tcnant makes two points on whic
he particularly dwell, anu to I'll
support OF which he brings n grei
: amount of what he e. lis tcstiluon,
4 The first is III reference to title. III
second in reference to the value {
, the lands. in other words what the
are good for. Let us examine thel
{ taking the second first. He gives I
9 Il letter from Bul'ard. Now this Blu
lard from his own showing had IL
been within a hundred and fifty milk
of the Ruggles land. lie had sec
an old soldier who had been station
$ ed somewhere on the Rio Crane
and had seen other people who sal
the lands were good sheep lands.
Well then they must be. He give
us a letter from Ex-GOv. Davis. ID:
" Wis does not say he has been on IL
lands or has ever seen them, but
, says they are ''supcriCrshcep lands.
Then they mast be. He gives /
another from Maj. Walton an .'exce
) lent gentleman who has been in 8
= adjoining county within 4 few mil,
G Of the lands and he says they al
fine grazing lands" Ind SO the
must be. lie gives US another fyol
yoi. kerney, eX-collector of Corp
: Christi. who says ''the lands betwee
It the Rio Granda and the Neuces al
the finest sheep lands i'll the State.
Is so these must be good sheep land.
lie gives lis other like testimony bl
: this is enough. | would ask Co-tel
IS ant if this is not precisely Lhe san
IS kind of te ;timony that he consoles
5 rs no evidence when coming fro
myself? But what is the object
G ali this? 1t is to show that thes
d lands are good for the raising (
e sheep. Eighteen months ago tlles
n were agricultural and %horticultur,
n lands. Men were loud and eloquel
in praise Of their fertility and pre-
HluctiYenes. They were held up t