The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-11-01

ers, and loss is entailed upon him, be-
cause he cannot watch dozens of
ranges at the same time, where his
few head of cattle roam. He loses his
stock, and then he accuses
the large cattle owners with
injuring him. Both are using
free grass. To the different classes of
cattle owners it is thought the old
Scottish proverb, "Let him take who
hath the might, and let him keep who
can" might be aptly applied. Again,
our correspondent, whose communica-
ton is too long for publication in full,
says:
"a man with a few COWS, and Gull
tivating his own land, is much hap
pier, much better off, and altogether
more desirable member of society.
The worst feature about the free
grass system is the lawlessness which
it begets, and which is always show
ing itself in some form or other, in
faction fights or deadly feuds that go
on sometimes for years"
Now, says he, disorder has developed
itself in a new form, in the malicious
cutting of fences, and in the killing of
stock. This, it is argued, is the result
of malice, originating in one class of
stockmen deriving more profitable re-
turns from free grass than others.
Again we quote:
"These barbarities are disgrace to
any civilized community, and the in
ertness Of the authorities in not tax
ing more effective measures to arrest
and punish the criminals would al
most put on coloring of sympathy
with crime. We will take for in
stance the governors proclamation.
1t reads like burlesque on justice.
The same reward is offered for the ar
rest and conviction of the criminal
who maliciously destroys the property
of another as for the person who en-
closes land he has no right to. Now
how the two could be coupled to-
gether it is hard to conceive. The
man who encloses land, as it is recog-
nized in Texas, that he has no right
to, is not a criminal in any sense of
the word; he simply does what GUS
tom in Texas has recognized to be cor
rect. If he owned land all around to
put his fence upon, he could fence, and
others owning land inside the fence
could either put stock inside in pro-
portion to the land possessed, or
let it to others. 1t would be hard, how
ever, to see how any one could defend
this system Of enclosing land; it is
open to so many abuses that there is
nothing reasonable to be said in its
support. But 1t is the result Of Slip
shod legislation, and the remedy is
simple and easy. The government
has only to prohibit it, on pain of GER
tain fines and penalties, and the thing
is done, at any rate the Of
tenders are always to be found;
the land is there and the fence is there
to answer for the offender. 1t is a
very different thing with those who
cImmit lawless acts of violence. First
Of all, there is demoralizing effect
UPON the community if these acts go
unpublished; then there is the difficult
ty of detecting and securing the Of
fender, and still the greater difficulty
of proving the offence and getting a
conviction. But the government has
only one course to pursue, and'that is
to uphold the supremacy Of the law,
even though it costs millions to do it.
1t IS already impossible to estimate
the loss to the state through deprecia-
ton, caused by this lawlessness, which
certainly the government is resp onsi-
BILE for. If the fence-breakers had
been promptly dealt with at first the
evil would never have assumed the
magnitude it has. 1t does not require
the gift of precedence to a very
marked degree to forecast the finality
of free grass. AS the country be-
comes fully stocked, scenes of blood
shed will occur in Texas that will
make the more peaceful parts of the
Union shudder. Seasons like the
past, of partial drought, will occur,
where some parts of the country will
be parched up and be made bare of
grass; other parts, where rains have
fallen, will have grass. Then the men
on the parched districts, with fam
ished cattle, will take their cattle
where there is grass. The men who
have cattle where there is grass will
object to the furnished cattle coming
to their range, and will say there is
only grass enough for the cattle al
ready here, that the cattle must go off.
The men with the furnished cattle
will reply, as long as there is grass to
be had, our cattle must have grass,
and here they must stay; then such
men as those, who barbarously
beat sheep to death, will commence to
kill the invading cattle, who are eat
ing the grass away from their cattle
then will follow deadly strife between
the men. and thus it will go on until
there will be only a few cattle and
very few men left, and once more
there will be grass enough for all. If
Texas is not to lapse into a state of
anarchy and barbarism, this question
of free grass must be grappled with
at once and settled. The ordinary
cowman or Convey is not an indivi-
dual to be despised his habits of life
fit him for hardshipS and strife, and
he is most formidable antagonist for
the authorities to contend with, but
good example, good training and edu-
cation will make all right, if the gov
eminent will only assist the power
of the law. If offenders knew that
as sure as they commit an offence
against law, detection and pun
ishment would speedily follow, we
would hear very little more of such
outrages as we have been accus-
toned to for some time back. This
question of free grass, however easy
it might have been in the early days
of the government to deal with,
would be somewhat difficult to handle
for that power now. The counties
could most likely now control the
matter more effectively with the
authority and support of the state
government. LII the stock owners of
all degrees. in pastural counties. (out-
side OF private fences were to unite
to fence in the county, appoint officers
toregulate matters pertaining to stock,