Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-09-09
FENCE CUTTING,
THE PRESENT GRAVE QUESTION
In THE NORTHWEST.
A Calm View ~ she situation - mad
Enough. nmt Not ms BndSs Repre-
Srn,ed-- Conc iiiatcyy spirit Of
stochmen aud Nesters.

Wichita 1'aiIs, September g.--'To
write up this country at all one must
speak of the cattle Interests, and 10
discuss that subject at present without
abiding 20 the somewhat unlndylike
practice OF cutting wire fences would
be like playing Hamlet with Hamlet
and the old ninii's ghost both Left out
The small amount OF damage done by
the wifc.clliters and thrvnst utnuunt
of newspaper comment on the
matter hiss created much excite
nient and drawn the eyes of
the weird TO Texas. | ray the small
amount OF damage, because ihe real
damage done 50 fer is comparatively
insigniiicant,a and would barely deserve
"a passing notice but for the prospective
injury IN the future. True, taken al.
together there hiss been a few hundred
dollars worth OF property destroyed by
wire cuttsfs, but not enough 10 Justify
the widespread excitement which has
prevailed IN many localities. a few
mea have suffered siunll pccnniary
losses and large amounts OF harassing
apprehens.uDs.
Nor have these apprehensions been
without grounds, INr u cannot be de-
MED illHt there are few determined
men throughout the west who claim
that they are being wronged in various
ways ~ the establishment Of large
pastures, and they have made 1t pretty
evident that they intend 10 try al
least to have redress for these wrongs,
real or imaginary My observation
has convinced me, however, that
nearly ali Of these reports Of uutrngts
committed IN the west are greatly
exaggerated and that many ~ them
are entirely without foundation.
The reading public Is afflicted With a
morbid appetite which demands
SENSATIONAL LITERATURE,
and newspapers and correspondents
soon learn to I,ander to this taste. The
enthusiastic newsgather Fusiics into
print with highly co!ored picture of
the matter he is 90 hanHie, very often
without giving the nIatteT the inyesti-
CATION its Importance deserves and Of
coarsc draws Oh his imagination when
at loss for facts, mud la this way
many profound sensations are
created by triiles which de-
serve only u passing notice.
The correspondent who handles only
commonplace subjects and deals only
in dry facts does not become famous,
and hence the desire TO deal in the
sensational Had been disposed to
snatch at every idle rumor could
have teiegraphed YOU to-day of at
i.as. fifteen miles of fence cut last
night around different pastures. for
rumors to that effect were current
here but rigid investigation failed
10 confirm a single report which
passed Cor news this morning. Atone
Time to-day Imagined that | was get
ting hold VI mammoth news item,
for passing two stockmen who
seemed TO he talking very seriously
heard one of them say, "Well by -,
we must just SET up some guns aud
lei the boys have emf What could
this mean but blood shed aud whose
blood will be shed except the wire
cutters, for OF course everyone thinks
of this matter. Iquiet!y awaited de-
vclopments not doubling that | should
hgvc an opportunity of distinguishing
myself as a war correspondents. With
vai being forced 10 display any under
curiosity soon LEANED that these
guns were 10 he sent To some friends
who were making up small
hunting party and then / gave up the
idea OF being famous war correspon
dent, nj least for the present, and my
news item dwipdied into its present
insipniticance. only regret that /
have not time To accept an Invitation
to 80 with the party tomorrow. !
mention these things Just to show
how easy 1t Is for greatly exaggerated
reports 10 find their way into the
newspapers
spent yesterday In Henrietta
where the excitement about fence cut
ting has been running high for
the past several days, and
heard the matter discussed
IN all It's phases. When left there,
feeling that the worst was over pre-
vailed among those Interested, and ii
was thought that arrangements bad
been made for the lion and the lamb
to lie down together. A few days be-
fore there had been grand love feast
between the stockmen and the nestcrs,
and after great amount OF earnest
discussion, resolutions were passed by
this mass meeting which seemed sat
isfactory to nearly every one
prescnt, aud lawlessness was con.
demned on all sides. Represen-
tatatives of the pasture men
uledged themselves to provide all the
convenience In the way Of roads,
gates, etc, that ncslers might need on
demand, aud the nesters promised on
their part 10 unite their powers win
those OF the pasture men when amy de-
struction of fences occurred, and To as
sist In maintaing law and order, Only
one or two dissenting voices Were
heard. and these were from delegates
who stated that the primary conven.
lions which sent them there passed
resolutions instructing them TO insist
on a great many reforms, anu among
Others was the demand that
LARGE pAsruREs MUST 90
and they medically ask that the wire In
ali this country he taken down and
rolled up and That the range bc free 70
Ali. These delegates were greatly IN
the minority however, and seeing the
great tide OF opinion against theia
quietly Withdrew from the hall aud
the rest OF the proceedings were high
~ satisfactory 60 NIL concerned ana II
Il hoi ei that no more trouble or law.
lcssnens Will occur In CLAY county, and
Indeed that the wise coun'
sel wllrh prevailed ON
this occasion would have
!, good oil, ct throughout tho country
gcnerally The only thing which
canes ne 10 have any niisgivings ms
to tl1n efieet 81 this meeting " that
fear ia. real wire-cuttefs die, pot AZ
tund Tie meeting In my considerable
numbers, Tor IL Is not Thought IN