The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-11-22

NJ land ownership. The lat
hope NJ enlightened liberty regulated by
law, ON this continent Will abide with lie
land holding ye0manfy rom the owner NJ
n village lot or twenty acre field 70 the
costly city residence or the well cultivated
farm or stock fincbe When the great
heart Of the ct''r nay become utterly cor
rupt political viz 40 aud the spirit OF lib
erty will dwell among those who cultivate
tho soil or otherwise pntsue industrial ayo.
cations. The law-giyer, therefore, who fos.
iers monopoiy w land thrusts a poisoned
dagger at The Goddess Of Liberty.
The bill of rights prellXed TO the oonsti'
tuition Of this state and excepted out OF the
powers Of government (as Ia all, or nearly
all the states In substance) expressly de.
clares that
"Perpetui ties and monopolies are contrary
TO the genius OF a free government, and
shall never be allowed; nor shall the law OF
pTimogeniture or entaiments ever be 10
force in this state"
The railroads OF Texas, in keeping with
this grand declaration, are compelled TO sell
all their millions of acres OF land within
certain and very limited number OF years,
for from them was where our then wa.chiul
Lawmakers feared monopoly, aud 80 legis'
lated as they believed would rapidly popu-
late the state with agricultural people, in
conjunction WIN tue Ilso VI boWho "uu
manufacturing industries as the fruits OF
railway construction, and in this their wis
dom ia attested and is being daily attested
before our eyes. Had the enactments from
1879 to date been equally as wise in regard
to the public domain and the public school
lands, the present lortentious questions
would not have assumed such magnitude.
But short of dissertation in detail The
question can only be hastily aud jmper-
fecty touched. The point assumed is that
the state of Texas, or any o her state,
through its law.working power, has the in
defeasible right, as an attribute of lis SOW
reisnty, to so legislate on this subject as to
guard against any monopoly in land or
otherwise dangerous to the rights and lib
critics of its people to so dispose of its lands,
school, university, asylum and public, as
will foster and build up land holding, az
ricultural population and afford the largest
possible number of citizens The opp0rtu-
nifty to become such. For such purposes
the fathers of Texas won their liberty, res.
cued the country from Mexico and wild
savages, formed their government and by
laws innumerable proclaimed their desire
that its territory should become the abode
of millions of land-holding freemen. Not
single enactment OF theirs can be dis
torted into favoring dangerous monopoly
in lands.
If these views be accepted as correct,
then the way is clear for dealing with the
main q lestion in issue. But few persons
will. be disconnected by its practical solu-
ton, but those few must yield to the mai
esty of law and right. The stock-raiser,
within the purview of safety to the general
welfare, should have as ample protection as
the old Texas veteran living on his own
bounty warrant, von at San Jaclnto. But
the land ,monopolist-not he VINO owDs
much land and wants to sell-but he VINO
wishes to moLopolize vast trrritory US a
oraz,ng wilderness, fence it in and seal it
against the entrance or passing to and fro OF
the public must be told by the soyereigns
that he shall no more do that than cut a
channel through his own land across Gal
weston island the effe5t OF which would be
to an up the hart Or and thereby uin the
CITY of Galveston. The power being, con.
coded, the details of provisions to make IL
effective, it is believed, can be so devised as
to protect the mass of the people and IN
Aict no real or unjust injury to the legiti-
mate stock.raising business of the state. In
whatever NAV be done the genius OF immu'
table Justice should preside; and while ex-
ercisipg power to guard against huge obsta-
oles TO our progress in population ana De.
yeionment, a full and effectual check should
he nut to wanton lawIessness in the as
truction of property legitimately belonging
to others, whether rich or poor me TWO
measures, as twin handmiads, should go
forth arm.in-arm; and among other things,
abundant highways should be provided for
by state law, throughout the thinl ~ settleu
and unsettle d portions ofthe state. The stare
generally owns one.half the lands, rail.
roads the other half, and the right of-way
for a system of state roads would virtually
cost nothing. Now is the time, and the
state is the power to make this wise provis'
ion against endless evils in the future.