Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-09-15
rzsEA-Ezzg gzoopsEzp m TEXAS.

Serious troubles are said to be brew ing ID Northvestlrn Texas, between the
 large stockholders ol the one side, and the nesters, 6s cattle meu of moderate means are termed on the other side supplemented uIth a certain ur- employed cowboy clement who join in with the small cattle men. Both sides are represented to be quietly srming, and every thing io7e5badoU5 bloodshed. The cause of the trouble is main Y owing to the blg companies fencing up large tracts or land which ID most cases they do not O VII, or own only in part. These large enclosures are not made 10 keep their own cattle ID altogether, but to save the grass. After the large herds have exhausted the feed on the unfenced common, the big companies then turn their cattle isto the reserve pastures,
 leaving the herds ol tLe small cattle men to br0Use upJE what is left outside
 Of the wire enclosures. This also
 enables tie large dealers Go dispense
 with the Hervlces or most of tl cir cowboy help, for the remainder oi the season leaving them ucthing To do for ut least
 four or five months ont of twelve. Tie nesters and cowboys swear tley will DO
 longer tolerate the Imposition, and demand g. common range for all. They claim that they have as much nsht to the range ofthe big cattle corporations, as they have t0 the common range, and that in no event have they any right to fence in the public domain. rbis trouble extends over an area of hun dreds of miles and tle quarrel involves several thousand men, and as both sides seems to be 5cermiued and the chances fora free fight are exceedingly promising. There is no doubt but the large com pRnies have exceeded their rights m fencing up the public domain of Texas. and that State ~ili a17y t7 exercise its authority in the inter. st 9f tle people, the same a5 the. commissioner of the General Land Office has over the national domain. If the large companies wo-li lg5 a9 ;le land and obtain title Co il they would without doubt have a perfect right to fence it up, and prevent others from Hasturing upon it. IL would also seem that they had as much right to pasture upon the public domain as smalls. dealers, yet 1t looks like a ve-y small business in these great rich corporations Co sry to mono polize the entire country and crush out their poorer ueighbors. We cannot blame the smaler dealers and cowboys 1 for attempting to project themselves and 1 their interests. and as they are more | numerous and have less at stake than the large corpo-GhcuE and dealers, they | will likely be able .o do it They say that If worst comes Co worst, they will | not only destroy the wire fences, but they will fire the grass in the enclosures. It Is to be hoped however, that the large cattle dealers wall see the folly of their averIce before it is Goo late. and conclude to deal moro fairly by their poorer neighbors and .iua avoid the blood shed that must othegElse ersue. Governor Ireland has been calad upoa to furnish troops to some af tle counties where the cutting of wire fences Las already commenced; but be replied that it vas a matter to be settled by tue local au- thorities where the lawlessuc-s ox1s.s 10 suppress it. 1t is plaiu Go be seen that the Goyerno- will Dot use troops to protect the corporations and rich men in their efforts to monopolize the graz. ing lands of the country: this being the case 1t is almost certain that. sooner or later they will lave to step down from the exalted positions they had f0udiy looked forward to.