Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-05-26
upon cattle which were driven upon

upon cattle which were driven upon
his land.
MIR. CRAIG OF M'KrNNEY
briefly addressed the audience in de-
Tense of Gov. Ireland, stating that as
il had been ascertaiped that Mr.. Gibbs
and Col. johnson We're not at war,
he appeared for the administration In
order that 1t might have simple Justice.
He said that the administration had
unearthed much official fraud, and
that 1t was not responsible for frauds
occurring under the Roberts admins
tration.
SENATOR BARNETT GIBBS
followed, announcing ut the outset
that he wasn't the man 10 go around
digging up snakes in any one else's
neIehborhood. He alluded TO his past
career, coming to Dallas "A stranger,
without money and without friends,
and now could lay his hand
on his heart and say he had never
BETRAYED trust. Referring to his
political record he said tkat In his first
canvass he stated that the penitentiary
lease system was wrong. Himself and
the senator from Hood Were the only
ones who attacked the system at first,
and said that Democracy must correct
it. Roberts, grand old man, against
whom he would not say word. and
Gov. Lubbock had arranged lease.
Then came the fight. There were n
lot of us who believed that, money or
no money, the state had no right TO
lease out $500 men to be ut the
mercy of two men. Gov. Roberts ar
gued before us TWO hours that II we
didn't ratify that lease II would bank
rupt the state. We busted the lease
and the report for the year shows that
they cleared Sl0s,5Oo. ! told them an
other thing The treasury was over
| flowing with money, but IL was blood
money. They had opened up the lands
to market and syndicates were
grabbing them up In chunks Of l0O, 900
acres. Gov. Roberts said then ana
now that IL any man wanted all the
/ land and had The money TO pay for u
he should have 1t. But i didn't
bill I introduced was TO
take all the lands oil the market ex-
cept 10 actual settlers. caught the
/ devil about that too. But / found II
would require 800 wears to sell the
lands to actual settlers rs IL Is now be-
inr taken up. Therefore l am In ia
yor OF leasing all except that we need
for actual settlers. / am In favor OF
where there is anything over 10000
acres of school land In county, set.
! ting aside 10, 600 acres for the actual
settler. and leasing the balance. There
| is a vast difference between this and Q
herd law. / fought the Terrell bill
| with all the force that Is in me. There
amt no use talking about trying
10 make law for Collin county and
I the erass regions. Therefore he adj
! yocated local option herd law. There
| Is no government in The world m0rt
| honestly administered than our state
/ government. Ii Ii economically ad
Ininistered. When | came to Texas
you paid 81 tax on every SI0o worth o.
property. and it was gradually re
! duced until under Roberts 1t went
4 down To thirty cents. There Amt nc
use talking, the old man did save
money. He cut oil every expense
that could be cut of. Now we are
paving but l7l cents tax, the Lowest
rate OF any state In the Union. Gov.
Roberts land policy WIS . mistake
However, the mistakes made by ths
Democracy OF Texas, and they hays
been many. were made IN the Interests
OF the people. aud mistakes Of tina
kind we can all stand.
This lease system Ii bringing u
SiOO,O 700 year. There were peopl'
who kicked and paved about IL, ans
they are still All They think thu
next legislature will 20 there unde
the cry Of free grass and do away Will
the whole lease system. But 81. O0yW
acres OF land at four cents gives VI 30,
900 or 800 900 more than all the take
we arc paying for school purposes