The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1884-01-24

The following is also the text of Senate
| H0UstOu's speech on the Terrell bill delv
cred Friday afternoon:
Mr., CHAIRMAH:-Sucha an emergency cS
lists in Texas as has caused the executive 4
convene the eighteenth legislature in eStr
session. Among the subjects for Legislation
appears most prominent the question OF tn
destruction OF property rights, which tn
Laws. Oi the state thus far have been made
qust- 90 suppress, From these evils tn
people are now asking relief. | do no
agree that these evils have grown out ofth
use of school lands by herds grazing upol
them, To great extent the crime OF fence
cutting has Deen the fruit OF IA mistaken
land policy on the part of the state. IN,
accumulation on the hands OF individuals
| and corporations of immense bodies O
land, which was easily done, and at SINAI
cost, under the laws for the disposition o
the once princely domain OF Texas was
great mistake. lu the light OF our Ipresen
experience We see it, but it is now too lat,
| TO correct our error.
| Thess immense estates were legitimately
acquired, and their use and enjoyment as
property guaranteed to their owners under
| the laws. The extraordinary and sudden
advance OF civilization in the west GnC
southwest, produced IN great measure by
the extension OF railroads to the frontier
| border of the state, the money spent il
| iuelT COustruCtlpD, tHt lHuu3 OF CGpltai aDC
| immigration brought into the country which
had been comparatively unknown uni
penetrated by them, the cheapness of the
land, all conspired TO make an accumula-
| ton of vast bodies in the hands OF indiyd-
uals and interpretations. The fencing o
| mary OF these lands into large pastures By
their owners was legitimate, and their lanus
and fences having been lawfully acquired
| the state IS pledged TO their protection, how
iea rflof bal u a hi,
| they were acquired may have been. The
car OF civilization never turns back ward; 1t
may be impeded, q revolution msy temper.
| ariiy stop it, but it cannot be turned bach
when once the eye OF civilization rests
upon q land 50 fair and Govets it;
~ is only question of time as to its
full possession and enjoyment. Not with.
out strugg e, however: for the lawless
and the thriftless adventures who have
gone before, always contend against the
| new order Of things under which they can
not exist. so, III the west when the lands
| were enclosed and the cattle fenced in pas.
lures: when the laws OF the state and OF
civilized society began to be enforced
when the occupation of the cattle thief was
about TO be wrestsd from him, it is natural
| that some acts OF violence and lawlessness
saOuld occur. The history OF every state
and every country should show that it has
| always been so. A few instances of fence.
cutting occurred as conseQuence-but nc
general alarm was felt. Even while we
were in the last regular session these of
lenses were being committed in certain
sections but it was not then considered OF
sufficient Importance to occasion any
| alarm--not enough to cause this body, then
in session. TO change laws which were then
deemed adequate TO its suppression. The
| owners OF pasture property are in GER
tain Gegree responsible for the
extreme TO which this matter has
gone. If no money or means had been
spared to bring the Offe der to justice in
the beginning, the click OF the nippers
rison county east to the Rio Grande. The
crime, beginning in isolated instances,
prompted either by desire TO steal Or by
some exceptional case OF real or imaginary
wrong, was not punished, Offenders
against the law hourished and laAless
combinations are created by the confidence
INSPIRED by II supposed or real immunity
hourished aud increased, and members
have been added to her com oination, until
il exists to-day to a greater or less degree in
every county in the state. Yet, Mr.. CHAR
man, am not prepared to admit the a.ser-
ton of the senator from Travis, (TerrelD
that it is Il revolution, or partakes of that
nature. AID while do admit that it will
effectually stop it at once, cannot believe
that we, of the eighteenth legislature, need
to be panic.stricken. Texas will be
here with all property rights protected
dressed in the tull panoply of an advanced
civilization, long after we have passed
away and been forgotten, whether we pass
the "Terrell bill'' or not. Tlere is no &C
to lose our anchorage to those great prin-
ciples of civil liberty and OF government
under which this people have lived and
prospered from the beginning.
To correct the evil complained of, the
senator from Travis has offered US senate
bill No g II bill most remarkable in many
of its provisions. Upon that bill three q
the mem bers ot your committee on stock
and stock raising, incluoing myself. made
all adverse minority report; and as shall,
further on, when come to discuss the pro-
visions of the bill, follow up the substantial
reasons given IN that report, l now wish in
behalf OF myself and those signing it with
me, 10 apologize for the apparent flppancy
of some OF the expressions used therein
which were only uadc necessary in digni.
fed body like tins by the unusu-
ally elaborate stump speech and apol.
ogy made in behalf of the dill by the others
took to meet and refute in the same flip.
pancy OF style.
The senator from Travis yesterday enter
tanned us by remarkable aud, to my
mind, a peculiar So ech. His apology tor
being or not being he friend of the present
executive was to me entirely superf1uous.
|, for one, should not think less OF HIM ii he
were All aspirant for that honorable POSI-
ton, and il matters little for the purposes
Of the prac icai issues before us who is gov |
srnor, or who 1t is that is Photographed in
some of the great dailies of the state as "A |
probable and suitable candidate. l say his
speech was a rem .rkable ana a peculiar |
for It's eloquent delivery |
and he beauty of its weil.,urned senieu Gees. |
lis ened to 1t atteutvelv losing no word |
which tell from his lips and | must say |
,ha, il was worthy of II snre wd candidate for
governor, made before his nominating con
7ention mad met aud adopted a platform
gain this morning | rran 10 in The dsiiy
papers, and lis great pecuiiarity is that
t is a beautiful CO biUation OF gilt
ering generaItiea, suitable to any plat
orm made to run with the commune or
ruckle to the interests of Jna monup list
can not yei place the senator. Whether
e is q commu 1T or a mouopalist, lence
utter or a pasiufe man H. is possible b.
~ In one breath he denounces one, ~
he next he denounccs the otnrr, unti, u
GEMS he has found himself swinging be-
wepn the two on II barbed wire fence or
mica he is likely 10 h. scra ched He rs
-fts that the cattle kings" are the COM
iunisis who are causing the destruction of
and thai the open range at th-
d Dhaudle, Oh which they have made coles I
Il fortunes by GLOWING their herds to
rsze upon the "children's grass" 10 The