Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-02-15
MONTAGUE COUNTY.
Tho New Laws-An Act dated Back
10 Cover ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
md CrOp Notes.

rorrespopdence OF the Gazette.
Montague. February i3.-four sub
ocr;hers IN Montague county are NOR,
thnn pleased with the enterprise OF thu
GAzETTE in publishing the laws
n,.sed at the late session or the lenis
I,,tnre so far in advance OF othel
sources. Your correspondent mas Jus'
heen before the conn issioners cour
of Montague county, now in session or
:, road matter, and found each member
ar The court "armedo with "a Fort
Worth GAZETTE of Sundays issu,
containing the new road law, and bus
ilv engaged in comparing the new
With the old law. When he ventured
n ask TO, an order, the GAZETTE was
drawn upon him. and the law AS it APP
nrars in The GAZETTE laid down II
him as the law of the land in Mon
tapue county; and because the fence
Gu ting act had the emergency clause,
and all The road laws were grouped
together by your foreman in
the "muke-up" of your Sundays issue
there was no gainsay ing that the Fort
/ Worth GAZETTE was the statute foI
excellence before the county commits
sioners court of Montague county.
There is one of the late acts of the
recent session, however, that our
county court and other parties will al.
low to be criticised. Ever since our
land system has been organized it has
| been unlawful for any officer, clerk, OF
employee OF the government conn. cted
with our public land system, to take
advantage of the public confidence re-
pc led in them by the public, and ac-
auire or speculate either directly or in
directly in the public lands. This
fact has been known to all surveyors
and other public servants ever sihce
the organizal ion of our land office, and
the supreme court has more than
once set aside and annulled such
nefarious gains of her servants. The
Investigations of the land board under
the laws have exposed the fact that
certain clerks in the land Office have
made files upon the public domain-a
fact which had been known in this
part of the state for months before the
investigation, which is not only a
clear viol .tion of the law, but attend
ed with penalty. Our land men
were no little surprised at the enact
ment and approval of the law validat-
ing these flies, and, as matter of
course, forgiving the penalty. 1t is
true that the legislature defended, or
attempted to explain, its enactment in
this particular with preface of half
dozen "whereases, but the very pref.
ace is looked upon as
an apology for proceeding
in legislation so unusual that the jour
nails will be looked to to find the SUP
porters of what our rustic population
will term the only whereas law we
have in our statute books.
We are having strange and very
peculiar weather in Montague county
since the adjournment of the late SEES
sion of the legislature. The thunders
have rolled and great sheets of light
ming have flashed each niyht since,
while rain has poured down in show
ers. Last night it froze as it fell,
while loud peals of thunder and vivid
flashes of lightning flashed The rain
fall is cold-cold before the norther
now prevaiiug-and shelterless cat
tie are suffering. Yet we hope for an
early spring, and Notwithstanding
the bad wtaIh many of our farmers
are ready, and will pant corn When
the blue birds begin TO whistle. We
have good growth of wheat sown in
the county. and though frequently
frozen and set back 10y the frost, ii is
well set aud spreading, and promises a
hopeful crop.