Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-07-04
A Lease Law Bugaboo.

The Dallas Herald refers 10 one oi
the papers that has just come out for
free grass In this plaintive wall:
tits with regret we zee the Denton Mon
itor, usually right on all public matters,
running wild after the free grass folly. Just
state whether or not you believe the cattle
syndicates would not use the lands they oc'
eupy now II they were not required 10 pay
rental for them, and n they would not have
Ine.ritiers on every section ofland and har-
ass the actual settlers as they have done In
the past. You are following an ignis fatuus,
and N you will look NJ the matter through
unciouded glasses you will soon discover the
fact. The Herald IL certainly Interested In
the opnient OF West and Northwest
Texas and II can zee nothing but what IL det-
rlmentnl TO the whole state In this free-grass
movement, gotten up In the interests OF cat
tiemen to prevent actual settlers from oceu
plying the lands now open TO settlement by
| farmers and agriculturisia.
Doubtless the Monitor is well enough
prepared to give the Herald sufficient
reasons for its support Of free grass,
and stands i'm no need of assistance
from THE GAZETTE, but we trust 1t
will not be deemed impertinent inter
ference with another's quarrel to speak
few words. Certainly the cattlemen
would use the lands of the West IL they
did not pay rental for them. Not
only would the cattlemen, big and
little, use these lands, but farmers
would use them, not being kept out by
wire fenced pastures. That bugaboo
of line riders has failed to brighten
intelligent men. Their "harassment
OF actual settlers does not appear to
have scared the settlers much, for they
kept coming in and taking up the
country, and the cattlemen, even when
reinforced by the terrible line-riders,
steadily gave way and surrendered
the country to the encroaching agrl-
culturists. In that way Dallas county,
Tarrant county, Denton county, Cooke
county, and in fact all North Texas,
was taken possession of by It's present
settlers, and the cattle ranges con-
verted to farms and the ranches
turned TO cities aud towns. III this be
the effect of the haIassment OF actual
settlers which the Herald points to in
the past, then let us have some more
harAssment. Settlers fear barbed- wire
fences more than they do line-riders
IL the latter trespass upon their
rights, they can oppose force by
force, and with the law on their side
they have nothing to dread but they
, cannot fight barbed wire f.nces, in
closing the range and protected by the
law from molestatiou. How long has
1t been sine, Denton county was in
the hands OF the "cattle kings? ~
There are no cattle kings there now.
What methods were pursued to dis
lodge them? How did the present
r y 600 population OF farmers in Den
: ton county get In there in face of tn,
3 harassments of line-riders? Surel,
= the present class OF farmers In Texa
e are as brave, hardy and intrepid n
K the pioneers OF ten or twelve year
4 ago, and can make their way agains
Y line-riders rs well rs their ancestor
n did. Rut they do not make wa,
i against the leased lands that are barre,
d against them by wire fences.
: All that Texans ask is that gras
# shall be rs free on our Western prairie
a. 1t was ON the pralries of Dentol
county or Dallas county. They d
n not ask any special legislation to oil
l. tain free grass. They only ask tina
Q the present lease law shall be repealed
and that the same policy that was s
y successful in filling up East and Mort
1t Texas be pursued in regard To We.
&c and Northwest Texas.