Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-01-06
OUR AUSTIN LETTER.
c,~ardlce of Lacal officials In Dealing
With Fence eaters.
r.os ri,iycus Who Want Their Lives
Protected by the state.
I'll. CoYcruor,s Power Fully and Ohi'
cislly Explained.
The True Remedy in Wholesome
Public Sentiment.


/ ihe unnnimity with which people who
have suffered oranticipate injury apply
| tn the state for assistance. The exist
| once of local officials seems to have
been as greatly ignored 10y the people
/ as their duties were ignored by them
| selves. -.
| There is my fence-cutting litera-
ture.m remarked Acknowledgement
| King to-day in conversation with "a
| GAZETTE repurter, pointing 10
/ volumiuous copying book. obtaining
p.rmissiou to glance over us colt
cents | discovered Al inside history,
an imprinted page, in regard 10 teilce-
( cutting that sadly evidenced the cow
/ ardice of the people and AN alarming
/ absence of confidence in the local au'
| thorities. All were requests for ran.
y.rs MI told the same old story OF
| outrage and destruction. one man
coolly asked for n body guard OF three
rangers to protect himself AZ INST
/ bodily harm. prutlering no pecunlary
reward, but actually expecting the
! state ut its own expense to defend MIN
from anticipated danger. Strange to
! say this modest, ?lrequest was iudlrsed
hy a man who now occupies hlgh
Official position in TeXns-a relative.
| Another man appreclatlve OF pr"pfle-
. ties. wanted the same service but was
willing u pay tor IT, evidently reall-
I zing that the state could not under
/ take to protect the person of every
citizen whose life miehI be enhanger-
ed. but merely desiring y ranger
guard becau Z OF their well-snnWn
trusuworthIuess. The adiutan GEN
erai was unable in uccor .ance with
law 10 grant either of these requests,
or the multitude of similar ones. y
high tribute to the efficiency
of the ranger service, they are also
striking illustrations of the seli-con-
fess, q ieehlene-s of the average man
when facing great dangers, especially
when meuaciug Ia his property. Be-
trayiug AN alarming apathy on the
part OF local government, they further
imply dangerous Tendency to rely
too much on centraliZ power. y
letter from adiutant-General ktrE t"
parties in Wilson county IS appended.
As a defense or rather an explanation
of The policy OF the administration /.
viii prove exceeding interesting:
Gent!emen-No our petition and other
papers connected with he subject
matter thereof have been referred 10
me by h : eXccilrncy, Governor Ira
land and in answer thereto | can
only say that while the governor l.
more than willing, in fact is anxious,
To DO all in his power to suppress law
lessne,s. and To aid all peaceabie, law
abiding citizens in the preservation of
life and proper Y, yet there are many
things he h u neither the lawful nor
prysIcal power 10 accomplish. and the
offense known as 'fenre cutting is
one in which, from variety of causes,
the state can do nothing, except
through local officials and the Efforts
OF citizens themselves. In the case
presented, If the la.less men are 50
bold Us Ia go in bands in daylight, or
even at night. they mus be known,
and some of them might be ARRESTED 10y
the aid ui rangers hut, ii 50. why can
they not be arrested By ! cal
officers? And il arrested will
+ local courts and iuries PUNISH thems
Rangers have the same power to make
arrests that sherIfis have-and no
more-and while they are very vaui-
, bic and effective in breaking up law
less bands and arrrsting criminals,
their work in these things always pre-
! supposes Knowledge Of the criminals
/ and the possession of substantial facts
, or legal paper by and through which
authority Is had, empowering them TO
f act our statement that THE peace
, "illtefs oi the state are powerlessn be
cause thtse outiages are done in the
: dark, taken in connection with YOUR
Application tor rangers, would indicate
: u DeIlei ttat the Rangers puss s. some
!. power / allotted To other officials
, and men-that is, forcknuwledpe of
when AMI where II probable crime
may be cUuniitted--or else il involve,
, the idea that rangers may be fu.ni
:. and furnished To stand guard
day and night III aid
: around all the pastures of
The state. Neither of these is possible.
Hangers have no more ability To AN
tlcipate u probable crime than the
[ siitlifi has, and no more legal
; authority To arrest II person actt.-
ally committing an oficnse against
the law, and II ten thou-and rangers
were ut the command of the governor
or myself II would still he legal,
+ moral ana physical impossibillty by
i thelr ana tn stop ience-cutting us long
: AS it is done 10y its prpseut methods
! ana linds such apparent support
y among so many otherwise law-abidinv
J. citizens. The governor and both
e real ne fully and forcibly the distress
d ana loss OF those who may be suffering
rom This cen iir violence. and we
Y comprehend the immense uamap,
@ done to our people ana institutions
morally, by reason OF the contiu-
!, uiti"h ana Widespread chnra-teg
: given this lawlesspess; but In.
: governor can not make or exc
ecule laws nor control public senti.
nent, except as IL may be done through
ms known desire to give peace and
q protection TO every law. abiding citizen
!. ana enterprise in the stale, ard he Is
i therefore. .powerless TO even nttempt Il
!, accomplish what so many imagine i.
!. so easily done. Among all the apI,li.
cations that have come 10 hi. oiiic.
or ana by The rangers against
lence-euiters and sheep-kii ers no mar
mas pointed out or attempted to p,iuI
out IN what particular way the powe
!. or supposed power of the rangers cnuld
; u.iliztd legally In supprts.lng these
! troubles These repeated calls nr.. i
Substantial thhute 10 the efficiency al
I'M" force, but involve II. very false and
mlsahievnus nuti"n as Ia its sunnns,d
| power ana utilorilv aud nIsn i,,Ii 49,, !.