Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-07-06
WILLS poINr. TEx. i. Inly

W Ills IOlN i, LEN July ..
To the Editor of the Gazette.
am n pretty constant reader of
THE GAZETTE--and must express my
self as heartily in accord with your
views upon the much mooted question
OF free grass vs.. the lease law of the
state. / believe, sir, that the position
you have assumed is well taken, and
that the sentiment of the people of the
great state of Texas-when voiced at
the ides of next November, will fully
confirm the same and reverse and dis
miss that erroneous system of Gland
leasing 10y the state" RELOCATING it to
a back seat, TO be known in history,
only, rs the 'big bull' of the Fifteenth
legislature. The peculiar circum-,
stances under which that honorable
body was convened, the violent stir
and commotion with which the whole
state was agitated, at the time the
eventful call was made, and the boom,
that played sensational rockets mean
while, TO fire up and increase the rage of
public opinion-was well calculated to
upheave and bestir the ''laboring
mountain"-and abort the diminutive
issue, which has in this instance been
fully verified.
In the first place, the whole thing
is, in my opinion, impracticable, un-
wise and impolitic, from the simple
fact that its tendency is to decrease
and diminish rather than increase the
population and numerical strength of
the misunderstanding the balance of
power and that social and political
equilibrium which is so essen, ial to
lsat tt.t
vancement OF the growing interests of
the country. Agriculture, one of the
most important factors, developers
and distributors of the substantial in
terests OF the state, becomes at once
estopped by this worse than. suicidal
policy. The brawny arm and horny
hand of The husbandman, from
whom the state derives its
most important weight, whose
home is his castle, and the
watch-tower and nursery of his coun.
try's strength and protection. is not
only denied the acquisition of rights
upon our northwestern frontier, but
the humble man of toll, whose con-
tinued hsrdships, dangers and priva.
tions form a history OF a quarter of a
century, is forced to abandon his
home, with all its domestic endear-
ments, because, forsooth. the little
/ quiet possessions he has hewn out of a
Wild, reckless frontier, and sealed with
the best blood and flower of his youth.
have fallen into.the unfeeling clutches
OF one of those government pets and
moneyed msgnates, these far.reaching
and wide-circling syndicates, who
have taken in and excluded from
MIN all the attractions, comforts and
conveniences of his once pleasant
surroundings. / believe, sir, that the
public lands upon our north western
division should be sold in small lots or
bodies exclusively to actual settlers.
and very soon an honest, industrious
element, attracted from the. old states
by this grand inducement and demon
strative preferment, would TEEN in
and settle all along our frontier, form.
ing settlements, circles and societies of
hard,iisted yeomanry, who would turn
out the richness and fertility of that
virgin soil" in countless heaps of
garnered grain, while the cattle and
stock, upon a thousand hills, would
return their growing increase, and a
| prosperous, populous country rejoice
Ia exultant expressions of gratitude for
inestimable privileges, thus 80 freely
and Literally bestowed, and North.
west Texas, instead of remaining
one vast, wide waste of waving
grass, unbroken and uurelieyed
only by the rowing, reckless
cowboy, in pursuit of lowing herds.
ana blatant yeaTlings, would spring
into intellectual life, is If by magic
power and rural seats and maynifi-
cent cries, spreading out the grand
eur and sublimity of modern art and
improvement, and commerce and
trade opening the doors of wealth.
aiiiuence and greatness, would pre-
sent our noble state, full proportioned.
III It's onward and upward course and
more brilliant destiny. Il. Ms.