The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-02-06
ONE DAY MORE or LEGISLATION,

ONE DAY MORE or LsGisLAIIoN,
II this legislature adlourhs to-day With
out having enacted laws on the special OBJ
ltcls for which II Was convened, the peopls
ofthe state must conclude tha, 10 Is not an
esstmblrrc OF the kind demanded by the
public interests. The Qsss,l1us were few ana
mos. OF them simple, II We regard luslc'
and the general good as the objects TO D.
obtained. The discussions diverse mo-
/ lions aud amendments show that some
member looked chiefly 10 thu protection
| OF wealthy slockmcu-othsr probably M
c.ined TO the . her sTtrem'-whils the bot
| ter balanced element have had both TO con-
tend with auI oppose. 10 will not 4o-Io say
| that these dlyergcrc.as arise from section
| al differences. Tor b, l not true. They
spring from opposing influences iu
| the same secusng, or ms
Nj. suAsSoS, Of Parker, expressed
| 10 iu Ga, senate, 10 Is astagouism between
the biz O. and the ii,.ls. lah 10 which the
latter quadrupl,ca,o the former In numbers
and 10 women and children be- included
the "lI..lc fish" are az ten or twenty to one
OF the big ones.
Some OF our coolest and best informed
men on the laws now IN force contend that
they arc wellnigh sufficient, Il enforced to
NEE, tho difficulties complained of,-that
under them, any and.holdor fenced in by
the large pastures las the right OF ingres
and egress to and from his premises to the
public highways and to use snd stock his
Land aa he preiers-all Of which is true, Bu.
In tact, 4. will be ruinoua to him
TO seek judicial relief and he
well knows that, beins Is LITTLE
fish. the giants Of his tribe, by intimidation
and annoyance can force him to biie To
hone recess Of the bank till starvation or
surrender becomes his only alternatives.
Even before the frontier lands were fenced
1t is notorious that certain big fish, by au-
toCrauc srreement, ran simple burrows
around large districts Of country belonging
respectively TO Individuals railroads and
the state, and assumed the right OF eminent
domain over the same In some cases with
ulblushirc arrogance. BY so doing they
sWop, the country OF email stock men GGd
placed ban upon agricultural progress.
These arc original facts, laying broad
and deep the predicate for ill.will
between farmers and smhll stock rsiser'
on the one hand and large stock men on
the other, in oil such districts. And when
these furrows we're superseded by wire
fences, especially when without gates and
closing up the roads previously used by
the people, is It strange that the accumu
lated hostility thus fostered into being,
should become effective in resistance.
That, once become mobocratc it should
60 TO excuses originally not thought OF, is
simply a repetition OF experience in all such
cases. The fact rsnans however, plain
and undeniable, that there was 10 such
thing as fence cutting known, till these
causes had grown to such degree as to
warrant the conviction that the great bulk
OF west and northwest Texas, was alarm
ingly passing into the control OF
few wealthy men and corpo'
rations, largely nonresident and
M lterislly alien TO the United States to be
held without population as grazing grounds.
And this, too, by fencing in lands belong
ing to others. II as much pains had been
taken to show the facts on this side-the
outrsges for years committed on poor men,
small land holders and stockmen-as by
the other side to show tho number Of
fences cut, the double picture would b
startling.
Then, II these things be 30, does not
Justice and common sense demand first
the removal of these causes for lawlessness
Remove them in toto by allowing no man
TO fence the land of others, and when he
fences his own demand roadways where
ever public necessity requires. Do this
and then punish the fence-cutter. In such
case no fence will be cut except by men
who would commit any other crime. Small
s.ockmen, farmers and all seeking homes
west and northwest, will then have fair
showing-equsl protection with the rich
and then, as always 10 Texas and elsewhere
! nader similar condition OF right, peace will
, reign and the country will prosper. OF
nlurse there are many coinciding views
incident to the discussion, the object at
present being only TO fairly state the most
material facts involved.
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