Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-06-30
GALVESTON, June Is, 1884.

To the Editor of the Gazette.
American by birth, breeding and
hereditary bias, adhere, ethically, to
call 1t by what name you will-the
idea of government of the people, for
the people, by the people, ! believe
in the possession by each member of
the body polite of every right apper.
tanning to humanity and compatible
with the well-being of civilized society.
subject only TO such general limitations
rs reason and justice may dictate and
an enlightened public sentiment ap-
prove. Therefore, and notwithstand-
ing the many crimes that have been.
are and doubtless will continue to be
committed in the name of liberty. in
stinctively prefer freedom to bondage
as the normal condition of adult man
hood and womanhood. Free thought
| free speech, free schools, free men, a
free ballot and, especially as citizen
of Texas, free grass is my motto.
/ notice, however, that the phrase
free grass" seems to be be peculiarly
Objectionable to u class of Texan journal
lists who pride themselves upon being
exclusively Democratic. Now, have
not the least objection to the word
Democracy; in fact, when intelligent
ly used. prefer it as concise express
sion of Abraham Lincoln's popular
phrase. l simply object to the fact
that to the mass of our fellow-citizens
who use it as political shibboleth it
is rs significant as the word "accom-
modate" was to Shakspeare's Bar
dolph. They have heard the word,
and are ready at all times to maintain
it by their votes Ito be soldier-like
word, and a word of exceeding good
command, by heaven 4 4 Dem
oeratic!" THAT is, when a man
is as they say" a Democrat
"or when man is-being-whereby
he may be thought to be,n Demo-
cratic, which is an excellent thing.
Although as an American. l enter
tain a profound respect for the memo.
ry of Thomas Jefferson, James Madi-
son, James Monroe and their conpeers,
yet / am not what is titularly known
as Democrat; still l am in favor OF
free grass. because / am of the opinion
that in accordance with public usage,
table products of the soil of Texas
as yet unappropriated to private
ownership. belongs in common
to all the citizens of the state. Even
public timber, j believe, when sub
servient to individual necessities, may
be freely used by actual settlers.
Those portions of the public lands
whose value, when sold, may have
been set apart by law to defray the
expense of public education, form NJ
exception to the custom of public own
ership. The state government has nc
more right to sell for specific pur
pose the grass of Texas growing upon
its public lands than it has to fell the
timber or explore the mineral deposits
In short, / think that the public grass
of Texas should be free for the com
mon use of the people of Texas, rub
ject only to such regulations as the
legislature may deem it necessary t.
make in order to prevent monopoly o
either the water or the soil and to Sc
cure to all resident Texans equal en-
joyment of the natural grazing facil
tiles afforded by the luxuriant public
soil of their imperial state.
Westward the course of empire
takes it's way" and although time WA
when society in Texas was almos
nomadic, yet it is rapidly becoming
what it aspires ultimately to be, "a Target.
: agricultural as well as manufacturing
state. With deep water at all time
. on Galveston bar, and Fort Worth
established as the great entrepot 0
inland commerce for the Southwest
cattle-raising In Texas must in TN
near future give place to those hand
maids of civilization, agriculture, man
ufactures and maritime trade; and y
cowboy, following in the footsteps {,
the original proprietors of the SOIL
will seek the precincts of the settinl
sun in search of newer and more con
} genial pastures, wherein to enjoy tn
barbarous pleasures of nomadic life
pLEBS,