Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-01-17

ing penal codes for Ir land and TIL,
colonies. That philosophy and tina
political economy that finds excuse
for creating new felonies and devisin,
punishments bearing no proportion /,
the crime charged, puts civilizatio,
on the bncl, track. One of the oil,
Southern, states, in ISL or 1872, passe'
n law making hog-siealing ielonS
punishable by confinement In tn,
peniientary for term not exceeding
four years. In about four years III,
hogs were all gone, the pcnitentiary
was full of negroes, and the peopl,
were disgusted The law was reduced
to n misdemeanor, and the hog croI
was better the very next year, and has
been very good ever since. There !.
danger In overstrained legislation that
il will fire the fires intended to bt
quenched, and no power TO enforc,
statute books and down
the men who placed them there
The plan proposed by the committee
ON education for the reorganization oil
the school sy stem will probably be 9
little more costly than the present
loose aud defective system, but IL will
secure the essential quid pro quo fol
the expenditure. In the state super.
intendent 1t will have head to con.
trive and direct, in the state board q
back bone for supp rt, in the county
superiniendents, ribs and anatomical
symmetry 10 build on, and in local
commissioners legs and pedal append.
ages for mobile activity. Nevertheless
there will be strong opposition to any
system that Will require any consider
able taxation TO supplement the availa.
BILE school fund.
/ inciose YOU the full text of the
house bill No. 81, making wrongful
fence building felony. The senates
bills go no farther than making the
Enclosure of private and public lands n
misdeneanor. On this question the
two houses are likely 10 lock horns,
but IL Is hoped there il wisdom and
conservation equal to the emergency,
and that II just equilibrium will be
reached.
II is suspected that strong commit.
tee of stockmen remains in the city,
and has held one or more meet
ings. Whether appointed by the
convention or improvised since
adjournment of that body is not exact
ly known; nor is the purpose within
the range Of reportorial optics or olfac-
tories.
The testimony in the Ben Thomp-
son case puts different phase on the
affair, and leaves us in DOUBT rs tD
whether the snake that made the
track was going north or coming back,
Our mild norther has turned of in
torrents, and for the last six hours the
rain has poured almost ineessantly.
LATER
Just learned that the supposed COM
mittee of stockmen was an improvised
conference-twelve or fifteen promi-
nent stock and land owners being
present. They were agreed in their
wants and VIII endeavOr to impress
their views on the legislature. They
are opposed to herd law in any
shape, opposed TO free range and OPP
posed to going To the penitentiary for
fencing other peoples and The public's
lands. They are willing to give roads
for the convenience of individuals
fenced in, but want their grass
protected from the fenced in mans
stock, aud his grass protected rom the
pasture mans grass. They are willing
Ia lease this schoul land, subject to sale
by the state to bona tide settlers at any
time during the term of the lease, and
to give to such purchasers the right of
eeress and ingress and all reasonable
conveniences justly attaching 10 the
purchase. They want heavy penalties
enacted for the fence-cutter and cattle
thief, and want the law so hedged and
restricted that the pasture man cannot
Cypress the renter, and the renter plac-
ed in position to prev, mt his levyinS
blackmail on the pasture man.