Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-01-11
NOLAN COUNTY.
Anti Fence. Cutting Legislation Evils
Of a Herd Law.

Correspondence OF the Gazette.
Sweetwater, January THE dan
gerous and disgracetul state of law
lessness and terrorism that prevails in
many portions of our state IL being
taken advantage of by would-be politi-
clans and demagugues, who imagine
that they see All opportunity TO gain
noturiety aud maybe 10 ride into pop
ular favor, by advocating thus or that
measure Tor legislative enac ment, os-
tepsibly AS n means OF relief. But
nearly or quite all of the measures sug-
gested as yet, 10y their nature of be ~
ings, are more or less intended to ben
eft certain classes of persons consti-
tuling one or tile other antagnnistic
elements of the stock business, the in
compatibility OF whose interests in re-
atty form the basis of all this trouble
That there are two extreme elements
at work, the one representing the
'cormorant' and the other the "com-
inune, in the stock business, there Is
no question, though in reai ty we he
lieve that the MAORI y, or mt least
large per cent of The Expectations COM
mlIt,d by fence-cutters aud others,
have becn done by irresponsible par
lies who are Always ready " take adj
vantage of such occasions, where, rs
far as the ext Cution of the law is con-
cerned, they can steal and pillage with
| IMMUNITY: parties who Fave no legit-
innate conn ctlon with the stock ouoi
ness, and who should not be con-
| founded with that large class
of small stock raisers who are
! endeavorlng to resist the encroach-
ments of foreign and other syndicates,
lp,
sorbing the pasture lands of the state.
In the immediate section of the state
OF which Nolan, Fisher, Mitchell,
Scurry, Howard, Dawson, Crosby,
| and, in fact, thai whole tier of coun-
ties comprising th southern half OF
! Hon j. y. Bruwning's l.gislaiiv dis
trict forms part, there has been as far
as we know no trouble from either of
the elements referred to. The great
majority of the cattlemen of tins sec
ton are operating on II comparatively
small scale. and have thorough sys-
TEN of round-ups, prescribing each
stpckmun To u fix d amount OF range,
| which, together with an almost perfect
system OF cooperation and mutual
! pro ecllon, completely obviates the ne
ccsslty OF fencing, Notwithstanding
The Tact That they all with very lew
| exc, ptlons, own moe or less land
We think it would he very unwisr
ana unjust to subject the above see
ton and Others similarly situated To a
general herd law as proposed. That
the Interests of South aud East Texas
demand such law we are ready Dad
NIT, and II the citizens ofthose sections
demand such II law give tuem one
similar to that passed by Kansas, with
lNal option" features, with this
difference, that in Kansas the
county commissioners adopt the
law FOR their county when petitioned
10 90 so, while we are of the opinion
that IL should be lett to n vote of the
people Tor adoption, with II further
provision allowing any county having
,'u"pled the law Ia rescind her action
by two thir vote.
While We believe that any general
nerd law" would be Unconstitutional
ana therefore could not be enforced.
yet we are satisfied that under the
pressure OF the present excitement
mere is danger of one being passed.
IN we" OF WI lch fact we heartily
commend the vi We of Hon. j. W.
browning, as published in the GA.
%EIfE last Saturday, and hope that he
may be able, with the assistn,,ce of
p.ner conservative representatives, tn
stem the tide winch at this time is
running so strongly towards extreme
legislation ON this subject.
a general herd law" IL passed and
eh'oiced, would utterly annihilate
the business in this section, and would
u"niage ieNas TO the amount of mil
iions OF dollars. At least two thirds
VI .he ianne IN this and adjoining
.oul.iesi OWNED by railroads, non
ies'uents ana ire school mud. These
a,e no. on the market. and of course
cannot be purchased. and ns we could
not tnco what did not helonp To NJ.
we would of course DO compelled to
move.