Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-06-01
T. FREE GRASS.
discussion Of the Question by the
Press and People.
The Country Must Be Settled Despite
Landed syndicates.

------
rpr w. r. Robinson In Colorado Ciipperl
,,Seeing that you are a candidate lo'
tbe senate. presume you Will not o" 10,
;ect 70 an interview on state politics:
mot at all. sir. am always ready
TO give nv views on any question III
volyinp the public good. And now as
exnect to make canvass Tor tne
senate. / think it very proper that l
should give my views on all questions
~ state politics in every possible pub-
lie way. In order that the people may
know where I stand. shall therefore
cheerfully answer such questions us
you may PROFOUND"
uDo YOU think the people in North
west Texas will take more interest IN
state politics this year than usnai?"
AZ think they Will. The people are
Thoroughly aroused to the fact that
this is a very critical period in the his
tory of this vast, and but partially de-
yeloped country Heretofore we have
devoted ourselves wholly to the mate
rial development of the country; i'm
proving ranches, increasing NERDS,
building railroads, and founding new
towns. We have acted upon the ny
pothesis that we were OF suificient 1m-
portance to the South and East TO rem
der 1t perfectly safe to rest our legisia-
tive interests in their hands. but the
recent Administrations of the land de-
partment of the state has given us
alarm and we feel implied to demand
voice in the matter now"
~ infer then that you are willing
to he written down for free
grass ~
swell. yes; in the most important
sense, | am in favor of free grass"
"Will YOU please state your position
on the land and grass question >"
~ will do so as briefly as may be. j
am in favor of placing the school and
other public lands on the market and
giving all possible encouragement to
actual settlers. ! am in favor of pro-
tecting the man who honestly pur-
chases land, in fencing and otherwise
improving such lands. | favor the
repeal of the lease law of the Eigh-
teenth legislature, and would make
the grass on every section of commons
of Northwest Texas free az ii was be-
fore the Eighteenth legislature was
born
"Please state in what way you think
the lease law injuries"
I'm many ways. In the first place
it was not only an unprecedented, but
a dangerous experiment for the state
of Texas to turn landlord and essay to
lease out her public domain, especially
when the prosperity of half her terri
tory depended directly upon the EN-
enlargement of immigration. Instead
of offering Inducements to the immi-
grant, the state, by this obnoxious law,
asks the man who removes with his
family and bis stock to the 'staked
plains, TO pay premium for the priv
ilege of enduring the privations incl
dent to building home in that des-
olate country. The operation of this
law has effectually stopped the
settlement of this uuoccupied section,
and the present Indicators convince
me that il it is perpetuated. all the
country west of Eastland will be de-
nuded of her cattle interests. There
will be at least 100000 head of stock
cattle removed from this district to
New Mexico, Arizona, Montana and
the republic of Mexico this year. One
company alone are driving "a 600 hea6
of young cattle to the free grass o
Montana. The lease law and the re
cent ruling OF the state land boart
are thus breaking down great indus
try, and deprivipg the state of vas
revenues
would not the leasing of the Ian,
create a considerable revenue?"
"Ies; If it could all be leased. Blu
even then IL would be bad policy. Gu
own people do not believe that the
can raise cattle profitably, and pa
ighteen to twenty GEMS pei, acr
rental for grass in the dry belt, an
hnx "a ofata 70 Oh A
they can get away; hence, if the lane
are leased at all, it will be to foreig
syndicates, who can work fol smalls
per cent. than American capital ca
afford; and thus the country will pa
into the hands of Scotch and Englis
landlords. whose interests aud hire
servants will all be opposed to the pc
mauent settlement of the country
American husbandmen. No man wi
wish to buy one or even seven section
Of land with the prospects of all Il
country around him being leas,
to some great cattle compan
This state policy will militia
against the sale of the vast qua
titles of railroad land in Northws
Texas. and force the owners to ado
the lease system in selfdefense; 1
with the school lands forming alt,
nate sections with all theirs leased (
grazing purposes, they cannot sell
actual settlers along the various lir
of road, by which towns would
built up, agricultural communit
planted, and their local business
creased to self-sustaining volume.
desire tn return to the old regime
which Texas was peopled from the
bine and Red rivers to the Colora
The system which has ever wrou,
so well in the United States
ritories, whose free grass now
vite our stockmen to leave Texas.
mild climate and free grass have b.
the prime factors in the settlement
our state so far. and now we do
propose to allow those sections VIII
have had so many benefits from
free grass In the past, to deprive us
the same privilege enjoyed by Their
the infancy ofltheir settlements
Correspondence vernon Guard.l
VERNON. TEX May "a, lSS4.-E
or Guard: read your article In
Guard of the 10th on the subject
'The Children's Grass" This q
ton of vital Importance has puz