Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-09-15

| lhe tease law III Jney would escape the
party's condemnation. The following
Is the present style of argument
adopted by lease-law advocates:
The freegrass question was emphatlcally
settled at Houston, both by Democrats and
Republicans. The Democracy indorsed the
lease system by an overwhelming majority
white the Republicans were equally emphat
ic in their advocacy ofthe ireegrass princl.
pie. The line Is drawn, and TO be Democrat
Is 10 stand squarely on the platform, which
Endorses the lease system as wise andproper
and when You fnd a man prating free grass
he may beset down as giving aid and comfort
To the enemy. Choose between them. and let
us hear no more Of fiee-Rrass Democrats. II
is impossible for such thing 10 be.
The leasing system is not Demo.
cratic principle, and will never be ac-
cepted as such by the Democrats of
Northwest Texas. Gov. ireland, the
head of the state ticket and the leader
Of the party in Texas, does not, him
self, assert that men who vote for the
Democratic nominees must, in order
to be true Democrats, also indoIse the
lease law, and he may well question
the friendliness Of any man or news
paper that declares the leasing system
to be cardinal tenet of Democratic
faith. No one who honestly desires
the solid vote of the West for his ex-.
cellency will insist upon a thing so
absurd. In his Fort Worth speech
Gov Ireland said;
do not come here TO find fault bu, come
to reason among you. When took the oath
OF office your lands were ON the market az
NIFTY cents per acre and were being sold in
unlimited quantities TO syndicates and cor
porauons, and even the school lands, dedi-
Gated TO a sacred purpose, were gong by the
thousands OF acres I'm the same manner. The
legislature subsequently tried TO repeal this
law, but the best 1t could do was 70 suspend
the sales for ninety days. There were not
wanting men in that Legislature who favored
no legislation on the subleots Finally the
bill In which you md the lease law was
passed. MOI a single human b-Ry n either
house uus satisfied nth Il, 6ta u paS The bedh1t
could. De done at ne time.
Democracy never yet converted
mSke-shift into "a principle Both
Gov. Ireland and Senator Gibbs, the
latter being the great apostle of the
system, tell the people to elect repre-
sentatives to Austin who will reflect
the popular will on this subject. Gov.
Ireland said it was no pet measure of
his, and that he would not stand in
the way fits abrogation If the people
through their representatives decided
that the law was hurtful. A man
may be good Democrat and yet be
unalterably opposed to the lease law.
The law is an experiment, 1t was an
expedient, and, as lease-law advocates,
themselves, assert, was the only thing
possible by which the Roberts policy
could be repealed. Democrats who
voted for 1t are now opposed to it, and
Democrats who opposed II are now its
advocates To make TAI Endorsement
OF the law test of Democracy is to in
sist upon forcing thousands Of Demo.
Gratis in the West to the support of
Wash Jones; aud no man, Who does
not irish 10 dipide the Democratic
party and diminish the majority of
Cor. ireland, will tell the Democrats
of West Texas that il they vote for
Gov. Ireland they must also vote for
the lease law in order to be true Demo-
Gratis.
Wash Jones will tell the people of
West Texas the same thing. He will
endeavor to convince them that a vote
for Gov. Ireland is vote for the lease
law and viii find valuable aid and
comfort from that new-fangled
Democratic creed which makes
Democratic principle out of mere ex-
pertinent. A vote for John Ireland is
not a vote for the lease law, aud an i'm
dorsement of that law is not a Demo.
cratic principle. A vote for Gov. Ire
land is vote for the Democratic NOM
inee, and neither Mr.. Ireland nor Mr..
Jones can annul the law. Let the
Democrats of Texas who want the
lease law repealed support those men
for the legislature who will carry out
their wishes. These Democrats have
been reviled aud mlsrepresented hy
newspapers labeled Democratic; thew
have been told by men who
have worn honors conferred
by Democracy that they must
indorse the lease law or be traitors TO
their party they will be tempted by
Wash Jones; but, surely, they will
neither yield to the establishments Of
the latter nor the bull-dozlng and non.
sense OF the former. The abrogatlon
of the lease law canpot be effected by
the election Of Wash Jones. and DEM
ocrats who vote for John Ireland can
send anti-lease representatives 10 the
legislature and still he Democrats "a
true 10 the faith and far more devoted
than those who pirate o: an experiment
as "a principle