Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-06-05
Farmers and Stockmen.

any prejudice9 There can be no legis-
lation inimical to cattle-raisers which
does not affect the farmer and all other
classes. In the mad howl against
'barons" and kings it is forgotten
that there are more poor men than
rich men engaged in cattle.raising. 1t
Is also forgotten that the bulk of the
cattle produced in the state is the work
of farmers. Any legislation. therefore,
which diminishes the value of the cat
tie product affects both farmer and
stvckman, and both have the same in
terest in laws which shall not dir
criminate. The newspaper screeds
against capital, the fence-cutting
manla ard the discussion and work of
the extra session, supplemented by the
action of the land board, produced the
impression outside of Texas that this
state was hostile, not only to capital,
but to cattle-raising. As conse-
quence, capital was deferred from ven
turing into the state, either for invest
iit'hNo III tullit vi ipaIl5 VII Chttlc-skDth
securities. This stopped the boom
that has been progressing so favoIably,
and seriously affected the demand for
stock cattle, and those East Texas
farmers who have this year sold their
yearlings for So per head less than they
expected have no one TO blame but
the demagogues who thought to gain
the favor and votes OF farmers by fierce
invective against capital, the Cattle
king" and "free-grass baron" There
can be no class legislation against any
one industry of Il state without a cor
responding injury to all classes. BY
means of the prejudice created against
cattle-raisers, 1t became possible to put
lease law on the statute book that
will, If not repealed, prove an embargo
in The settlement of the West and
throw the public lands into the hands
of syndicates aud corporations. Attor.
ney-General Templeton, himself, says
this. That is, because q very few cat
tlemcn inclosed lands not their own, q
judiciously managed howl was raised,
a prejudice was aroused against all cat
tle.raisers, and lease law was passed,
to the detriment, not only of cattle
raising, but of the entire West, of
farmers as well as cattle-raisers, of
small stock-growers as well as bar
ons" and "kings." lie was u pitiful
| fNr atat. 70 L., 1.
never would have been done but for
popular prejudice. A well might u
whole community of farmers be sent to
the penitentiary because some one
farmer committed a penitentiary Of
!, Tense. But it demonstrates the evil of
prejudice and its power for Injury to
the people.
Five or six years ago stock cattle
were worth, in round numbers, from
seven to eight dollars per head. In
those days the Fast Texas farmer got
from five to eight dollars per head for
his yearlings. The high price of beef,
due to demand which increased more
rapidly than the supply, attract ID
, the attention of capital to the profits
In embarrassing with stock cattle held
ut such low figures; and the fact lie.
stock cattle have never yet reached
their full value, ii their rapid increase
and the price Of beef be taken AS the
measure of profit in the Investment.
: Capital came in, the demand for stool.
/, cattle grew and the price went up, un.
I'll In 1883 the Fast Texas farmer sold
, his yearlings Mt from Sl2 to $l5--thus
demonstrating how closely united In
materiallnterest were the grazing and
agricultural sections. But the howl
was raised, the flow of capital was i'm.
. peded, the demand for stock cattle was
a diminished and the price deprecated
and the East Texas farmer to-day Is
selling his yearlings at from IS to $l2
per head, or So to 81 less than he got
. last year.
The boom TO the cattle raiser was a
: boom to the farmer, because the higher
4 stock cattle went the more the farmer
q got for his cattle product, and the de.
O preciated price OF stock cattle to-day IL
q largely due to popular prejudice find
= ing expression in newspapers and leg
!. islation and land board decisions. A
an Investment, stock cattle are worth
as much to-day AS they were last year
ana with laws not framed by prejudice
Will attain price they have never vet
= reached. And this advance would
4 throw hundreds Of thousands of dollars
!. into the farming districts, because the
J major portion of the cattle product Il
!. raised by farmers. The price OF the
: farmers cattle Is controlled by The
price paid for stock cattle In the pray-
J, Ing regions,and itis.money in.tha farm.
er's pocket to Insist upon Legislative
Justice To the cattle raiser, and d STAT
policy That win restore confidence ana
! revive the boom--and this Justice h
and encouragement Of cattle raisinv
would promote the more rapid settle.
nent OF the country. The man with
I tho hoe and the man with the cow
have q common interest they boil