Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-01-30
PATRONS SPEECH.
Analysis and Solution OF the fence-Cut-
ting Problem.
A Review Of the Subject In All Its Va.
ried Phases.

Special TO the Gazette.
. Austin, January 29.-The position
) taken by Patton Of johnson in supper
!. of his substitute to make it a felony 4
!, willfully and knowingly inclose tn
i lands of another Is gaining ground
. Many who were absent on Saturda,
: when the vote was taken have espouseC
: the idea embodied in the Patton sub
stitute. and several Others have chang
ed their opinions and will now support
r it as the only practical and certain rem
r edy for fence-cutting and the suppress,
: sion of lawlessness and crime connected
5 with il.
; Yesterday morning Wurzbach OF
; San Antonio, one of the strongest
. members in the house, moved to re-
consider the vote by which the suhsti-
tute was lost, (by only one vote
When il is called up, a
lively time is anticipated and the pre-
vailing sentiment Is that it will and
ought to be adopted.
Patton's speech in advocacy of the
felony clause has been generally COM
, mended rs one of the ablest. most ex-
haustive and pointed of any yet de-
livered in the house. He analysed the
fence-cutting problem and presented n
solution that is gaining many friends.
The following is an extract from
Patton's speech: The paramount
effect of this extra session of the 18th
legislature is as / understand it, the
enactment of law, the adoption of n
remedy for the suppression of fence
cutting and the lawlessness and crime
! growing out oft.
On the basis of this fact we
] laN ynl In. /,
one of the remedies demanded
is to open up highways and gateways
wherever and whenever the necessi-
tbs and conNeniences of the people
demand.
We have recognized the fact that
another important remedy is to open
up and establish water privileges and
water fronts, as far as can be with
constitutional inhibitions and vested
rights.
We have recognized the fact that it
is necessary to make fence-cutting a
felony, and perhaps to go even further
and make it u felony to conspire tc Gu: !
a fence or to wantonly depredate on
private property; but when it comes
to consideration, to the adoption of |
an adequate remedy for one of the |
greatest wrongs perpetrated upon a
forbearing people, gentlemen waver and |
hesitate to apply caustic remedies that |
strike at the root of the evil
Do you expect by soothing, pallating
remedies, in the shape of small fines, |
and insignificant misdemeanors to !
sap the foundation for the great funda-
mental cause for fence-cutting?
Do you expect by pitting the hum
bic landowner, in our courts of Justice
against the lord of the manor, the cat
tie King or the powerful land syndi-
cate, to remedy this great wrong?
10 you intend to rely on n contest
between wealth and poverty as the
only remedy for the illegal, wrongful |
ana oppressive Enclosure of land be- |
longing to another? If so, you are
reckoning without your host
your anticipations will never
be realized and the fence
cutting problem will not be solved.
There is substratum cause for
maey of the fence-cutting troubles and |
that cause Is the inclosing of lands not
owned or legally controlled by the os-
tensiole owner of the Enclosure, This |
cause must be removed if we expect |
wise or prudent results to flow from
any legislation on this subject. The |
wrongs, the crimes that have been per-
petrated, predicated on this cause, /
40 not Justify, excuse or palliate in the
least. l make no apology for them.
but l want to get rid of this cause. /
want to eradicate it; want to elimi-
nate it from the abstruse, complicated
problem of fence-cutting, and then
think, with the other remedial agents
mat VIII be applied, the fence-cuttinp
problem will find its own solution.
Line riders, armed with Win
chester rifles, as some advocate
VIII not solve the problem.
commissioners of pasturage, roam
over our border counties and setting
down beside some water-hole to count
the marks and brands on an hundred
or hundred and fifty thousand head of
cattle VIII not solve the problem. or
suppress fence-cutting.
increasing the frontier battalion to
foo or oO0 men, at an increased burden
Oh taxation of over 100000, will not !
solve the problem. ''
A great constabulary force, as Others !
advocate, armed with six-shooters and +
.noWie-knlVes, parading around over
tne state, to the terror Of peaceful and
u.,honending citizens, will not solve
Making it felony, supplemented by g
t IN shotgun policy-proposed to ,,
DE lnaugurated, by hill J.
already introduced in this house will /
not oil itself solve the problem or sun.
press fence-cutting. &
Let us continue as we have beyup u
Let us perfect as near as we can omr !
imperfect road system, open nm and c
establish highways, gateways, water u
and water fronts. LET us
make IT a felony to cut fence or IN v
"antonly depredate on private nron, u
.rty, but let us not stop here or we win Il
AL 10 secure remedy adequate IN th. u
'iiect proposed. Let us also strike nj n
ne great fundamental substratnm u
ause upon which all of this fence.
utting trouble is predicated. Lat nc
'iso make 1t a felony to knowingly Il
ma willfully inclose the lana OF
u Others without competept M
,,uthority-whether the land be nuh' bI
&c or private. The adoption of ftbi s p,
uDstitute would be the enactn,an tn,s In
10 Eek post fac.o" law-it would no VI oh
e retrospective in its effects. II wom mp, NO
erea,, anu punish those only who di
!, treniter wiilfully and knowingly VIC. SUI
'nS nS inandate-who fatten and grow ty
' I on OF the products of other neo. Il,
~ lanu-who fence up vast areas of Tn,
'rfitory without any regard as TO who fol
iay oe the actual owners-who caro w,
othihg Tor the development of the
sLicuitural, mineral, educational re
sious or social advantages and re
,rices Oh the inclosed section. pei