Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-05-26
Free Grass Is Public Commons.

Ncrsy over III may DC very ihuch sihpiiheu u
not altogether quieted. Does 1t mean that
the school, university and public lands shall
he free to every body without rental until
taken w by actual settlers: The Chronicle
has felt all along that the ree grass coutro
versy can come TO no Ineligible conclusion
till the terms employed are clearly defined
THE GAZETTE is the leading light in the Tree
grass camp and appears to be sincere in its
desire to have the matter thoroughly venti-
lated before the public. The Chronicle claims
equal sincerity for itself, and trusts THE
GAZETTE will define the issue In clear and
unequivocal manner. Then If there are diff
ierences they can be argued with some show
OF arriving at a decision. -Cleburne Chron-
ice
The Chronicle Is one OF the most
conservative ms well rs one of tine most
ably edited newspapers in Texas. In
discussing Stree grass" it is to be
hoped such q journal will pay no heed
to the prejudice against cattle-raisers
which so largely obtains among the
newspapers of the state and which
demagogues, for sinister purposes, seek
to promote, and that it will give to the
subject the care and thought aud UNI
biased consideration which its impor-
lance to the whole state demands.
Free grass" siaply means that all
,ninc,osed lands, public and private,
shall be free to the cattle, horses, etc.,
of every man-that 1.-THE school. uni
versity and public lands shalt be
free to the cattle of every
one without rental until taken up
by actual settlers"-that the COM
mons of Texas, public and private,
shall be free commons, and of course
it means that no man shall inclose
any public lands to which he has not
acquired right by purchase. Free
grass Is the annulment of all lease laws
and the sale Of public lands to actual
settlers only, and these actual settlers
, should be required to occupy such
lands five years, be given twenty oil
thirty years time, if necessary, in
which to pay for them, and all the
present cumbersome machinery for &C
quiring title and making payment
: simplitied by direct communication
" between the purchaser and the lant
e office at Austin. Free grass means u,
= the land laws of the state can make il
n The policy proposed by THE GA
:" zErTE is, simply, revival Of the time
honored policy of the state and whic
has been so recently changed because
d according to Atty Gen. Templeton,
"a few greedy cattlemen inclosed land
not their own. Under this old-tim
policy the plow transformed Texi
from an immense range into Ian
u filed with fruitful fields and happ
- homes and gave to the state a popul;
~ ton of nearly 100000, eleven repr
nc sentatives in congress and AN iLcreas
'e' OF taxable wealth unequaled by an
state in the Union. Under this polio.
to in years gone by, the plow and the he
SO invaded the range in Ellis, Dalla
ty Hill, Johnson, Tarrant and other coul
We ties; small fields were opened to cult
id walton and the pioneer farmer turne
ty his few head of cattle and horses c
ate the free grass around him, and thu
or was the pro6uct of the farm suppl
Ike mented. What is the result? III
ars poor farmer has become the rio
farmer, and 'the grazing region
which he invaded has become one
in the most celebrated agricultural sc
ing tions of the South, filled with as pre-
nd. porous communities of farmers as IN,
a be found anywhere; and, despite Il
ties fact that "the range' has become t
5 to homie of farmers exclusively, there a
to more cattle now in the counties nam
in than when they were peopled solely
ion ranchmen and cowboys and t
ele- "free.grass" idea is perpetuated, al
on the public commons of the past is T.
ing private commons of to-day
hat The same process has converted
in that magnificent country north of t
and thirty-second parallel and west of t
ele- ninety-ffth degree from grazing il
GUS farming country. A free public co
lex, mons enabled the poor man to live
adding to his store the product of |
live stock, until time brought conf,
and convenience and wealth. And
ieas- all the sections named no mans polj
80. 80. cal life would be safe who had I
con- temerity to propose the destruction
their the free private commons by he
law. Appealing to the innate self.
~, ness Of man, politicasters now
nd It these prosperous farmers who ha
took been made prosperous by Stree gra.
that in part that they can retain their f
10 commons, but that the bullionai
mon. should be made to pay for "the sch
likely children's grass" and thus contrib,
to the education of the children
=, =, ~ men who, themselves, have profited
COM free grass" In the past.
These farmers forget that tn
y, y, 70 children are looking forward to
capa. goodly inheritance simply beca,
|. that there were no political hucksters in
and past to rail ut the bullionaires and
! :, leu. ,aa tard the settlement of the country
endless miles of barbed wire aron
roS leased lands-becallse thara ,,,a