The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-02-28
THE MONSTER MONOPOLY.

LAAG was strange doctrine, al
vanred by some of the members of the
legislature, that the effort to put an
end to free grass would be beneficial
to monopolies, and hence should be de-
feated. We say it was strange. and
yet it might be more appropriate to
say it is not strange, since the Thought
came wholly from the soul of the
demagogue. The idea. which it WAS
proposed to convey, was that. legisla-
ton against free grass would benefit
the railway companies, owning land
and land syndicates. Who is the
greatest owner of Texas lands? The
children of Texas own over thirty
millions of designated lands. Sur-
Veyors have run lines around this
amount of land for these children.
1t Is designated in maps and plots
as the children's land set
aside for the sacred cause of edu-
cation. The constitution provides
that these school lands, or the money
deriVable from the sale thereof shall
REMAIN forever as d fund to advance
the cause of education. Thirty mil
lion acres of landl 1t is immense TO
contemplate; as great as the territory
OF many OF the larger states: possess.
ing the greatest variety of resources
ana unparalleled prospective outcome
these legislators, VINO were talk
ing about monopoly, thought not of
now they were unrighteousIy treadipg
upon the toes of the people them
serves, who have attempted to mo-
nopollze for the cause of education so
vast an empire. These men were
themselves working in the interest of
vast monopoly, so great as to over
throw all others. The states attempt
10 create monopoly in lands for edu-
catlonaI purposes was weak beside
Inls horned monster. The demagopue's
cry Oh thief was made to cover thieves
The attack made upon monopoly was
nothlng more nor less than antago-
nlsm to interests which every Texan
holds dear, a feint against "monopolv %
Dy Which real monopoly was to he en-
Gnroned, while death stab was to be
driven into the very heart of advanc-
ing civilization. This is the light in
which to contemplate these hapless
demagogues, who appeal in wordv
senseless harangues to the ponnI,ce
1or approval. 1t can not be said that
tney know not what they do. for every
WORD they utter is the studied ouin-
tescence of gItttering falsehood. said
10 deceive, uttered to mislead. Not
an acre of land is owned
In Ie1as, to which the state or its
polltlcal predecessors did not give
Title. 1t gave settlers lands: il con-
Teyed to railway companies for most
valuable consideration part of its do
main; it has sold lands in |; rya and
In small quantities to compap1e :, and
to individuals; and it contracted with
the railway companies and other
agencies to set apart. at
their own expense, all these
sections of school land for the perpet.
ual cause of education. Texas is a
new state, of wonderful and vast re-
sources. In the cause of advancement
the state has been liberal: it has given
IN It's wisdom, that developing capital
and wealth and energy might be led
TO make waste places less deso,ate.
that vast unimproved sections of the
state might be converted iato homes
and farms for the pleasure and profit
OF man. Texas has been bidding for
wealth and influence among states
and she has won. She is now the most
populous as well as the wealthiest of
all the Southern states, and yet dema-
gogues would deceive and mislead. as
to the best public policies, by raising
the cry of monopoly regarding the
ownership Of lands. The railways
have been granted lands on the ex-
press condition that they shall be alien
ated In given number of years. IN
and companies have been
sod lands, and the public knows that
private titles have been obtained.
that settlement and Improvement
might follow. Thus real prop-
erty values have been Increases
while state revenues havegrovn enor
mously. These agencies that the dema.
gogues name monopolies, made the |
taxable wealth increase, in 1889, one |
hundred and twenty millions of dol
Lars. Improvement and civiIiza-
tioa go hand in hand, aud all that is |
to-day in the way of more rapid ad-
vancement than ever before is that |
nonster-monopoly, free grass, whose |
nldeousness these deceptive legisla-
tors were attempting to hide. The
STATESMAN will oppose it, hold it up |
TO view, and call upon the Democracy |
Of Texas to DESTROY it.